About This Event

This participatory event, in partnership with English PEN, sees two editors take part in an ‘editorial slam’. Based on the ‘translation slam’ model, it explores the collaborative acts of writing, translating and editing by asking Sceptre Editorial Director Ansa Khan and Robina Pelham Burn to edit the same passage of text, translated from the Arabic, a language in which neither of them read. During the event, they will see each other’s edits for the first time, and with the text’s translator, Nashwa Nasreldin, who will chair the conversation, discuss their choices and the rationales behind them. The audience, including translators and fellow editors, will have the chance to discuss their edits, exploring the particular challenges and opportunities of editing work in translation; how to edit well when a text is deeply rooted in cultural, linguistic, or geographical specificity; and what editors must hold onto and what they must give up. International Translation Day (ITD) is celebrated annually on 30 September with a programme of events and workshops from English PEN, taking place throughout September online and in person in London and Norwich. English PEN is one of the world's oldest human rights organisations, championing the freedom to write and read. They are the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers’ association with 130 centres in more than 90 countries. With the support of their members – a community of readers, writers, and activists – they protect freedom of expression whenever it is under attack, support writers facing persecution around the world, and celebrate contemporary international writing with literary prizes, grants, events and an online magazine https://pentransmissions.com/ This event will take place in person in the New Room at The London Library. Please see our Event Access Guidelines before you arrive. Doors (and the bar) will open at 5.30pm for a 6pm start.

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