ATA SLD

Slavic Languages Division (American Translators Association)

American Translators Association: The Voice of Interpreters and Translators

Last Few Readers Needed for Galantière Award

Please note: this is a volunteer opportunity open only to ATA members.
The ATA Honors & Awards Committee is seeking volunteer readers for the Galantière Award. The list is close to 100% filled, which is amazing considering the number of books (53), but they would like to have at least two readers per book, and the following currently have only one reader:

Russian: March 1917: The Red Wheel, Node III, Book 4 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (historical fiction)
Russian: People and Trees: A Trilogy by Akram Aylisli (literary fiction, 3 novellas)
Ukrainian: Set Change by Yuri Andrukhovych (poetry)

The sign-up sheet is here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4EA8AD28A4FEC70-62507289-2026#/.
You can access information about all the books by clicking on “click here” at the top of the sign-up sheet.
For longer works, it’s possible to review the book based on a shorter selection without reading the entire thing. For more information, see the call for readers here.

Call for Galantière Award Volunteer Readers

Please note: this is a volunteer opportunity open only to ATA members.

The ATA’s Lewis Galantière Award is bestowed biennially for a distinguished book-length literary translation from any language (except German) into English. The Honors & Awards Committee is looking for ATA members to volunteer to read 3 or more of the nominated books and provide feedback to help choose a winner.

How it works:

The sign-up sheet is here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4EA8AD28A4FEC70-62507289-2026#/. You can access information about all the books by clicking on “click here” at the top of the sign-up sheet. If you’d like to volunteer, please sign up for your books by March 23.

Each book will be read by 3 readers. Reader 1 must know the source language in order to compare the source text with the translation. Readers 2 and 3 do not have to know the source language (though it’s fine if they do). There are still several slots for Readers 1, 2 and 3 left unfilled, and Reader 1s are especially needed in the following languages: Bulgarian, Farsi, French, Italian, Latin, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Uzbek.

The English translations and excerpts from the source texts (10 pages) will be shared electronically in PDF form. Readers will receive the link to an online evaluation form to fill out by April 30.

Please note:

  • If your own work has been nominated for this award, we ask that you do not sign up to be a reader.
  • If you are personal friends with any of the translators nominated, we ask that you do not sign up as a reader of their translations, but feel free to sign up as a reader for other translations.
  • This volunteer opportunity is open only to ATA members, so please do not share it with anyone who is not an ATA member.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Honors & Awards Committee at honors_awards@atanet.org

Oxford Translates: Online Literary Translation Workshop (including Russian)

Oxford Translates

An online literary translation summer school

July 6-10, 2026

Oxford Translates is an online literary translation summer school aimed at language enthusiasts and practicing translators at any stage of their career who want to explore the world of literary translation. It is open to participants anywhere in the world.

The summer school runs for 5 days. Participants work in small groups with award-winning and leading professional translators to hone their translation practice over 3 days.

In 2026, workshops are running into English from 11 languages – Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Urdu – plus there is a multilanguage workshop for translators working in any other language. There are four workshops out of English into the following languages: French, German, Italian and Spanish.

We are delighted to have Anna Gunin leading our Russian-English workshop. Anna Gunin is a translator of novels and memoirs, films and folk tales, plays and poetry. She co-translated Svetlana Alexievich’s Chernobyl Prayer (Penguin Modern Classics), lauded in the TLS as a ‘masterly new translation’ that ‘retains the nerve and pulse of the Russian’. Anna has taught at City University, London, and the University of Bristol, as well as leading workshops at the British Library, Translate at City and Bristol Translates.

The other 2 days are filled with panels on industry trends, job readiness and workshops on particular themes or genres. Participants have the unique and exciting opportunity to practise pitching in a one-to-one session with a publisher or editor.

Scholarships are available to UK residents on a low income and residents of India applying for the Urdu translation workshop. The deadline for scholarship applications is March 16, 2026. 

An early-bird rate is available for those who apply by March 31. Workshops are limited to a maximum of 12 people and places are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Apply early to secure your place.

