Translation! Festival 2017

Welcome to the Translation! Festival 2017, celebrating the rich linguistic and cultural diversity found in the UK, with events at the Exeter Phoenix, Exeter Library and RAMM. The festival is organised by MA Translation at the University of Exeter, and kindly supported by the Annual Fund Award.

The events are all free and offered on a first come, first served basis. We have something for everyone, from baby music classes to film showings.  Come and enjoy a range of exciting events about translation – the written word and beyond!

Events At Exeter Phoenix

Angela Cavalieri Art Exhibition

We have the pleasure of inviting you to enjoy Angela Cavalieri’s art work at the Exeter Phoenix. Angela has travelled all the way from Australia to Exeter to participate in the Translation! Festival and show her work to the Exeter community. Be inspired by her creativity and sensitivity which emerge from her work and passion for visual art. Her work is thought provoking, colourful, imaginative and exhilarating – it demonstrates originality and devotion. Reflect on the many ways one can represent the interplay between migration, cultures and languages through visual art.

Discover Translation: Translation & Ethics

Join specialists in translation to learn about the ethical implications of translation across the globe, and right here in Exeter. Audience questions welcome!

Discover Translation: Translation, Migration, and Polylingualism

Our communities are populated by speakers, often migrants, of different languages and from various cultural backgrounds. How can translation play a crucial role in migration contexts? Is translation a secondary or primary activity when one lives and works in a multicultural environment?

Does English, as a lingua franca, really erases differences? In what ways can one show the positive and fruitful impact of our polylingual environment on our lives, and in particular on our artistic production and consumption? Living in multicultural and multilingual communities helps us appreciate our richness and refine our ability to move between languages and cultures. Join us in this session and reflect on these matters with Eliana Maestri, from the University of Exeter, and Italian Australian artist Angela Cavalieri.

Q&A with Angela Cavalieri

Come and have a chat with Italian Australian artist Angela Cavalieri about her art, print-making techniques and passion for visual art. Angela studied in Australia with visual artists of international calibre. She lives in Melbourne, is of Italian descent and regularly travels the world. Her life and experiences affect her art and the way she presents the world and reality through images and words. A fantastic opportunity to discover more about her artistic mission and passion.

Discover Translation: Translation & (Italian) Immigration

With photo journalism and personal stories, specialists in the field of immigration and translation discuss the Italian experience of immigration and translation to Exeter and the local region.

Working with the artist: IB students and Angela Cavalieri

Come along to this informal session where local International Baccalaureate students from Exeter College will present the work they have created in a workshop run by Italian Australian artist, Angela Cavalieri. A wonderful opportunity to view the students’ work alongside Angela’s own creations and to celebrate this special, international collaboration.

Film showing: Tradurre

Translating: where words travel from one language to another, with the translator carrying the suitcase and guiding us. Language therefore becomes a musical instrument, and the translator a baker who brings bread to the table. This film explores how language is sound, meeting translators who discuss their work and their labour of love.

The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing: Translating the ‘free woman’. Reading and Q&A with Darina Al Joundi (author) and Helen Vassallo (translator)

Darina Al Joundi has been acting since the age of 8, and is a celebrated actress throughout the Arab world. Her work spans theatre, television, radio and films. She has lived in Paris since 2005, and her critically acclaimed one-woman play, The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing, was an instant sensation following its debut at the Avignon theatre festival in 2007. She will read extracts from The Day Nina Simone Stopped Singing and from its new translation, followed by a Q&A session with the translator, Helen Vassallo.

Translating Rhythm and Rhyme with Timothy Adès

Join award-winning translator-poet Timothy Adès as he shares his experiences and expertise of translating rhythm and rhyme.

Timothy Adès, born 1941, is a rhyming translator-poet, translating into English, mostly from French, also from Spanish, German, and rarely Greek. He studied classical languages and international business. He has translated books by Victor Hugo, Robert Desnos (2) and Jean Cassou (2) and has won awards for his translation of these French poets; he has also translated Alberto Arvelo (Venezuela), and his translation of Alfonso Reyes (Mexico) is also award-winning. Other favourites are Brecht, Sikelianós, and Ricarda Huch. He runs a bookstall of translated poetry. His book ‘Loving by Will’ throws light by lipogram on our national Bard’s amorous affairs. His active website is www.timothyades.com , with many of his translations: more are at www.brindinpress.com , the great website of poetry in English translation.

Film showing: The Woman with Five Elephants

This is the story of Svetlana Geier. In order to survive, she learns German at home in Kiev. She is good at languages, and gets work as a translator before ending up in a German camp in 1943. Now, 65 years later, she is a renowned translator who in her twilight years has translated the great works of Dostoevsky. For the first time in all these years, she returns to Kiev together with her granddaughter. This multi-award–wining documentary portrays not only the life of a dedicated academic but also the story of many Europeans who endured the terrible conflicts of the twentieth century.

Pop-up readings (Every Hour)

On the hour, every hour, in Exeter Library and Exeter Phoenix. Come and listen to members of the Exeter community sharing their favourite literature, poetry and children’s stories in a range of languages from around the world. A wonderful display of the diversity of languages and cultures that bind together our local community.

Game stations (All Day)

Bring your friends and family along to use the power of play to experiment with different languages. Board Exeter have supplied us with some fantastic games, and you’ll have word lists and phrasebooks at hand to help you play around with languages in a fun, interactive (and competitive, if you want!) way. Have a go on our game stations in Exeter Library and Exeter Phoenix at any time during the day.

Events Elsewhere

Events are also taking place at Exeter Library and RAMM. Find out more here >>