A Day of Translation with DELT
Crafting a Translation from Start to Finish
The Association of Danish to English Literary Translators (DELT) is delighted to be returning to the University of Edinburgh on Wednesday 17 September 2025 for a day of hands-on, engaging and industry-focused workshops.
This marks our third visit to the university, and we’re excited to reconnect with the vibrant Scottish translation community. With a growing number of Scottish-based DELT members, strong local voices in literary translation, and close ties to the Scandinavian Studies programme, this event is a chance to deepen those connections – and make new ones.
Overview
What’s Happening
This free event follows the full creative arc of a translation project – from first draft to final publication. The day includes two in-depth sessions led by experienced DELT members, plus plenty of time to meet, chat, and exchange ideas with fellow translators.
Who’s It For?
If you translate from Danish into English – or are thinking about it – we’d love to have you with us. Whether you’re an experienced translator, just starting out, or a student of Scandinavian Studies or Translation Studies, the day is designed to be welcoming, practical, and engaging.
We also encourage translators of other Scandinavian languages who want to sharpen their Danish and connect with others in the field. No professional experience is needed – just a good grasp of Danish and an interest in literary translation.
Our Speakers
We’re joined by DELT members with experience across a wide range of genres:
- Rachel Rankin – poetry
- Ian Giles – genre/crime fiction
- Misha Hoekstra – literary fiction
- Tam McTurk – creative non-fiction
They’ll share practical tools, insights, and stories from their work across the Danish to English literary landscape.
The Team
The event will be supported by Paul Russell Garrett (Chair of DELT), Ellen Kythor (Founder and Treasurer of DELT) and Jennifer Alexander (former committee member), who will help facilitate the sessions and keep everything running smoothly and enjoyably.
Programme
11:00 – Welcome
11:30–13:00: Session 1 – Creative Untranslatability
with Rachel Rankin
This workshop challenges the idea that poetry can’t be translated by encouraging participants to try out a range of creative strategies. Working in groups, you’ll translate a rhyming Danish poem using approaches that range from the austerely literal to the radically inventive – sharing and comparing your versions as you go.
The session promotes experimentation, creativity, and play, while questioning traditional ideas of equivalence in poetry translation. It aims to show that translating poetry is not only possible but also deeply enjoyable and rewarding.
13:00–14:00: Lunch
14:00–15:30: Session 2 – How Translations Get Published – Stories from the Industry
with Tam McTurk, Misha Hoekstra and Ian Giles, chaired by Rachel Rankin
An open discussion taking a behind-the-scenes look at how books make their way into English – told directly by the translators who helped bring them to life. Rather than a top-down industry overview, this session offers firsthand stories about the publishing journey: how projects were commissioned (or pitched), how translators worked with editors and what the process looked like from draft to publication.
15:30 – Finish (informal conversations to continue over coffee)
18:30 – Danish Literary Showcase (public reading event chaired by Nick Barley) at Tills Bookshop, Edinburgh
Sign Up
This is an in-person-only event, and places are limited – so please be sure to complete the participant registration form by 5 September if you would like to attend.
Travel Support
As part of the registration form, you can request a travel grant, made possible by support from the Danish Arts Foundation. Dependent on the number of applications received, we aim to support:
- £30 – for central belt Scotland
- £150 – for travel within the UK
- £300 – for travel from outside the UK
Quick Details
- When: Wednesday 17 September 2025, 11:00–15:30
- Where: University of Edinburgh
- What: Two workshops + lunch + informal evening meetup
- Who: Anyone translating from Danish to English (students welcome!)
- Food: Lunch and refreshments provided
- Cost: Free, thanks to the support of the Danish Arts Foundation and the University of Edinburgh!
- Sign-up Deadline: Friday 5 September
