Last night, my boyfriend Matt and I finally sat down to watch Testament of Youth – the film adaptation of Vera Brittain’s autobiography with the same name – which was released in January of this year. I had been wanting to see it since it came out, although I am ashamed to say that despite being extremely interested in everything relating to the World Wars, I have not actually read the book itself. It’s been on my shelf for a while, but I haven’t yet got round to reading it (but I certainly will do so sometime soon!). I was a bit hesitant to watch the film before reading the book, as I generally prefer to read books before watching the film adaptations, but I was not disappointed.
 
The film was incredibly emotive from start to finish. Without trying to give too much away about the plot, it was clear from very early on that it would not have a particularly happy ending (but then what war film does?) and it wasn’t long before Matt handed me the tissue box ‘just in case’. The acting, which was incredible on all accounts, drew us in immediately and we were taken back to the First World War, sharing in the terror of the soldiers and the pain of those left behind at home. The battlefields and field hospitals in France revealed the suffering of the soldiers and the bravery of the nurses who looked after them, and towards the end I was very glad the tissues were on hand.
 
Testament of Youth reminded me very slightly of Atonement – although of course based on the First World War rather than the Second – with flashbacks to the characters’ youths at the family home prior to the outbreak of war, scenes of the men at war and the sisters/girlfriends becoming nurses. Interestingly enough, Saoirse Ronan from Atonement was even originally cast as Vera, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by the fabulous Alicia Vikander. Despite the slight parallels, however, Testament of Youth has an added element of emotion because it is of course based on a true story. I couldn’t help remembering this fact as I watched the film, and Vera’s pain was all the stronger for it.
 
All in all, this was a very moving portrayal of life and love in the First World War, and I would absolutely recommend you see it if you haven’t already. Just don’t forget those tissues.

​After just over 18 months of working in a translation agency, I decided to shift my focus and return to university to do an MA in Literary Translation. I had sort of always assumed I would do an MA at some point and I was keen to get back to the library and start studying again. With its outstanding reputation for creative writing and translation, the University of East Anglia seemed like the obvious choice and after attending an open day I submitted my application and that was that.
 
Although moving to Norwich felt like the right choice, it wasn’t easy to uproot my life and start over, although having a very supportive boyfriend who decided to join me for the adventure definitely helped! I was also lucky that my best friend from school lives in Norwich too, so that made the transition that much easier too. We moved into a lovely big house right in the city centre (the rent in Norwich is a very depressing reminder of how bad the situation is in London!) in May 2014 and settled in over the summer before I started my course in September.
 
Although I didn’t yet have an MA in translation, the fact that I had in-house experience as a translator (having worked my way up from a proofreader) was invaluable as it allowed me to set myself up as a freelance translator. I signed up with a few agencies and soon had enough work to keep me busy full time over the summer. As I was planning to pay for the course myself, it was very reassuring to be able to save a bit before starting so that when I reduced my hours to part-time work once the course began I would have a bit of a cushion in terms of savings. Even so, I knew it wouldn’t be an easy year, as I was determined not to take a loan out and add to my already very high student debt! It can be very difficult returning to education, especially as student loans are not available for master’s degrees, but I was convinced that it was the right path for me and so I decided I had to just go for it.
 
It didn’t take long for me to feel sure that I had made the right decision. Everyone at UEA was extremely welcoming and there were only four other girls on my course, which gave it a very intimate feel. Overall, four of us spoke German, but there was still a good variety of languages between us (Japanese, German, Turkish and Dutch) which would make for some very interesting discussions and comparisons over the year.
 
The first term was very theoretical, with two modules Translation Theory and Stylistics for Translators providing the basics of literary translation. We all came from different backgrounds in terms of what we had studied before; we had all attended different universities, which meant we had taken varying modules ranging from literature and film to linguistics and translation, so it took a little while to adjust to this and find a pace we were all comfortable with. It was certainly a bit of a baptism of fire, as I had done hardly any translation at university and certainly no theory, so I was very much starting from scratch. There were also times when I struggled with the comparatively slim proportion of practical work, but once that grew more intense in the second term I was definitely grateful for already having the theoretical background in place! We did work on a portfolio of translations leading up to Christmas that were then workshopped by a member of staff at the end of the term, which provided some useful feedback.
 
