Ähnlich wie auf der Leipziger und Frankfurter Buchmesse gibt es auch auf der Londoner Buchmesse einen größeren Stand mit Bühne, der den Literaturübersetzern vorbehalten ist.
Das 2010 auf der London Book Fair eingerichtete Literacy Translation Centre kann 2025 sein 15-jähriges Bestehen feiern. Es wartet in diesem Jahr mit 15 Programmpunkten auf, die inhaltlich von verschiedenen Partnerorganisationen verantwortet werden.
Veranstaltungen im Literary Translation Centre
Dienstag
- Welcome, Emerging Translators!
With translators Vineet Lal, Nasim Luczaj, and Kotryna Garanasvili, to share their experiences, highlights and tips on mentorship and of navigating London Book Fair, then and now. Hosted by National Centre for Writing - The Task for Feminist Translators Today
There have been numerous efforts to promote translations of women’s writing in the English-language book industry. In this panel, we’ll ask whether choosing to translate and publish women is a feminist act, and what else ‘feminist’ translation might entail. What would a feminist approach to translation look like in practice? Is there a place for feminist translation in the contemporary literary landscape? Join academics and practitioners Cecilia Rossi and Jozefina Komporaly, and Carolina Orloff (Charco Press), in a discussion chaired by Rosalind Harvey (translator). Hosted by British Centre for Literary Translation - Word as Music and Movement: Celebrating Western Literature with Georgian Contemporary Ballet
Join Professor David Maziashvili and Georgian Choreographer, Mariam Aleksidze for a compelling discussion on David’s latest work, and enjoy a captivating performance from the Giorgi Aleksidze Tbilisi Contemporary Ballet dancers as they perform fragments from Mariam Aleksidze’s performances as part of the book presentation.
Word as Music and Movement offers an in-depth analysis of the great world literary samples adapted by Mariam Aleksidze, the first Georgian female choreographer of contemporary ballet. More specifically, the book presents a multifaceted study of the European writers and philosophers, among them: Euripides, Ovid, Boethius, Dante, Shakespeare, James Joyce and Marijan, one of the first Georgian female poets, offering the insight into the reception-adaptation approach and their interpretation in Mariam Aleksidze’s contemporary Georgian ballet and choreography of 2016-2024 performances, namely: Shakespeare.Love, Metamorphoses, Marijan’s Room, Lucia’s Room, 12 Visits, Beatrice and Medea. Sponsored by Writers‘ House of Georgia. - Beyond Island Horizons: Expanding Pathways for Literatures from the Margins
This seminar explores diverse strategies for promoting underrepresented literatures on the global stage, from translators as cultural ambassadors to partnerships with embassies, literary festivals, agents, small presses and institutions. The session highlights innovative approaches, including new roles for authors and translators as scouts, while showcasing how collaboration and creativity can amplify voices from markets like Malta.
Following the seminar, we will host a networking event at stand 6A34 with local food and drinks, where you will have the opportunity to meet Maltese publishers, authors and illustrators attending the London Book Fair. - Six Years to Change a Market: Joint Interventions to Grow Translation – A South Asia Case Study
How do we increase the number of quality translations for literatures from regions and languages historically underrepresented in English-language markets? What can we learn from successful models? This panel will consider a number of interconnected interventions that have sought to strengthen the pipeline for work from South Asia, including research, support and training for translators, audience-building, and a range of publisher-focused initiatives. Hosted by British Council and English PEN.
Mittwoch
- The Benefits of Specialist Networks
Translators are often told to specialise, but what happens when that approach is taken to the way they organise, network and collaborate? What benefits do translator networks that focus on the specific characteristics, location or language pair offer beyond those provided by larger organisations like the Translators Association? This session will showcase valuable, existing work being done by translators for translators, and provide food for thought and inspiration for the cultivation of new networks. Hosted by Translators Association. - Beijing International Book Fair Brings You an In-Conversation with Liu Zhenyun: A Literary Icon of Contemporary China
Dive into the world of Liu Zhenyun, one of China’s most celebrated authors and screenwriters, whose sharp wit and masterful storytelling have earned him international acclaim. Best known for his award-winning novel Someone to Talk To and the global hit film I Am Not Madame Bovary, Liu is at the forefront of a new era for Chinese literature.
