Major Impact Projects via Stakeholder's Engagement

"Changing the Translation Landscape from Multilingual Spain: Cultural Diplomacy and the UK Publishing Industry" - funded by the Arts and Humanities Impact Fund, AHIF (2022-2023).

The participation of Spain as Guest of Honour 2022 at the strategically important Frankfurt Book Fair is seen by the Spanish Government as a crucial opportunity to display Spain’s diverse literary heritage. Multilingualism was one of the five strategic pillars of the Spanish Guest of Honour Frankfurt 2022 project “Spilling CreativityLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window”. This project studies how multilingualism is materialised (and to which extent it was achieved) at the Frankfurt Book Fair, with a special focus on the internationalisation of literatures in non-hegemonic languages. This project has a crucial impact and public engagement component, as the overarching aim is to contribute to changing the UK publishing landscape in translation (and ultimately, British readers’ perceptions) raising a greater awareness about Spain’s multilingualism. Both the Spanish Directorate for Books and Reading Promotion (Ministry of Culture, Spanish Government) and the Instituto Cervantes London are my non-academic partners, and I will also be working closely with literary translators, writers, cultural agents and translation policy-makers.

I carried out participant observation at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2022, to develop knowledge and understanding of how multilingualism is materialised in the cultural diplomacy strategies developed as part of the Spanish Guest of Honour project and how key stakeholders think and make decisions. Following this initial research and networking phase, a series of impact focused outputs were developed, including:

Events & Outcomes:

1. Panel "Less Translated Literatures from Multilingual Spain: Asturian, Basque, Galician", at the London Book Fair, 20 April 2023. For more info, visit the London Book Fair website.

For an album of pictures, links and coverage on social media, check this collection on Wakelet.

2. Round table and translator's readings "Riveting Writing from Multilingual Spain", at Instituto Cervantes London & streaming online, 21 April 2023. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgAuCppPll4 For programme and more info check here.Link opens in a new window

For an album of pictures, links and coverage on social media, check this collection on Wakelet.

3. Translation readings on Translators Aloud. Find great literature in Asturian, Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish translated into English, in the "Literatures from Multilingual SpainLink opens in a new window" channel in Translators Aloud, a YouTube channel which features translators reading excerpts from their own work, including foreign books seeking a English-language publisher. All five translators -Robin Munby from Asturian, Aritz Branton from Basque, Mara Fayem Lethem from Catalan, Jacob Rogers from Galician, and Katie Whitemore from Spanish- also took part in the "Riveting Writing from Multilingual Spain" event hosted by Instituto Cervantes London on 21 April 2023.

4. Podcast. A podcastLink opens in a new window on Cultural Support in Multilingual Spain [A Riveting Event], on the Three Percent websiteLink opens in a new window focused on international literature, discussing with cultural support in multilingual Spain with Chad Post, Olga Castro and Asturian, Basque, Catalan and Galician translators (Robin Munby, Aritz Branton, Mara Faye Lethem and Jacob Rogers respectively).

5. The Spanish Riveter. Article in The Spanish RiveterLink opens in a new window on "Changing the Translation Landscape" (p. 232ff), in an issue focussing on the diversity of languages in Spain. The issue also included excerpts from literary works translated by speakers from the event at the Cervantes Institute. It is published by the European Literature Network; featuring on the picture (from left to right) Rosie Goldsmith, West Camel, Katie Whittemore, Alice Banks.

My events facilitated the organisation of additional activities and led to additional outputs:

(a) The influential Publishing Perspectives magazine, freely distributed during the London Book Fair, announced my event at the Cervantes Institute linking it to the launch of The Spanish Riveter magazine. See full online version here.

(b) The Galician London-based cultural association REGA-UK organised a book trail with Xesús Fraga visiting all key places in London mentioned in his novel on Sunday 23 April. Info here. 

(c) The webpage Bookanista published on Xesus Fraga's novel on 25 April, mentioning he was in London taking part in different event (including the panel at the London Book Fair) and published a sample translation by Jacob Rogers.

(d) The webpage WorldKidLitMonth, focused on children's literature, featured a piece on 22 May about Galician literature explicitly mentioning the event I organised at the Cervantes London.

(e) Robin Munby's interview for The Asymptote on 12 July describes how beneficial my public engagement events have been for translators like him and for writers from non-hegemonic languages like Asturian.

Stateless Cultures in Translation: the case of 21st century Basque, Catalan and Galician literatures in the UK - funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme, Small Grants Scheme (2018-2021).

This project examined the circulation and reception in the British book market of the 21st-century Basque, Catalan and Galician literatures in English translation. Despite the substantial investment that the regional governments of these three stateless cultures in Spain have made in translating their literatures abroad (with an increasing number of titles published in Britain in recent years), little was known about their circulation and reception, which are essential markers to measure the success of a translation initiative. Trying to address this gap, I tried to determine to which extent translation support policies from each of these three stateless cultures are successful, when considered in relation to patterns of circulation and reception in Britain. Besides being beneficial for improving British understandings of cultural and linguistic diversity in contemporary multilingual Spain, the Stateless Cultures in Translation project seeks to create impact beyond academia and through stakeholder engagement.

Events & reports:

Knowledge exchange event, business meetings and training workshops for publishers and writers: The internationalisation of Galician literature in English translation: New opportunities in a More Welcoming Irish/British Book Market, at the Consello da Cultura Galega, Santiago de Compostela, 17-19 June 2019. Videos here (click TAB "multimedia"): http://consellodacultura.gal/evento.php?id=200826

 Government-focused and industry-focused research report, entitled Conclusións e Propostas de Acción das Xornadas 'The internationalistaion of Galician literature in English translation' (hereLink opens in a new window), commissioned by the Council for the Galician Culture (Consello da Cultura Galega) in 2019, summarising the main conclusions of the event, as part of my British Academy Small Grant. Co-authored with L Linares.

Final public event The translation of literatures in Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician. Internationalisation strategies in the British book market, hosted by the Instituto Cervantes London, 3-4 June 2021, with Public Engagement Funding from the Warwick Institute of Engagement. Programme hereLink opens in a new window. Videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVfV6trTTE0