Delve into the art and craft of translation in our three-part spin-off series ‘Translators on Translation’, presented in partnership with the John Dryden Translation Competition and the Centre for World Literatures at the University of Leeds.
In this episode Sarah Hudspith, Associate Professor in Russian at the University of Leeds, talks to translator Naomi Mottram, who won second prize in the 2022-23 John Dryden Translation Competition for her translation of Mitrofanushka Durasov by Sofia Sinitskaia. They discuss Naomi’s approach to the process of translating the Russian text into English, the nuances of translating the work of a living author and why English-speaking readers should read contemporary Russian literature.
You can read Naomi’s prize-winning translation of Mitrofanushka Durasov by Sofia Sinitskaia here.
The John Dryden Translation Competition is run by the University of Leeds Centre for World Literatures and sponsored by the British Comparative Literature Association and the British Centre for Literary Translation. Prizes are awarded for the best unpublished literary translations of poetry, prose, or drama from any period from any language into English.
The John Dryden Translation Competition 2024 – 2025 is now open. The competition deadline is 5 February 2025. You can find out more about the competition and entering your translation here.