Just before Christmas we had to submit our first two essays, one for each module and each 5,000 words in length. Coming from Royal Holloway, where we had never written more than 3,000 words in one piece of work (studying two languages meant I was able to escape a BA dissertation!), this initially seemed very daunting but I soon warmed up to it. It was tough a first as I felt like I was using a part of my brain that had been asleep for two years since finishing my BA, but I found the freedom of choosing our own essay topics and texts very liberating. I was able to explore both my passion for contemporary fiction by writing about style in Daniel Glattauer’s novel Ewig Dein (English version entitled Forever Yours, translated by Jamie Bulloch) and my interest in East Germany, by looking at the translation of East German literature, focusing on Christa Wolf’s Was bleibt and Julia Franck’s short story Der Hausfreund. This definitely went a long way to increasing my enjoyment of the course, as I could pick texts that I had particularly enjoyed or wanted to explore in more depth, rather than being given a title. This was one of the advantages of being in a mixed-language class, as there really was no way of (or no point in) regulating what we chose to write about, so we were each able to go in our own direction. Several of us had not come straight from a BA course so were a little rusty in our essay writing – as always, Facebook proved a great help for us pooling ideas and helping each other out with practicalities. Another advantage of the MA course was that, unlike my previous degree, our essay deadlines were before Christmas rather than afterwards, leaving time to enjoy the holiday without an impending deadline!
 
The second term was much more practical and allowed us to build on what we had learned in the previous term. We took another two modules, Case Studies and Process and Product. In Case Studies we worked through different genres, looking at historical fiction, crime fiction, children’s literature and feminist texts, for which we discussed texts such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Harry Potter, and each presented our own short translations for each genre, which we presented to and discussed with the class. This gave us an insight into the translation of various text types, which was incredibly useful. I surprised myself by particularly enjoying the children’s literature section, which I actually really appreciated because it opened my eyes to something I had not really considered much before. Of course, I had been a big reader as a child, but I certainly hadn’t considered translating children’s fiction before, whereas I would now. Our other module, Process and Product, allowed us to be more creative and to work with rewriting as well as translation, focusing on the writing process and exploring how texts are created. For the assessed project, for example, I chose to work with Erich Kästner’s book Das doppelte Lottchen (and the new translation by Anthea Bell, entitled The Parent Trap) in which I experimented with rewriting the text for adults, by adding plot details and changing the voices in the story. I was really excited by this as it forced me to analyse the text in detail and to explore just what makes a text suitable for children or for adults. I was also very happy to work with a translation by the incredible Anthea Bell. Continuing my Erich Kästner theme in my Case Studies essay, I looked at his famous novel Emil und die Detektive (Emil and the Detectives), focusing on the translation by Eileen Hall, and looking predominantly at the issue of paratext and of cultural adaptation, in particular for a child audience. I loved Erich Kästner as a child myself (long before I thought of studying German and without really knowing anything about the concept of literature in translation) and it was amazing to be able to take a trip down memory lane and revisit his work, and to explore it from a new angle.
 
The first two terms of my MA were very busy for me as I continued to take on freelance translation work three days a week to pay the bills, and from November to April I also worked as an intern for the journal New Books in German (NBG). This amazing experience opened my eyes to numerous contemporary authors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and gave me an insight into the work of publishers and editors. I met some great linguists and attended a couple of editorial meetings at which I was able to watch translators, editors, publishers and literary agents discuss titles and what would work best in translation for the UK/US market. This was a fantastic internship and, as it was mostly carried out remotely, was one which could be fitted in around my other commitments. I was also able to contribute an article to the journal, to interview literary translator Jamie Searle Romanelli, and to write a reader’s report, which was a great experience. All in all this was a very good practical way to supplement my course and provided me with invaluable contacts for the future.
 
