Friday 11 April 2014

Harvill Secker Young Translators' Prize

The publishing house Harvill Secker runs an annual award for translators between the ages of 18 and 34, working from a different language every year. And this year it's German! The winner gets a mentorship from top translator Shaun Whiteside and a thousand pounds and what looks like a trip to a festival in Den Haag, which probably makes sense in a way I don't quite grasp.

Funnily enough, to enter you have to translate Julia Franck's short story "Der Hausfreund", which I once translated for fun back when I was (possibly) under 35. It's an inspired choice because it's really difficult. You don't seem to have to come from a particular country but you must not have previously translated more than one full-length work.

It's all pretty darn fantastic, so I expect all you whippersnappers to participate. 



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