The first seminar on Catalan to Polish literary translation took place at the Jagiellonian University in 2016, kicking off a season in which Barcelona and Catalan literature were the special guests at the Warsaw Book Fair.
This year’s course will include a theoretical and practical introduction to Catalan to Polish translation, with three lectures on translation strategies delivered by leading literary translators. The seminar also features an introduction to the translation profession, in which Karolina Jaszecka will discuss getting started in translation, key stakeholders (scouts, translators, readers, literary agents, publishers, etc.), Polish publishing houses, Polish associations of literary translators, and successful networking. Students will examine concrete cases where linguistic decisions can make or break a translation and have the opportunity to ask questions about the translation process.
One of the 11 students participated in the first seminar and currently teaches Catalan at the Kontakt language school in Poznań, underscoring the role that IRL training courses play in enhancing professional development opportunities for talented young people.
The following lecturers will take part in the seminar:
Dr. Anna Sawicka is the Director of the University of Kraków’s Catalan Studies program. She studied Spanish Language and Literature and received her doctorate in Humanities from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Sawicka is renowned for her Polish translations of Catalan novels, and was awarded the 23rd Josep M. Batista i Roca prize in 2011 for her contribution to promoting Catalan literature abroad. Noteworthy translations include Jaume Cabré’s Voices of Panamo, Confessions (2013), and Senyoria (2015).
Marta Pawłowska received degrees in Spanish Language and Literature and French Language and Literature from Kraków’s Jagiellonian University. She pursued post-graduate studies in computer-assisted translation technology, and is currently finishing her PhD thesis while working as an Assistant Professor at the Jagiellonian University’s Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.
An expert in medieval literature, Dr. Rozalya Sasor has translated the work of various Catalan authors into Polish. This year, her session will focus on translating dialogue in Llúcia Ramis’ novels.
The faculty will also include Xavier Farré, a Catalan studies professor and Polish to Catalan translator.
The Institut Ramon Llull’s aims include the promotion of Catalan literature on the international stage. As the role of translators and translations is a key plank of this project, the promotion of literary translation in all forms, including the training of literary translators, is paramount. This year’s seminar is in line with the IRL’s goal of using a wide range of approaches to foster the translation of Catalan literature into other languages.
After additional training courses, participants are expected to be able to produce top-notch translations of literature originally written in Catalan.
Catalan language and culture in Poland
In recent years, Polish readers have welcomed translations of works by Catalan authors including Blanca Busquets, Albert Sánchez-Piñol and Jaume Cabré. Cabré’s novel Jo confesso (Confessions), translated into Polish by Anna Sawicka, won the 2015 Ramon Llull Award for Literary Translation and was a bestseller. This year, the Nowa Dekada Krakowska literary review published a 500-copy special issue showcasing literature by 22 Catalan authors.
The program for the seminar is attached.
