MET workshops

The sundry challenges of translating graphic novels

Are you interested in the publishing world? Have graphic novels ever caught your attention? Have you read V for Vendetta, Maus, Persepolis or Fun Home? What about comics like Tintin, Asterix or Lucky Luke? Have you noticed that more and more graphic novels and comics are being translated into English? And, as a language professional, have you ever wondered what translating or editing them implies? This workshop will explore the art of translating works of graphic storytelling, regardless of the language combination.

Facilitator: Carlos Mayor

Purpose: To give an overview of the main challenges encountered when translating, editing and proofreading graphic novels and comics at large.

Description: We will start the session by exploring who publishes graphic novels in translation and identifying the key professionals in the sector. We will then look at the language of sequential art as a medium in which text and image go hand in hand, and the different genres, formats and conventions involved. After that, we will sink our teeth into the process of translating a work of graphic storytelling, ways to present those translations, and the practice of editing, lettering and proofing the final text. We will pay particular attention to the challenges posed by speech bubbles, onomatopoeia and punctuation. Participants will work on exercises in pairs or groups.

Participant profile: Translators, editors and any language professionals with an interest in the publishing world, as well as anyone interested specifically in graphic novels and the challenges their translation might imply. Although the workshop will be in English, we will work with examples from different countries and genres to explore a wide range of problems and possibilities. Knowledge of these other languages is not necessary.

Outcome: By the end of the workshop, participants will have a good grasp of the process of translating and editing a graphic novel and of the difficulties involved.

Preparation: Participants are asked to think of a specific graphic novel or comic that they are familiar with or that has a special meaning for them. Some of those titles will be briefly discussed at the beginning of the workshop.

About the facilitator: Carlos Mayor is an award-winning translator and lecturer. He specializes in literature, graphic novels, exhibition catalogues and children’s books. Since 1989, he has translated or co-translated over 400 works into Spanish and Catalan, by authors such as Andrea Camilleri, Henry James, Alan Moore, Cesare Pavese, Beatrix Potter, Vita Sackville-West, Françoise Sagan, Marjane Satrapi, Edith Wharton and Oscar Wilde, as well as six Nobel-prize winners: Albert Camus, Grazia Deledda, Rudyard Kipling, Doris Lessing, Toni Morrison and John Steinbeck. www.carlosmayor.com