Centre of Expertise for Literary Translation
20 February 2024
The Centre of Expertise for Literary translation (ELV) in Utrecht, the Netherlands, aims to promote the expertise of literary translators for whom Dutch is either the source or target language, in order to ensure the quality of such translations from and into Dutch. For this purpose, in collaboration with stakeholders such as the Dutch Foundation for Literature, Flanders Literature, the Taalunie and an Advisory Council, the ELV has developed courses, mentorships, coaching programmes, location based translation workshops (VoLs), online courses, a website and various social media accounts.
As far as the training of literary translators is concerned, the ELV offers customised study programmes while, at the same time, aims to create a range of e-learning programmes that can be conducted more frequently and which have a broader reach. The ELV offers several individual programmes for literary translators who translate into Dutch (both for starting and more experienced literary translators). Also, it organizes a range of courses for literary translators from Dutch, including the annual Summer Intensive Course. In consultation with the Dutch Foundation for Literature and Flanders Literature, which are actively engaged in the promotion of Dutch literature abroad, the ELV determines the (language) areas in which additional training is required.
The ELV presents all information on its courses, online training, and individual programmes in Dutch on literairvertalen.org.
More background information may be found in the English The ELV Policy Plan 2020-2024 (pdf). Publishers and others in search of a translator either into of from Dutch, may also find the Vertalersbestand useful, a Dutch overview of literary translators who have either taken a course at the ELV or who have been connected to one or more ELV-programmes as teachers.