Gratiaen Trust Presents “Doubling Ourselves” - an Online Workshop on Translation

The Gratiaen Trust, in association with John Keells Foundation,will convene an online workshop on translation on Saturday 6th of March 2021. To be held with the support of the Department of English of the University of Peradeniya and the Seagull School of Publishing, Kolkotta, Doubling Ourselvesis designed for aspiring and experiencedtranslators of Sinhala and Tamil literature into English.This practical, one-day workshop facilitated by accomplished Sri Lankan translators, will give participantscrucial insightsinto successful translations of literary works.

The workshopwill combine talks on translation and interactive, assignment-based, feedback-orientedsessions conducted in parallel for Sinhala and Tamil translation into English.The sessionswill also include talks on how to publish translations. One of the big attractions will be a session conducted by the Seagull School of Publishing. Affiliated to Seagull Books, one of the world’s leading publishers of translations, the Seagull School of Publishing will guide participants on publication and successfully negotiating relationships between authors and publishers. Mr NaveenKishore, the Founder of Seagull Books, is a stalwart in the world of publishing and a much sought after speaker. He will be delivering the keynote speech.

This workshop, which is the first activity of theGratiaen Trust for 2021, coincides with the presentation of the H.A.I.Goonetileke Prize for Translation which will be awarded laterthis year. The Trust has two flagship awards, the annualGratiaen Prize recognising the best creative English writing by Sri Lankan writers resident in the country, and the H.A.I.Goonetileke award for Translation, which is presented every two years.

Translations of Sinhala and Tamil literature into English is of particular interest to the Gratiaen Trust because it enables local literatures to transcend language boundaries and enjoy a wider readership. Professor Nelouferde Mel, Chairperson of the Gratiaen Trust, noted that Michael Ondaatje’s vision in establishing the H.A.I. Goonetileke Prize was to recognize translations asan important way of learning about different

perspectives and cultures, bringing about a greater understanding between communities. She further noted that Sri Lanka had a wealth of literary works in Sinhala and Tamil,and that good translations of these works into English will demonstratetheir depth and breadth to readers of literature in English within Sri Lanka and beyond.

The Gratiaen Trust is grateful to its primary sponsor, John Keells Foundation, as well as the Department of English of the University of Peradeniya and the Seagull School of Publishing for supporting the workshop.

To participate, entries must be emailed to [email protected] by 15th of February 2021. Participants will need to have a good command of English and Sinhala or Tamil. They must have good digital literacy and have access to uninterrupted internet connectivity and good computer facilities.Further, all participants must be Sri Lankan citizens who are resident in Sri Lanka. For more details on how to applyvisit www.gratiaen.com

The Gratiaen Trust’s key mandate of nearly three decades has been to support and promote literary excellence in Sri Lanka. Established in 1992, The Trust has worked closely withauthors, academics, readers, publishers and other professionals in Sri Lanka’s literary world to promote better works of creative English writing.Doubling Ourselves is one of a series of workshops that aims to add value to the quality of creative output of Sri LanAnchorkan writers. Towards this, the Trust has forged collaborations with individuals and organisations from Sri Lanka as well as from within the region and beyond, with the goal of providing Sri Lankan writers the opportunity to work with and learn from experts in different areas of writing and publishing.