As the reading ambassador of Beijing International Book Fair, Liu Zhenyun will explore the universal appeal of his stories, the intersection of literature and film, and how Chinese storytelling is reshaping the global literary landscape. - Beyond the news: accessing writing from Lebanon, Palestine and Syria
For decades the region many used to call the Levant has lived challenging times and none as challenging as during the past year. To understand what’s behind the relentless news cycle, readers can often gain insight from reading fiction. Which translated works by authors from Lebanon, Syria and Palestine have reached readers in the UK and in Europe, and how have they been received? How can we achieve a better understanding of the historical context of the region from novels, memoir or poetry? Which books, including backlist titles, can give context to what is happening today, whether already in translation or not yet? Hosted by Literature Across Frontiers. - And the Time Kept Passing… Meet Manana Menabde, A Georgian Musician and Author
Join Manana Menabde, a Georgian writer, musician, translator, actor and her publisher from Cezanne Publishing, Shorena Shaverdashvili, for a conversation about Manana’s two books – an autobiography Flight Day: Wednesday and the book of fables And The Time Kept Passing; The conversation will be accompanied by Manana’s guitar performances; She will also be joined by Giorgi Aleksidze Tbilisi Contemporary Ballet dancers led by the choreographer and dancer Mariam Aleksidze for two collaborative performances called Aira and Lament. Sponsored by Writers‘ House of Georgia. - Burning Bridges? Reconsidering Collaborative Translation
The use of ‘bridge translation’ has often fed into practices that undermine, and sometimes outright exploit, translators and their labour. But is it ever necessary? Can it sometimes lend itself to positive creative collaborations? And how do the practices around it change when guided by contributors‘ rights? This panel brings together leading translators in conversation with the Poetry Translation Centre to discuss these questions in light of their own experiences. Hosted by Poetry Translation Centre. - Bridging Cultures and Expanding Horizons: Opportunities in the Arab Publishing Market
Donnerstag
- The Prestige Paradox: Prizes in Translation
The prominence of literary awards recognising translated books and the work of translators in anglophone markets has never been greater. Since its 2015 revamp, the International Booker Prize has become a significant shop window for world literature in translation, with recognition well beyond British shores. Remarkably, it gives translators equal billing to their authors in terms of both credit and prize money. While other prizes and awards may offer smaller prize pots, they celebrate translators and afford them the appreciation of their peers. But apart from topping up bank balances and providing a surplus of warm fuzzy feelings, do prizes matter in translation?
This session will explore how prizes and funding shape the translated book market in terms of both acquisitions and the commission of translated work. Do accolades in the source market or elsewhere influence success? Do award-winning translators secure more or better-paying work? And most importantly, how can translators best leverage knowledge in this area to their advantage?
This session is supported by the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which is one of the world’s leading prizes dedicated to Arabic literature and culture, bringing recognition to outstanding work by authors, scholars, researchers, translators, publishers, and literary organisations around the world. The Award’s Translation Grant offers funding to translators and publishers around the world to translate, publish and promote any shortlisted or winning works of fiction. Organised by Translators Association with support from the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. - How to Introduce a Classic European Author to the British Publishing Market
Sponsored by Consorci de l’Institut Ramon Llull. - 15 years of the Literary Translation Centre!
Join the programming partners of the Literary Translation Centre to mark 15 years of this work together: the opportunity to mingle, remember, reflect and look to what’s next, while raising a glass. - Behind the Book: From Pitch to Page
What’s the process by which a work of translated literature moves from an idea to publication and readership and sometimes prize-winning acclaim? In this panel, we’ll demystify the journey from the very earliest stages of a translated book’s beginnings, with insights from award-winning experts – agent Laurence Laluyaux, translator Martin Aitken and Jacques Testard, founder and publisher at Fitzcarraldo Editions. Author Max Porter will steer the conversation. In association with Deborah Rogers Foundation.
Keine Publikumsmesse, sondern Forum für internationalen Rechtehandel
Die Londoner Buchmesse ist mit nur drei Tagen Dauer, etwas mehr als 1.000 Ausstellern und 30.000 Fachbesuchern deutlich kleiner als die beiden deutschen Buchmessen. Sie besitzt aber einen bedeutenden Bereich für den internationalen Rechtehandel.
Vom Charakter ist die LBF eher eine Handels- als eine Publikumsmesse. Sie richtet sich an Fachbesucher und versteht sich nicht als Lesefest. So gibt es zum Beispiel auch keinen Cosplayer-Bereich. Anders als die Leipziger und die Frankfurter Buchmesse prägt die Veranstaltung auch nicht für eine Woche das Geschehen in der Stadt, sondern fällt in der Millionenmetropole London nicht sonderlich auf.
Veranstaltungsdaten
- The London Book Fair
Londoner Buchmesse mit Literary Translation Centre im Veranstaltungszentrum Olympia.
11.-13.03.2025
London
#LBF25
Richard Schneider
