Translators Aloud – Translators reading translations

Translators Aloud is a YouTube channel devoted to sharing the work of literary translators, for both published and unpublished works.

We provide a space for translators to read their own work and a positive platform for sharing great literature, read aloud by the translators themselves.

We showcase the world’s best new and classic books, poetry, plays, and short stories, presented by the talented people who translate them.

Recent Readings

This is a contemporary retelling of Hamlet, set in a Romanian theatrical family, seen largely through the eyes of the mother-Gertrude character. All of the elements of the Shakespearean play are here: the son who is accused of behaving irrationally, the mother whose husband died and she remarried, the son’s girlfriend who goes mad with grief, even the interchangeable childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who try to betray the son but end up being tricked instead. Witty as all of these allusions are, this is more than just a pastiche. It is a serious examination of life imitating art, of sacrificing family for one’s art, as the mother tries and fails to reconnect with her estranged son. Most of the book is her monologue, as she tries to come to terms with the past and justify her choices, perhaps even admit her mistakes. The final chapter is then from her son’s perspective, and we have to reassess the reliability of the previous narrator and rethink everything we thought we had understood. Author bio Alina Nelega is one of the foremost contemporary Romanian playwrights. She is also a theatre director and critic, as well as a novelist, She is a fellow of The International Writing Program, Iowa (USA) and participated in The Royal Court Theatre residency in London. Her awards include the Play of the Year 2000 (UNITER) and European Author (Heidelberg Stueckemarkt, 2007). Her third novel Un nor în formă de cămilă (published by Polirom in 2021) has won several national awards. Translator bio Marina Sofia is a translator, reviewer and writer, working from Romanian and German into English. She was born and raised in Romania and Austria but has been living in the UK for half of her life. She has previously translated a collection of short stories and an anthology of contemporary Romanian poetry, four crime novels for Corylus Books (which she co-founded in 2020), as well as plays by Mihail Sebastian and Edith Negulici, and short prose by Romanian classics such as Urmuz and Caragiale. For rights info contact Editura Polirom: catalina.staicu@polirom.ro

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YouTube Video VVVqYXE5T1Nwb0Vlb2hQbUs4WlQtQzd3LmZ5ZGdsZUJyRkFF

Marina Sofia reads from Alina Nelega's A CLOUD IN THE SHAPE OF A CAMEL (seeking a publisher)

10 hours ago

Surveying the wreckage of her past relationships, 80-year-old Ida believes a turning point may have come when her new acquaintance, Elvira, offers her a room in her house in the countryside just as Ida is being kicked out of her flat. The offer comes with a condition, though: Ida is expected to help care for Elvira’s unpredictable, autistic grandson Ole, who was abandoned at birth by his mother, Manuela. When Elvira suddenly dies, Manuela returns for her inheritance, and Ida has to think fast to avoid being made homeless. Then Ole vanishes . . . With her trademark dark, satirical humour, Katja Lange-Müller tells an affecting tale of three women struggling to come to terms with life and with the inscrutable young man who binds them together. In style and subject matter, it calls to mind some of Ali Smith’s novels. *FUNDING FOR ENGLISH TRANSLATION GUARANTEED FROM NEW BOOKS IN GERMAN* https://www.new-books-in-german.com/translation-funding/ ‘Anyone wishing to learn about other mothers – anti-mothers! – in brilliantly written, concentrated form really must read Unser Ole.’ Katja Oskamp, RBB Orte und Worte ‘The novel is full of scintillating slapstick’ Ulrike Baureithel, Der Tagespiegel ‘This author has an uncommonly sharp eye for people’s weaknesses and flaws.’ Cornelia Geissler, Berliner Zeitung https://www.kiwi-verlag.de/buch/katja-lange-mueller-unser-ole-9783462050172 Author bio Born in East Berlin in 1951, Katja Lange-Müller is one of the most idiosyncratic voices in contemporary German literature. After her short stories had won an array of awards, Lange-Müller’s first novel, Böse Schafe, was shortlisted for the 2007 German Book Prize and the long-awaited follow-up, Drehtür, was longlisted for the same prize in 2016. Translator bio Simon Pare translates non-fiction and fiction, including Katja Lange-Müller’s previous novels, Revolving Door (Seagull Books, 2023) and Bad Sheep (Seagull, Nov 2024). He is currently working on a new translation of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain for Oxford World’s Classics. www.simonpare.net For rights info contact: aerakovic@kiwi-verlag.de The translator has obtained permission from the original rights holder to translate this sample and share a recording of it on Translators Aloud.

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YouTube Video VVVqYXE5T1Nwb0Vlb2hQbUs4WlQtQzd3LnA0N1M3X0ZhOWhF

Simon Pare reads from Katja Lange-Müller’s THE HERMIT CRAB (seeking a publisher)

15 Nov, 2024 7:00 pm

Published in German by Diogenes Verlag, this is a novel based on bestselling Swiss author Lukas Hartmann’s own family history. Martha rises from desperate poverty to make a decent life for herself. Her formidable work ethic, developed as an indentured child labourer in the Bernese mountains, is passed on to her sons – it is only her grandchildren who dare to dream of a different, freer life.

An assured voice that crosses the divide between deeply personal histories and universal themes, Martha and Her Kin is sure to strike a chord with readers of literary and historical fiction. The German edition has sold 20,000 copies and reached no.1 on the Swiss bestseller list.

FUNDING FOR ENGLISH TRANSLATION GUARANTEED FROM NEW BOOKS IN GERMAN: https://www.new-books-in-german.com/recommendations/martha-and-her-kin/

Author bio
Lukas Hartmann was born in Berne in 1944, and studied German and Psychology before going on to be a teacher, journalist and media consultant. He is now a freelance writer, lives in Berne, and writes books for adults and children. He is one of Switzerland’s best-known authors.

Translator bio
Ruth Martin studied English literature before gaining a PhD in German. She has been translating fiction and non-fiction books since 2010, by authors ranging from Joseph Roth and Hannah Arendt to Nino Haratischwili and Shida Bazyar. Ruth.m.martin@gmail.com https://www.german-to-english-translation.org/

For rights info contact: Susanne Bauknecht, Diogenes Verlag bau@diogenes.ch
Tel: +4144 254 8554

The translator has obtained permission from the original rights holder to translate this sample and to share a recording of it on Translators Aloud.

YouTube Video VVVqYXE5T1Nwb0Vlb2hQbUs4WlQtQzd3LlBKSlo2c0dTVVNZ

Ruth Martin reads from Lukas Hartmann’s MARTHA AND HER KIN (seeking a publisher)

14 Nov, 2024 8:46 pm

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