A event held at The Wardrobe Theatre on Sunday 25th May. The event starts at 14:00.
A translation duel sees two acclaimed translators come face to face to present their respective translations of the same text, emceed by a moderator. The aim is to explore how each translator resolves the challenges that arise and to shine a light on the translation process. It is not a competition to ‘see who’s best’ but rather an opportunity to celebrate the translators’ skill and creativity.
The French text will be made available in advance of the event, so that attendees can try their own hand at translating it and compare their efforts with those of the duellists.
Join us at the Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West Street, BS2 0DF for the duel, which is followed by optional(!) networking in the bar from approx 3:15pm - celebrate the closing of the first ever Translated By, Bristol!
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Peirene Press, Arts Council England, and Institut Francais in organising this event.
ABOUT ADRIANA HUNTER
Since ‘discovering’ the first book she was to translate, award-winning translator Adriana Hunter has brought more than 100 books to English-language readers and still enjoys the buzz of finding promising new francophone authors. Her recent work includes the international bestseller The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier and three volumes of Sapiens: A Graphic History based on Yuval Noah Harari’s global phenomenon, Sapiens. She relishes the challenges of translating anything from intricate literary fiction to the goofy antics and word games of Asterix and Obelix.
ABOUT FRANK WYNNE
Frank Wynne is a literary translator. Born in Ireland, he moved to France in 1984 where he discovered a passion for language. He worked as a bookseller in Paris and again when he moved to London in 1987 , he translated and published comics and graphic novels and from 1996-2001 he worked in online media.
He began translating literature in the late 1990s, and in 2001 decided to devote himself to this full time. He has translated works by, among others, Michel Houellebecq, Frédéric Beigbeder, Ahmadou Kourouma, Boualem Sansal, Claude Lanzmann, Tómas Eloy Martínez and Almudena Grandes. His work has earned him a number of awards, including the Scott Moncrieff Prize and the Premio Valle Inclán. His translation of Vernon Subutex was shortlisted for the Man Booker International 2018.
ABOUT ROS SCHWARTZ
Co-director of Bristol Translates literary translation summer school, Ros Schwartz has translated some 100 fiction and non-fiction titles from French over the past four decades. In 2010 she published a new translation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, and she is currently one of the team retranslating George Simenon’s oeuvre for Penguin Classics. In 2009, she was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. She gives talks, workshops and masterclasses around the world.
ABOUT TRANSLATED BY, BRISTOL
Translated By, Bristol is a new festival celebrating translators and translated literature, taking place in Bristol from May 12th - May 25th 2025, founded by author/translator Polly Barton in collaboration with two independent Bristol bookshops (Gloucester Road Books and Storysmith).
The festival will celebrate the art and practice of literary translation, foregrounding the translators themselves.
Events will include in-depth conversations with translators, conversations between renowned authors and their translators, discussions of the translation/publishing process, translation workshops, translation slams and events for children in collaboration with Bristol schools.
The complete programme will feature collaborations with an international range of translators, authors and publishers, held across multiple venues in Bristol.
With a mission to acknowledge the role and contribution of translators across the world, Translated By, Bristol is the first of its kind in our city.
Head to translatedbybristol.com for more information and line-up announcements.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
The French text will be made available in advance of the event, so that attendees can try their own hand at translating it and compare their efforts with those of the duellists.
Join us at the Wardrobe Theatre, 25 West Street, BS2 0DF for the duel, which is followed by optional(!) networking in the bar from approx 3:15pm - celebrate the closing of the first ever Translated By, Bristol!
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Peirene Press, Arts Council England, and Institut Francais in organising this event.
ABOUT ADRIANA HUNTER
Since ‘discovering’ the first book she was to translate, award-winning translator Adriana Hunter has brought more than 100 books to English-language readers and still enjoys the buzz of finding promising new francophone authors. Her recent work includes the international bestseller The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier and three volumes of Sapiens: A Graphic History based on Yuval Noah Harari’s global phenomenon, Sapiens. She relishes the challenges of translating anything from intricate literary fiction to the goofy antics and word games of Asterix and Obelix.
ABOUT FRANK WYNNE
Frank Wynne is a literary translator. Born in Ireland, he moved to France in 1984 where he discovered a passion for language. He worked as a bookseller in Paris and again when he moved to London in 1987 , he translated and published comics and graphic novels and from 1996-2001 he worked in online media.
He began translating literature in the late 1990s, and in 2001 decided to devote himself to this full time. He has translated works by, among others, Michel Houellebecq, Frédéric Beigbeder, Ahmadou Kourouma, Boualem Sansal, Claude Lanzmann, Tómas Eloy Martínez and Almudena Grandes. His work has earned him a number of awards, including the Scott Moncrieff Prize and the Premio Valle Inclán. His translation of Vernon Subutex was shortlisted for the Man Booker International 2018.
ABOUT ROS SCHWARTZ
Co-director of Bristol Translates literary translation summer school, Ros Schwartz has translated some 100 fiction and non-fiction titles from French over the past four decades. In 2010 she published a new translation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince, and she is currently one of the team retranslating George Simenon’s oeuvre for Penguin Classics. In 2009, she was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. She gives talks, workshops and masterclasses around the world.
ABOUT TRANSLATED BY, BRISTOL
Translated By, Bristol is a new festival celebrating translators and translated literature, taking place in Bristol from May 12th - May 25th 2025, founded by author/translator Polly Barton in collaboration with two independent Bristol bookshops (Gloucester Road Books and Storysmith).
The festival will celebrate the art and practice of literary translation, foregrounding the translators themselves.
Events will include in-depth conversations with translators, conversations between renowned authors and their translators, discussions of the translation/publishing process, translation workshops, translation slams and events for children in collaboration with Bristol schools.
The complete programme will feature collaborations with an international range of translators, authors and publishers, held across multiple venues in Bristol.
With a mission to acknowledge the role and contribution of translators across the world, Translated By, Bristol is the first of its kind in our city.
Head to translatedbybristol.com for more information and line-up announcements.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
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