For more information and to apply, click here. Contact us: translates@seh.ox.ac.uk

Interview with Dynamo Award Recipient Jamila del Mistro

Jamila Del Mistro

Every two years, ATA presents the Dynamo Award to “a person or entity that has worked in a particularly energetic way to benefit ATA and/or the language professions.” In 2025, the award went to Slavic Languages Division member Jamila del Mistro. Shelley Fairweather-Vega sat down virtually with Jamila to talk about her award, her work, and her plans.

Jamila, congratulations on your 2025 Dynamo Award! We’re proud that a Slavic Languages Division member has been recognized by ATA. Could you start by telling us a little about your language career so far, and what it means to you to receive the Dynamo Award?

Thank you! My language journey began early. I was born and spent the first 25 years of my life in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan. I grew up bilingual, speaking Azerbaijani at home and Russian at school, attending Russian preschool, and completing my entire secondary education in Russian. As a result, I developed native-level fluency in both languages.

I began learning English in fourth grade and grew up surrounded by it. My mother is a high-school English teacher who tutored students at home, so I often listened to English grammar lessons in our living room. Later, I attended a private university in Baku where many courses were taught in English.

At 19, I began working at an international oil consortium where English was the primary working language. At 21, I joined a USAID-funded nonprofit operated by the American Bar Association. Four years later, I was accepted into the LL.M. program at the University of San Diego School of Law. I moved to the United States for graduate studies and chose to remain, further strengthening my linguistic foundation. Building my life here, including marrying my husband, who is a native English speaker, deepened both my sense of belonging and my fluency through daily immersion.

I encountered Turkish in my twenties through friends, and my interest in it continued after I moved to the United States, where I formed close friendships within the Turkish community. I initially developed my Turkish informally and later began formal coursework in 2022. I continue to study the language and actively refine my interpretation skills. I am fortunate to work with an excellent teacher, a graduate of the interpretation program at the prestigious Boğaziçi University, and her mentorship has been invaluable in strengthening my professional competence.

Turkish and Azerbaijani both belong to the Turkic language family and have many linguistic similarities. At the same time, they contain numerous false cognates, which require careful attention and precision—particularly in interpretation.

Each language I’ve learned has expanded my worldview and shaped my approach to cross-cultural communication.

Receiving the Dynamo Award is a tremendous honor. It affirms years of dedication to multilingual work and highlights the meaningful impact interpreters and translators have in connecting communities.

With that mix of languages, you are one of a handful of SLD members who work with languages that are not, in fact, Slavic. How do you handle switching back and forth between Russian, English, and Turkish and Azerbaijani, which are very different languages?

Growing up in Baku, a multicultural city with a longstanding tradition of peaceful coexistence among ethnicities and religions, I was constantly surrounded by linguistic diversity. That environment naturally trained me to switch between languages and cultural frameworks with ease.

Today, I continue to nurture that flexibility by maintaining friendships across cultures, traveling, and immersing myself in history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and languages. This curiosity keeps my linguistic instincts sharp and adaptable in professional settings.

What are the biggest challenges and greatest rewards of working with a less-spoken language like Azerbaijani?

Working with Azerbaijani brings both challenges and deep rewards. Finding qualified partners for simultaneous interpretation can be difficult due to the small pool of certified Azerbaijani interpreters, and because there is limited demand, it means I need to diversify into other languages to maintain consistent work.

On the positive side, I serve as a vital bridge, helping individuals access justice, healthcare, education, and essential services. There is a profound sense of purpose in knowing that my skills fill a critical gap and that, in some situations, I may be one of very few professionals able to provide accurate interpretation.

During my work as an immigration court interpreter, I witnessed firsthand what the absence of a qualified interpreter can mean for a detained immigrant awaiting a hearing. Without an interpreter in the appropriate language pair, a person’s case may be postponed indefinitely, prolonging detention simply because language access is unavailable.

Another challenge I see as an Azerbaijani interpreter is the existence of two main dialect groups used by Azerbaijani speakers in the United States: Northern and Southern. Northern Azerbaijani is primarily spoken in Baku, Azerbaijan, while Southern Azerbaijani is widely spoken by Azerbaijanis from Tabriz and other regions of Iran. These two varieties differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and linguistic influences—for example, Southern Azerbaijani contains more Persian loanwords, while Northern Azerbaijani has been influenced by Russian.

