Event Details event_note
arrow_backNov
16
What Do Translators Really Do?
Join award-winning translator and professor Lisa Dillman for a two-day interactive workshop exploring the hidden art and creativity behind literary translation.
Capacity
30 Participants
30 seats available
Location
Book Forum (4)
Time
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
One Day
Number of Sessions
1
spatial_speaker Speakers

Lisa Dillman
Translator
Lisa Dillman is Professor of Practice in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Emory University. Her work has won multiple awards, including the Best Translated Book Award and the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize and been finalist for a National Book Award. Lisa has translated thirty-some novels by Spanish and Latin American authors including Yuri Herrera, Sabina Berman, Andrés Barba, Alejandra Costamagna, Eduardo Halfon, and Graciela Mochkovsky. Her most recent book-length translation, Season of the Swamp, by Yuri Herrera, was a finalist for the 2025 LA Times Book Award.
Sunday, 16 November: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM & 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Duration: 90 minutes per session
Targeted age range: 18+
Key Takeaways:
- Understand literary translation as a creative, interpretive process, not just word-for-word substitution.
- Learn how translators make choices in tone, rhythm, and cultural nuance.
- See how the same text can yield multiple translations, reflecting different interpretations.
- Gain a deeper appreciation of translation as both an art and a lens on language, meaning, and storytelling.
Who Should Attend:
- Writers, readers, and literature enthusiasts curious about translation
- Aspiring and emerging translators
- Students and academics of literature and languages
- Anyone interested in the intersection of creativity and culture
Note: Please be advised that this workshop will be conducted exclusively in English.