By Helene Hecquet
Embracing mistakes is something we could all be a little better at, and this is exactly what Nielsine Nielsen’s workshop “Mistakeology” is all about. The workshop, hosted by DELT, is on the topic of translation with special focus on the so-called “mistakes” translators make, and it dares ask the question; are they really mistakes at all?
On the 7th of April 2025, the sun was smiling on a small group of translators in the appropriately named “Solisten” sunroom. The group had gathered in Kulturhuset Islands Brygge for the third instalment of a series of “Wild translation” workshops, where Nielsine takes the participants on a journey of translation that fosters creativity and conversation, instead of black-and-white rules.
All that was needed was an interest in translation and fluency in Danish and English to be part of the workshop and the participants were a diverse group of people from all walks of life – from professional translators and students to people who simply wished to know what “mistakeology” was all about.
After a brief introduction, we started with a unique exercise. We had to translate a text (as one might expect) but with a twist! Everyone got a piece of paper with a secret mission that they had to fulfil. Some had to translate the text into a poem, some as an encyclopaedia entry, and I had to translate into the “opposite” of what the source-text was trying to convey. It was tons of fun, and we ended up with many wildly different translations! This exercise led to ample discussion about what was right and wrong – it even entered the territory of translators as artists and the limits of artistic freedom.
In line with the latter, we read an extract from “Say Translation is Art” by Sawako Nakayasu, and discussion flowed freely. Nielsine introduced us to many more examples from different translators and told us about their journeys translating difficult texts and when taking liberties is considered a “mistake” versus when it is considered creative freedom.
The evening ended on a lively note with the good weather leading to a casual debrief outside. Everyone was eager to continue the conversation and after one and a half hours inside no one was tired: in fact, the fun of it all had rejuvenated us. It is always a joy to be reminded that creativity is still rewarded in today’s society and the ability to make “mistakes” – even being encouraged to make them – is enough to get the creative process back in full swing.
”Embracing mistakes is something we could all be a little better at, and this is exactly what Nielsine Nielsen’s workshop 'Mistakeology' is all about.
