Update: On November 2nd, Europe Comics sent one of its team to Lucca to judge the 2017 edition of the Translation Slam. For the first time, this year’s competition featured a new Italian-to-English translation category, challenging participants to translate passages from Italian comics legends Magnus and Gianni De Luca. And the results are in! After an anonymous judging process, the up-and-coming Alex Valente was chosen as the winner, for his skillful translation of Commissario Spada (which can be read here). Congratulations to him, and to all of this year’s Slam participants. For full details, visit the site of Lucca Comics & Games (in Italian). All’anno prossimo!
What is the Translation Slam? Che cos’è il Translation Slam?
Information in Italian below / dettagli in italiano qui sotto
This November, Europe Comics will be traveling south to Italy to participate in Lucca Comics & Games, the largest comics convention in Europe. This 51st edition of the famed Lucca festival will be running from November 1 – 5, and together with partners BAO Publishing and Tunué, Europe Comics is participating in a series of events to make an incredible weekend even better.
Among the countless signings, talks, and panels taking place during the five-day Lucca Comics & Games festival, one event sets itself apart: the annual Translation Slam. Designed to promote the role of translation and translators in the comics world, the competition challenges participants to translate selected comics from English, French, and Japanese into Italian. This year’s edition, sponsored in part by BAO Publishing, will also for the first time offer an Italian to English category, with the winner having the chance to have his or her work published on digital platforms worldwide by Europe Comics. The winners of all categories will be featured on the Lucca Comics & Games website.
The Translation Slam, set to take place on Thursday, November 2nd, is a written contest open to up-and-coming translators. Contestants will have two hours to prove their worth by translating a story excerpt or complete short story selected by the jury, with the aid of translation tools (computers, dictionaries, etc.). A limited number of spots are available for the event. (Note: registration is now closed, but be sure to check back in next year!)
To mark the occasion, the morning of the competition will also feature two special events on and around the subject of comics translation and adaptation. Following a brief introduction to the competition at 10:30, there will be a panel at 11:15 to discuss how comics are born, and how they evolve. Titled “Migrating Comics: Across Languages, Countries, and Platforms,” the panel will feature author Zerocalcare (Kobane Calling, Forget My Name) and British comics critic Paul Gravett, among others.
The press release in English may be downloaded here, and the full rules of the competition may be found here (in Italian). For more information, you may contact translationslam@luccacomicsandgames.com. The 2017 Translation Slam is a creation of Lucca Comics & Games, in collaboration with Symmaceo Communications, BAO Publishing, and Europe Comics.
Che cos’è il Translation Slam?
Translation Slam è un concorso di traduzione di fumetti organizzato da Lucca Comics & Games in collaborazione con Symmaceo Communications, BAO Publishing. Questa edizione vede la nuova collaborazione con Europe Comics e l’introduzione di una nuova categoria in concorso.
Diventano ben quattro le combinazioni linguistiche con cui cimentarsi: oltre alle prove di traduzione dall’inglese, francese e giapponese verso l’italiano si aggiunge una prova di traduzione dall’italiano all’inglese.
La prova di traduzione di fumetti si svolgerà nel pomeriggio di giovedì 02 novembre presso il Complesso San Micheletto in via San Micheletto.
Translation Slam è rivolto ad aspiranti traduttori di fumetti preferibilmente con esperienze all’attivo nell’ambito della traduzione.
La giuria designerà un vincitore per ciascuna lingua, e in caso ritenga particolarmente meritevoli uno o più vincitori, potrà segnalarli per un incarico di traduzione affidato da BAO Publishing.
I posti sono limitati e per partecipare è necessario iscriversi sul sito di Lucca Comics & Games. Per maggiori informazioni consulta il regolamento (PDF da scaricare) o scrivi a: translationslam@luccacomicsandgames.com.
Header image: Globetrotting Viola © Turconi & Radice / Dargaud
