By Paul Norlén
DELT was present at the 47th annual conference of the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA), held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from October 25–28, 2024, in the form of a panel titled “Building a Translator-Led Nonprofit to Support Literary Translators.” The panelists included DELT Chair Paul Garrett and DELT members Edward Jordan Barger, Sharon E. Rhodes and K.E. Semmel, and the panel was moderated by Swedish-to-English translator and SELTA member Kira Josefsson.
The panel presented an overview of how DELT came to be formed in 2018, the structure of the organization, and the group’s mission to both promote Danish literature abroad and support members’ work and roles as translators.
An element key to the organization’s very existence is, of course, funding, and there was some discussion of the vital role of the Danish Arts Foundation in supporting DELT’s activities. DELT, in turn, promotes Danish literature and culture outside Denmark, making for a mutually beneficial relationship.
Questions from the audience led the discussion further. Other language groups seeking to emulate DELT would, of course, have different prerequisites, including the aforementioned funding.
Before DELT was formed, information provided by SELTA, the Swedish-to-English Literary Translators’ Association, was very helpful. DELT has since passed on their experiences to another language-based translator organization.
Besides funding, another key to DELT’s work is the volunteer time spent by members. DELT was formed by a volunteer committee, and it continues that way to this day. Although committee work is unpaid, where financial support has been obtained, DELT members are paid a fee for professional work including workshops, talks and writing projects. As an organization of freelancers, DELT recognizes the importance of supporting other freelancers.
If there was one piece of advice for other groups, it would be to “Have a mission, and stick to that mission.”
Later, the conversation continued over dinner and drinks at Centraal Grand Café, where the panelists were joined by several Scandinavian translator colleagues, hopefully instigating future collaborations with like-minded organizations in future!
