What Makes a Translation Award-Worthy?

This talk takes us inside the translation jury workshop to look at some of the issues juries face in singling out top contenders: What constitutes quality in translation? Are there objective criteria for judging translational quality that transcend it's all a matter of taste? Is it important, or even desirable, to compare a translation to its source text? How key are gotcha moments (aka cherry picking) in evaluating translations? Do verbal pyrotechnics win out over quiet language? Should longlists and shortlists demonstrate balance and diversity (of national literatures/gender/genre/large and small presses, etc.)? Who gets to serve on these juries? Do jurors actually read every page of every work submitted? What are the goals of awarding translation prizes beyond honoring individual translators--showcasing outstanding works of literature, encouraging readership of world literature, bringing less translated literatures into the spotlight, and/or drawing attention to the art and craft of translation itself? The talk will display selected passages from award-winning texts that made jurors swoon. --- Event Details: https://my.princeton.edu/rsvp?id=1945221