Translationship: Examining the Creative Process Between Authors & Translators

An all-star cast of writers and translators discuss the joys and challenges of translation. 

Relationships between authors and their translators are each unique in their own way, moving across time and over many miles in a special conversation that invokes a sharing of feeling and culture. As our global connectivity expands, translated works are becoming highly sought after by both independent and mainstream publishers in many countries, and even more so in places where censorship and restrictions on speech and expression exist.

Please join Annelise Finegan, Director of Graduate Studies in Translation and Interpreting at NYU; Antonina W. Bouis, award-winning translator and cultural strategy advisor; and Ernesto Mestre-Reed, Guggenheim Fiction Fellow in conversation with Karen Phillips, the Executive Director of Words Without Borders, as they discuss their creative process and how translation promotes greater cultural awareness and representation.

To join in person | Please be sure to register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins.

For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. If you register for multiple tickets, please provide the name of each person who will be attending the event or arrive with your entire party present. Only registered patrons will be granted entry into the event space. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

To join online | On the day of the event, registrants will receive a Zoom link to join the program. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register!

The online event will be streamed on Zoom. You must register with your email address in order to receive the link to participate. Please check your email shortly before the event to receive the link. Captions for this event will be provided.

This World Literature Festival event is co-presented with Words Without Borders, the premier destination for a global literary conversation. 

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

This event is part of The New York Public Library’s World Literature Festival, which celebrates books and writers from around the world and reflects the languages spoken in our communities. Discover what our patrons are reading in different languages, resources the Library offers, free events, book recommendations, and more.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS 

Karen M. Phillips serves as executive director and publisher at Words Without Borders, where she is focused on expanding access to international literature. Prior to joining WWB, Karen worked at the Americas Society, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and as a consultant to international cultural organizations including Germany’s UNESCO Commission. A lifelong student of languages, Karen speaks fluent Spanish and is conversant in French, Portuguese, and German.

Annelise Finegan, PhD, is clinical associate professor of translation and directs the graduate program in translation and interpreting at NYU. Her translations from Chinese include novels, plays, short fiction, and non-fiction by contemporary and historical authors. She has also worked for academic and textbook publishers as an acquisitions editor, publishing coordinator, bilingual copy editor, and project manager.

Called “one of the best translators at work today” by the Wall Street Journal in 2016, Antonina W. Bouis has done over a hundred translations. Her most recent work is devoted to Sergei Lebedev, published by New Vessel Press: Oblivion, The Year of the Comet, The Goose Fritz, Untraceable, A Present Past, and Lady of the Mine, coming in 2025. Other authors include Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Sergei Dovlatov, and Solomon Volkov. She lives in NYC.

Ernesto Mestre-Reed was born in Guantánamo, Cuba, and lives in New York City. He is the author of the novels The Lazarus Rumba, The Second Death of Única Aveyano, and Sacrificio. He is a Guggenheim Fiction Fellow and a MacDowell Fellow and teaches at Brooklyn College. He has also translated many novels from Spanish, including Laura Esquivel’s Malinche.

GET THE BOOKS

If you have a NYPL library card, you can borrow the authors' books for free with our e-reader app SimplyE, available for iOS and Android devices.

Don't have a New York Public Library card? Get one here!

ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person

• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

Online

• Live captioning will be provided.


• You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org.

CONNECT

For general questions, please email adultprogramming@nypl.org.

Please submit all press inquiries at least 48 hours before the event: email press@nypl.org.