Swiss Literature Prize 2019
Translation House Looren and the Centre de traduction littéraire have been awarded the 2019 ‘Special Prize for Literature Promotion’
For their work supporting literary translation, Translation House Looren in Wernetshausen and the Centre de traduction littéraire de Lausanne are joint recipients of this year’s Swiss ‘Special Prize for Literature Promotion’. The award is presented every two years on the recommendation of the Swiss literature jury and comes with a purse of 40,000 Francs. The Special Prize honours outstanding dedication to supporting Swiss literature and its access to readers.
Literary translation was practically invisible for many years. Now, however, it is recognized as a creative profession. Two institutions have played a substantial role in this new appreciation, as the Swiss literature jury notes: Translation House Looren and the Centre de traduction littéraire de Lausanne.
The Centre de traduction littéraire de Lausanne (CTL) and Translation House Looren in Wernetshausen near Zürich are dedicated to supporting the unique creative work of literary translation in Switzerland. With their great openness for languages and a remarkable diversity of programmes to introduce a general audience and specialists to literary translation, the two institutions have built up a broad network of partners, the jury writes in its statement. It is that dedication that has earned them the 2019 Special Prize for Literature Promotion.
Find out more:
Interview with the two winners
SwissLitAwards Media statement from the Federal Office of Culture
Gabriela Stöckli (left), head of Translation House Looren, and Irene Weber Henking, head of the Centre de traduction littéraire de Lausanne. Photo: Maurice Haas
Contact for media information:
Gabriela Stöckli, Managing Director, Translation House Looren:
Tel.: 079 674 05 50 and 043 843 12 43
Mail: info@looren.net
Press photos for download: https://www.looren.net/en/service/medien
Irene Weber Henking, head of the Centre de traduction littéraire de Lausanne (CTL) :
Tel.: 021 692 29 84, mobile: 076 563 44 76
Mail: translatio@unil.ch
Website: https://www.unil.ch/ctl/fr/home.html
Short portraits of the award winners:
Translation House Looren
‘Our events put translators on stage so they can show audiences their art – our work is to make them more visible.’
Gabriela Stöckli, Managing Director, Translation House Looren on the news programme Tagesschau, 6 September 2015
The first Swiss institution of its kind, Translation House Looren in Wernetshausen near Zurich offers literary translators a calm place to work and also provides grants. Since it opened in 2005, hundreds of translators have found their way to the peaceful surroundings of the Zurich highlands, an ideal place to work in concentration and to communicate with colleagues. Looren, a private association supported by the canton of Zurich, welcomes guests from around the world. In 2018 alone, translators staying at the house worked in 37 different languages. Focus programmes such as ‘Looren America Latina’ foster this creative diversity on a larger scale. Translation House Looren is firmly anchored in a European network and regularly works with Swiss cultural and academic institutions. The Centre de traduction littéraire de Lausanne is one of its most important partners.
Centre de traduction littéraire de Lausanne
‘Translation is a literary and aesthetic re-creation (…). These days, writers exert the freedom to expand the boundaries of language, which also has a liberating effect on translators.’ Irene Weber Henking, head of the CTL in an interview with Anne Pitteloud, Culturactif.ch, 14.09.2007
The CTL,founded at the University of Lausanne in 1989, provides a space for the practice of literary translation and theoretical discussions on the subject, unique in Switzerland. It has been supported by the city of Lausanne since its foundation, enabling literary encounters both on and off the campus. The CTL also runs numerous training programmes – from individual studios to specialized training with personal mentors – and publishes texts. Its most recent programmes include master classes in the ‘Programme Gilbert Musy’ and ‘Joutes de traduction’, events where translators battle it out in words in front of a live audience, sharing their joy in writing and language.
Translated from German by Katy Derbyshire