Another great opportunity I had in the spring of 2015 was to participate in the Emerging Translators Programme (run by New Books in German). After entering a competition for which I submitted a short translation of a supplied text, six entrants were chosen to complete a longer sample of various novels from the latest issue of New Books in German, for which we were then given a workshop by NBG editor Charlotte Ryland and translator Shaun Whiteside. This one-day workshop allowed us to explore a variety of contemporary works, to meet new people and to receive great advice from Charlotte and Shaun. It was very encouraging to be selected and really added to my enthusiasm to become a literary translator. There are a huge number of similar initiatives and competitions for emerging translators, all of which offer invaluable support from peers and experts alike, which I would definitely recommend.
 
In the final term of my MA I worked on my dissertation, which allowed me to focus on another of my interests – the Second World War and the Holocaust. I selected another contemporary novel, Nagars Nacht, by authors Astrid Dehe and Achim Engstler, which I had actually come across through my internship at NBG. This novel is an incredible work of fiction which follows the story of Shalom Nagar, prison guard and hangman of the infamous Nazi Adolf Eichmann. The novel uses an extensive factual background on which to tell a very important story, set in the present day, focusing on the fact that the Holocaust is not something which has been (or should be) assigned to the past, but rather still has an effect today and should continue to be remembered into the future. I found the text fascinating to work with, exploring the use of fact and fiction in the Holocaust novel, and the way in which contemporary writers can approach such topics and how these can be translated. The advantage of working with a work by contemporary writers is that I was able to get in touch with them, and both Dehe and Engstler were very willing to talk me through their writing and answer any questions, for which I am very grateful.
 
The dissertation, whilst stressful and hard work, was an amazing experience. I was very happy to be able to translate 10,000 words of the novel and to write a commentary roughly the same length, thus allowing me to really get into the text and the translation. The MA course included other additional aspects, such as the editing workshops we attended once a fortnight, taking it in turns to present a translation that enabled us to improve our editing skills and get used to discussing the nitty gritty of translation, and overall there were an impressive number of opportunities available to students. Norwich itself also offers a plethora of literary events – talks by authors, readings, literary festivals, among others – which meant that there was never a shortage of things to get involved with. We were also given the opportunity to read our own work in the Book Hive (a lovely little independent book shop in the centre of Norwich) which none of us had done before, and which we very much enjoyed, and to attend the Literary Translation and Creative Writing Summer School, run by the British Centre for Literary Translation, which provided another chance to work with great translators and authors and meet numerous other literature and translation enthusiasts.
 
It can be extremely difficult to study today for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is related to finances, but I can say that I have never regretted going to UEA to study literary translation for a second. I have gained in confidence, knowledge, experience and contacts and have had some fantastic opportunities. Taking this course has also made me certain that I do want to be a practising literary translator, and has given me a firm foundation on which to hopefully make this happen. If you are considering the course, or another similar master’s course, go for it! I have certainly gained a lot in the last year and look forward to seeing what the future brings.                                                                                                                    

On Friday 2 October 2015, a large group of translators, editors, publishers, booksellers and other bibliophiles descended on the British Library for the sixth International Translation Day. Having missed last year’s ITD after relocating to Norwich to study for an MA in Literary Translation, I was excited to be back living in London and to be able to take a day off freelance translation to attend the event. ITD is a great opportunity to network with lots of people from all different areas of the translation industry, and I was very encouraged to see quite a few familiar faces in the crowd. Making contacts can be hard, especially as a freelancer, but through my MA and getting involved this year with the journal New Books in German, both as an intern and a participant in the Emerging Translators Programme, I’ve got to know many more translators recently and it was great to catch up with a number of them.
 
