Thanks to the generous support of Creative Scotland, we had the pleasure of welcoming Anna-Nina Kroll (Germany) and Kristyna Kocourkova (Poland)—two accomplished translators of commercial literature—to our Contemporary and Scottish Literature courses this summer.
A central element of the Fellowship is the opportunity for our translators to share insights into their craft through presentations at our annual Translation Showcase, held each August. This year’s event took place at the University of Edinburgh, and we’re delighted to now share their talks and reflections with those who couldn’t attend in person.
We hope you enjoy their presentations as much as we did, and that you find them as insightful and engaging as we found the conversations on the day.
Anna-Nina Says:
Returning to university as a student after over a decade of working as a professional translator was a challenging yet incredibly rewarding experience, and I could not be happier to have faced this challenge. Taking part in the SUISS programme has broadened my knowledge and understanding of British, Irish, and particularly Scottish literature and culture, and I return home with a wider picture of what is being written and read in Scotland. Without the programme’s reading lists and the communal Book Hop that featured some of Edinburgh’s seemingly countless independent bookshops I might not have encountered many of the books that found their way into my suitcase, a surprising number of which have not been translated into German yet. In view of the worsening effects of climate change and the current popularity of young adult fiction, I believe that Rachelle Atalla and Jenni Fagan would be especially hopeful candidates for translation, and I will certainly be working toward bringing their works and Scottish literature in general to the attention of editors, publishers and readers in the future.
Kristyna says:
During my stay at SUISS, I have learned so much about British, Irish, and especially Scottish literature, its different sides and languages, its traditions and innovations, interesting forms, genres and authors. Many of the books we have read are either very topical (for example the climate fiction of Rachelle Atalla) or timeless in their applicability (such as the plays of David Greig) and I would love to bring those that have not already been translated to the Czech readership. I believe that Czech and Scottish cultures have much in common – such as the suppression and attempts at rejuvenation of their respective languages – and as the tradition of translating from English-speaking cultures is very strong in Czechia, I do believe that many of the works we have studied would do well with Czech publishers and readers and I shall certainly endeavour to get them published.
My stay in Edinburgh has given me a lot of inspiration, in terms of books and authors to translate, sources where to find more of them and how to search for them, useful contacts in the literary world, various interesting literary theoretical frameworks of interpretation and personal experiences I will always treasure. I appreciate Scottish culture and literature, as well as Scotland in general, more than ever.