Exil: Trans is an international research group launched in 2019 by the Universities of Lausanne, Germersheim and Vienna, which studies the work and biographies of translators forced into exile by the Nazi regime. The conference will be focusing on the networks that made it possible for translators to continue their work in exile and will aim to emphasize how the act of translating takes place within a broader context. This context is constituted by individual figures such as editors, literary critics or patrons, but also, and mainly, by collective actors such as publishing houses, periodicals, social and political organizations, and institutions. Together, they create a dynamic, interactive, and interdependent network, and these networks play a key role in the study of translation in exile. They influence production and reception processes, both positively and negatively: in absence of the necessary networks, working conditions, and sometimes even entire translator biographies, can find themselves deeply modified. On the other hand, in some cases, the constitution of new networks creates favorable conditions allowing for a new translational activity to emerge.
How did these publication networks, along with the work and life conditions that underlie the act of translation, develop in exile? And what role did networks play in translators’ biographies and the development of their work and careers?
We welcome all contributions examining the roles of cultural, academic and political institutions, of publishing houses and periodicals, and of specific individuals as mediators and companions for translators in exile at the time of the National Socialist regime.
Selected papers presented at the conference will be published.
No conference fee will be charged. Travel and accommodation expenses can be reimbursed in exceptional cases.
Conference may be held online, if on site conference is not possible.
Conference languages: German, French, English
Deadline for submissions (maximum 1500 characters): March 20, 2021
Contact email: translatio@unil.ch