After a quick chat and a coffee, the day kicked off with a panel discussion on the rise of the reader. Representatives from the publishing industry and the Booker Prize Foundation talked about the importance of the reader in today’s world, at a time when social media is continually gaining in influence and anyone and everyone can engage in conversation about what they are reading and what they want to read next. Although this of course involves people from all walks of life, not just translators or linguists, I was often told by my MA tutors that no one ever reads a book more closely than a translator, who has to recreate the story in their own language. We also had many a lengthy discussion about the translator’s role as a writer, which was a subject that came up in this session. The idea of translators and authors working together to produce well-written novels was floated – and caused a bit of a stir, as a room of literary translators wondered whether to be offended at the suggestion that we might need an author to help us write a high-quality novel. I for one am very aware that translators need to be able to weave a story effectively and captivatingly, whilst also remaining loyal to the author’s original work, and believe that literary translators are very capable of doing so. Having said that, I did value the point that many authors who write in languages other than English are also translators, and I certainly agree it would be great to get more British authors involved in translation. The lack of authors at this event (at least on the panels) did stand out to me so perhaps this is an area where more networking could be done and ties between authors and translators strengthened in general.
               
The second session I attended was about selling translations and involved a panel of booksellers and publishers. The first important message was that independent bookshops are currently in a very strong position, although as always translations are proving much harder to sell than original English-language fiction. I especially enjoyed the debate about where to place translations in the shop – in Dulwich Books they are in a separate section, whilst at Foyles they are mingled in with the non-translations. I personally love the idea of being able to browse specifically for new translations without getting distracted by other great titles, but at the same time I see it could make translations easier for others to ignore. Having never been to Dulwich Books, and living only a short train ride away, I will just have to go and have a look around and see what I think! The prevailing view, whatever the layout of the bookshops, is that there is room for translators to become much more involved with bookselling after publication. This was all a bit far in the future for me, as a translator who is still very much ‘emerging’ and has not yet completed a book-length translation, but it was still fascinating to hear about the events that translators can take part in to raise awareness of their books, as well as the possibility for publicity via social media and in interviews, for example. I look forward to a time in the future where I can take this advice on board myself and encourage people to read my own work!
               
After a buffet lunch and a quick networking session with the Emerging Translators Network, I returned to the auditorium for a discussion of ‘translator speak’ with editors from Peirene Press and Granta, and literary translator Shaun Whiteside. A group exercise of trying to guess whether various extracts were translations or original-English works led to a very interesting discussion of how much freedom a translator has in their work, and how much an editor can or should intervene. There seemed to be a general feeling that translators should have the courage to stand up for what they believe the author wants to say and to have more freedom in how they express this in their own language. Another important issue raised was the idea of easing readers into the book on the first couple of pages, so editing a bit more heavily to start with and then easing off to allow the original style and foreign flair to really shine through. This has the benefit of potentially preventing readers being put off reading a translation, but Shaun Whiteside expressed the viewpoint that this is not always fair to the author. Why should an author who frequently writes in very long sentences, for example, be reduced to shorter sentences in translation? Does that really give readers of that translation an idea of the author’s work or style? The main thought that stuck in my mind is how willing we are to tiptoe around readers of translations, making the reading process easier for them instead of stretching them and making them work perhaps a bit harder to really get to grips with the novel. It is a difficult question and there is almost certainly no definitive answer, but I can’t help thinking it’s a shame to make significant changes to a work just so readers can perhaps go so far as to pretend they are not reading a translation at all. The session certainly threw up some complex and important issues and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
               
After another quick coffee break came the final session, with everyone all together again in the auditorium. A couple of extracts from translated plays were read by a group of actors and then they and the translators discussed the process of translation, rehearsing and editing (covering issues such as rhythm, humour and the difficulty of transferring cultural differences). The session was incredibly engaging and it was very interesting to approach translation from a slightly different angle. This was followed by the presenting of the 2015 Found in Translation Award to Ursula Phillips, a translator of Polish literature. It was a very positive way to finish the session and was nice for everyone there to be able to share in her success.
               
The final drinks reception provided a last chance to do some networking and, all in all, it was a very rewarding day. Freelancing has the potential to be a very lonely job (however passionate a translator you may be) and it is essential to have that contact with other translators whenever possible. I came away feeling reinvigorated, with my head buzzing with even more book titles that I now want to get my hands on. Languages, literature and translation are all important parts of my life and I really don’t think you can beat spending a day in the beautiful British Library with likeminded people, talking about books. I can’t wait for next year!