Linguistic Diversity

This new programme is designed to foster linguistic diversity – an expression of cultural pluralism and part of our global heritage and wealth, as UNESCO emphasises in its World Atlas of Languages. In the light of the rising number of endangered languages and the dominance of English, linguistic diversity and multilingualism cannot be taken for granted; they demand active support and engagement. 

Within this programme, Translation House Looren carries out projects in Switzerland and beyond and provides online platforms as part of our contribution to linguistic diversity.

Find out more about the individual initiatives below.

Ainu, Japanese, English, Basque, Spanish, Sorbian, French, Portuguese, Sardinian, Italian, German, Romansh, Swahili, Bamum! All these languages featured in the kick-off event for our brand-new format Looren Forum on 29 November. As a transdisciplinary series of international online events, Looren Forum fosters dialogue and ideas about linguistic diversity. 

Program (English, Español, Italiano, Deutsch, Português)

Our events series Texts without Borders shines a spotlight on writers and translators working in Switzerland outside the country’s four official national languages. Though rarely acknowledged in the Swiss literary world, these literary creators are often well known in their countries of origin. 

In its first year (2022), Texts without Borders was dedicated to the Persian language and its varieties Dari and Tajik. 2023’s focus was on the languages Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin and Serbian. In 2024, the spotlight will be on Turkish and Kurdish in all its varieties.

Each of the multilingual readings and conversations is accompanied by musical performances. 

See our Coming up page for the next events in the series. 

To promote linguistic diversity, we have opened up our Looren Excellence Grants for all source and target languages. They are aimed at translators of works by Swiss-based writers of any era. Alongside writers with Swiss nationality, this also includes other nationals with long-term residency in Switzerland. Learn more

In 2025, Translation House Looren will offer its first workshop for translators living in Switzerland working from various languages into German. To do justice to our country’s linguistic diversity, projects from any source language can be submitted. No publishing contract is necessary. The workshop will take place at Translation House Looren and is aimed at both experienced and emerging translators. The focus will be on intensive workshopping as a group. Further information to follow.

Expanded Translation is an international online platform for dialogue, co-creation and cooperative learning. It was launched in 2022 by Looren América Latina with an open call to translators, publishers and other cultural creators in Latin America. The aim is to build an international digital network that reflects current ideas and dynamics, while understanding language and translation as expressions of cultural identity. Its topics are oral literatures, indigenous and creole languages, linguistic hybridity, along with collective and transdisciplinary practices and linguistic policy.

Upcoming events are listed under Looren América Latina.