By Freddie Garforth
A few weeks ago, I attended the London Book Fair for the first time. As a newly qualified translator fresh out of a master’s degree, just starting to get literary translation work and keen to get a foot in the door of the industry, this was a daunting yet rewarding week.
I had read a few blogs and attended a talk on getting the most out of the book fair, and still wasn’t prepared for the overwhelm that hit me when I walked into Olympia on the first day. Room after colossal room teeming with people, representatives from publishing houses, literary agents, those involved in printing, technology, design, translation, and the umpteen other moving parts of publishing. I was instantly lost and spent time studying the map until I had located the Literary Translation Centre (LTC). Picking my way past the many booths, I was relieved to finally reach the safe haven of translators, spotting some familiar faces, most of whom shared in my feeling of slight dread, even if they had attended many fairs before. Translators spend a lot of time alone, working from home offices around the world, often great distances from their colleagues, so even if the fair felt like a lot, it was still a wonderful environment. Those I had met before gave me words of encouragement and made the effort to introduce me to other translators, agents, publishers and friends. Those I was introduced to were equally encouraging, providing tips on how to navigate the fair as well as my career in general.
The second day at the fair was easier. Having been hit by the scale of the event the day before, I was more prepared and had more of a plan, including the single meeting I had independently managed to secure with a publisher. I was also armed with a bigger bottle of water, and more snacks (good luck queuing for the cafes and food trucks.) The day started with a fantastic panel talk at the LTC on the importance of specialist networks, chaired by DELT’s own chair, Paul Russell Garrett. The speakers included Nichola Smalley, chair of SELTA (DELT’s Swedish English sister organisation), Emma Goldsmith, the vice-chair of MET (Mediterranean Editors and Translators), and Anita Barton-Williams, founder of BLKTRNET, the Black Translators Network. Their sentiments drove home my feelings from the day before, of how lucky I was to have the community of translators around me, who were all so happy to help and encourage in a world where one often only focuses on competition. I was lucky enough to have my attendance at the fair sponsored by the Swedish Arts Council as a member of SELTA, so it goes without saying that I had benefited from being part of a specialist network in my being there at all.
I may have been mentally and physically exhausted by the end of LBF, but I’m actually excited to return next year now that I know the rough layout and how to approach it. I’m looking forward to meeting up with the lovely and interesting people I met there this year and to making new acquaintances. I know now to start planning slightly earlier if I want more than one speedily organised work meeting. And who knows, maybe by that point I’ll have a published translation under my belt and be able to pass on tips to the next round of budding translators?
”Their sentiments drove home my feelings from the day before, of how lucky I was to have the community of translators around me, who were all so happy to help and encourage in a world where one often only focuses on competition.
