Tŷ Newydd and Wales Literature Exchange have announced details of a new partnership to give Wales its first national Translators’ House. These two leading literary organisations are joining forces in a bid to boost literary exchange between Wales and the world

Based at Tŷ Newydd, Tŷ Cyfieithu Cymru – Translators’ House Wales will run courses for international translators who want to publish work from Wales in different languages.

Short residencies will also be offered to international writers and translators of Welsh literature, and there will be training opportunities for writers who want to translate their work from Welsh to English.

There will be opportunities too for authors and poets from Wales to spend time abroad through international networks of writers and translators’ houses.

A specialist partnership is being developed with the international Halma network which promotes literary exchange across Europe, following a successful application for membership by Wales Literature Exchange and Tŷ Newydd in December 2008.

“Tŷ Cyfieithu is an important step in our campaign to connect Wales to the wider publishing market beyond the UK,” said Sioned Puw Rowlands, the Director of Wales Literature Exchange which is based in the Mercator Institute at Aberystwyth University.

“The role of the translator is key to the mobility of literature across linguistic borders and in order to reach today’s global market, it is vital that we nurture the translation skills needed to promote literature from Wales across the world,” she added.

The Executive Director of Tŷ Newydd, Sally Baker, described the partnership as an important milestone in the promotion of literature from Wales on the international stage.

“The Translators’ House Wales/Tŷ Cyfieithu partnership is a unique and exciting development. It combines the vast experience and superb location of Tŷ Newydd with the expertise which Wales Literature Exchange has developed in the field of international literary exchange,” she said.

The first course under the Translators’ House banner will be held in November 2009 and will focus on the translation of poetry. Future courses will include translating fiction as well as other literary genres.
 
Wales Literature Exchange is based in the Mercator Institute at Aberystwyth University. Its aims and activities include promoting the literature and writers of Wales abroad; offering translation grants to publishers; providing information about writers, translators and publishers, and participating in international book fairs. www.walesliterature.org