Our Workshops

Our workshops develop the skills students need to become excellent linguists and confident critical thinkers.

Each workshop is led by a leading translator in the field and offers a guided exploration of translation in different contexts, interrogating social and ethical issues, questioning assumptions and analysing biases.

Students are introduced to key translation skills and approaches. Examples of the original, cross-media work that results can be found on each workshop page. Customised workshops are available on request.

Superheroes are not afraid of translation: webcomics in Arabic

In this workshop, students become superheroes tackling translations of an Arabic webcomic one episode at a time.

All about register: translating slang

During this dynamic workshop students will explore the power structures evident in our own language and navigate these in their translations of a popular UK rap song.

Keeping your eye on the Dragon Ball: translating Japanese anime

Does dubbing allow the Anglophone world access to the nuances of Japanese anime? In this workshop students will explore the challenges of translating this unique art form.

Translating multilingualism

What happens when there is more than one language at play in a text? Consider the politics of how, and if, multilingual writing should be translated.

A translator’s tour of Turkish pop

Tune in to the nuances of language and music culture and sound out ways of translating a Turkish hit single… in the style of a British artist.

Translating English from around the world

Translate from English to English, examining the forces that have shaped the world.

It’s all Brazilian Portuguese to us

Students navigate questions of language and power, as translators of a popular Brazilian film script with no previous knowledge of the language.

Translating queerness

Different language structures give voice to queerness in different ways, challenging translators to break away from the tendency to stereotype gender.

It’s all OuLiPo to us

Translating within the constraints of the OuLiPo movement provokes students to questions what limitations they might already be working under, whether they know it or not.

It’s all Arabic to us

Images offer a doorway into a story, language and culture, as students will find as they translate an Arabic picture book with no previous knowledge of the language.

Translating for the masses

Following the evolution of The Phantom of the Opera: from magazine thriller to stage, screen and beyond, students explore the high stakes of translating a classic.

Translating humour

Translating humour is no joke! The multilingual workshop calls for creativity, compromise and an open-mind, whilst offering insight into the heart of different linguistic cultures.

Finding the translator in the text

Can the way we read a text ever be neutral, and should it? This workshop highlights how our different life experiences shape the way we interpret texts.

Exploring gender bias in the Odyssey

The Odyssey has been translated through many media; but how, and by whom? This workshop discusses the translator’s power to reflect or reject gender bias in an ancient text.

Masterclass in subtitling

Lights, camera… translation! Students will become subtitlers, negotiating a range of constraints in order to convey the spirit of the original.

Interpreting voices

Students will throw themselves into different scenarios faced by professional interpreters, and call into question how we interpret another’s words.

Series

A Shadow Heroes series provides students with intensive training to become excellent linguists and confident critical thinkers. We work with teachers to design bespoke series for each student group. Examples of these are listed below. Please contact us for more information.

Sample Series I

Translation requires an open and flexible mind. In this series, students will develop the skills of expert listeners and mediators, exploring linguistic diversity in different settings and broadening their ideas about language and translation.

Workshops

Sample Series II

Translation is a dynamic process of communication which flows through the body of the translator. This series will ask the students to reflect on how our life experiences, interests and biases shape our translations.

Workshops

Sample Series III

A translator can face all manner of constraints: both external and internal. This series will challenge students to think creatively and question ideas of difference and uniformity under the spotlight of language.

Workshops