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🇳🇵 Nepal /Culture & Society

Kathmandu University to host major literary translation workshop with International Booker Prize winners

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Kathmandu University will host a literary translation workshop in September, featuring internationally acclaimed translators.
  • The three-day event, organized with the University of Chicago, is free and open to 24 participants translating South Asian languages into English.
  • It aims to raise the quality of literary translations from Nepal and the region, offering a unique opportunity for aspiring translators.

Kathmandu University is set to host a significant literary translation workshop from September 11 to 13. This three-day program, held at the university's Dhulikhel campus, is a collaboration with the University of Chicago's South Asian Literature in Translation (SALT) initiative. It aims to bring together internationally renowned translators, including two who have won the prestigious International Booker Prize.

The workshop is free to attend and will select 24 participants who are translating poetry or prose from Nepali or other South Asian languages into English. Organizers emphasize that selected participants must commit to the full three days of the in-person event. Travel expenses and accommodation will be provided based on need, making it accessible to a wider range of aspiring translators.

This is the largest translation workshop ever organised in Nepal, featuring a lineup of globally acclaimed translators. Having two International Booker Prize winners as mentors offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nepali and South Asian translators.

— Dinesh KafleAn assistant professor at Kathmandu University and a member of the organizing team, commenting on the workshop's scale and significance.

Applications are open until August 9, requiring participants to submit a sample translation, a statement of their translation choices, and a statement of interest. The workshop will be led by prominent figures in the translation world, such as Daisy Rockwell and Deepa Bhasthi, both International Booker Prize winners, and Jason Grunebaum and Daniel Hahn OBE, who have extensive experience in literary translation.

Dinesh Kafle, an assistant professor at Kathmandu University and part of the organizing team, highlighted the workshop's significance. "This is the largest translation workshop ever organised in Nepal, featuring a lineup of globally acclaimed translators," he stated. "Having two International Booker Prize winners as mentors offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nepali and South Asian translators." Kafle added that the event is expected to "especially help raise the quality of Nepali translations."

It will especially help raise the quality of Nepali translations.

— Dinesh KafleAn assistant professor at Kathmandu University and a member of the organizing team, discussing the workshop's expected impact.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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