The Literature Across Frontiers translation workshops are intensive creative cross-cultural encounters for poets working in the many languages of Europe and beyond. The workshops focus on the junction between writing and translating and are not intended for translators, unless they are also published writers, since they mostly engage with bridge-language translation rather than direct translation, because they were developed precisely to facilitate translation between languages where there are no literary translators, as well as acknowledging the potential of multilingualism for translation.

The LAF workshop model is unique. Unlike other translation workshops where writers work in pairs often with the assistance of interpreters, or where translations are produced collectively into one target language, LAF workshops aim for cross-translation in different directions. We create an environment where participants are encouraged to translate work by everyone in the group and where they can learn about each other’s literary tradition and the contemporary context in which each of them writes.

The week-long residential workshops consist of group sessions and sessions dedicated to individual work, and are very intensive. Daily discussions around the work in progress allow the group to explore the microcosm of each text, as well as the wider issues of translation practice. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been exploring online workshop formats.

PLEASE NOTE – participation is by invitation and we do not currently facilitate workshops which are open to applications. However, there are translation workshops run by other organisations which do. Visit our resources section to find out more about these opportunities.