Sometimes LEP speakers from Baku are assigned an interpreter who was born and raised in Tabriz. In such situations, dialect differences may lead to misunderstandings or inaccurate interpretation. The LEP may report that they cannot fully understand the interpreter, which can result in the interpreter being released by the court and the hearing being postponed.

Experiences like these reinforce the gravity and responsibility of our profession. Working with a less-spoken language requires resilience, but it also brings a powerful sense of responsibility and impact.

What are your top tips for keeping your interpreting skills sharp in multiple languages and modalities?

Consistency is essential. I recommend shadowing news or podcasts to improve pronunciation, practicing sight translation, accepting translation assignments regularly, and rehearsing consecutive and simultaneous interpretation with recorded speeches. Building thematic glossaries, recording and reviewing your work, and staying immersed through daily reading and listening are also crucial.

Even 20–30 minutes per language each day can help maintain fluency and agility.

What do you like to do when you’re not interpreting or translating?

When I’m not interpreting or translating, I enjoy a full and joyful life centered around my family. I’m the mother of two wonderful, bright, and talented children, and being present in their lives is my greatest priority. I have read to them since they were three months old because instilling a love of books has always been important to me. Today, they both read above grade level, and my daughter recently became the Spelling Bee Champion of her school district.

I also volunteer at their schools and teach my daughter Russian, as she is eager to learn the language and hopes to visit Russia one day. Every Saturday morning, I hike with my husband, Guy. We enjoy family movie nights, cooking and baking together, playing with our two kittens, reading in multiple languages, playing board games, and making music.

True to my profession, I also have a playful habit of guessing languages based on accents and sometimes guessing someone’s ethnicity based on physiological features. It’s a natural extension of my curiosity about linguistics and human diversity.

What’s next for you professionally? Any big plans or goals?

I currently serve as the president of ATISDA, an ATA affiliate in San Diego, and one of my primary goals is to grow our membership to 100 and to establish a consistent yearly calendar of events. I believe strong professional communities create stronger interpreters and translators, and I am committed to building a vibrant, supportive network at the local level.

Together with my colleague Shelley Fairweather-Vega, I also plan to launch a Turkic Languages Special Interest Group. My vision is to create a space where professionals working in Turkic languages can connect, share resources, mentor one another, and elevate the visibility of our languages within the broader industry.

On a personal level, I plan to continue advancing my credentials by taking and passing the Written Exam for Court Interpreters and the abbreviated NCSC exam for Turkish. Lifelong learning and professional growth remain central to my career.

Equally important to me is mentoring the next generation of interpreters—helping them not only refine their craft, but also build sustainable, confident, and financially successful careers. I believe that when we lift others, we strengthen the profession.

Jamila Del Mistro is a licensed court interpreter in the United States working in the following language combinations: Russian–English, Azerbaijani–English, and Turkish–English, and vice versa. Jamila currently serves as the president of a local ATA affiliate in San Diego called ATISDA. You can connect with Jamila on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamila-del-mistro-b233ab12/ 

Shelley Fairweather-Vega (CT) translates from Russian and Uzbek to English, specializing in literature from Central Asia. She is a past administrator of the ATA Literary Division. Find her online at fairvega.com.

Join SLD for March Networking on Zoom!

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

We would like to invite you to the upcoming quarterly gathering on Zoom. Come chat with Slavic Languages Division colleagues about what’s going on in life and in business. Past meetups have offered members a valuable chance to catch up with each other. We hope that this one will give attendees a sense of connection and motivation going forward.

Grab something from the fridge and meet us on Zoom from 12-2 PM EST on Saturday, March 7th. Latecomers are welcome. Attendance will be limited to 100 attendees, but this has not been a problem in the past. The registration link was emailed out on February 11 to all SLD members. If you have any questions or missed the link, please email SLD Assistant Administrator Natalia Postrigan (postrigann09@gmail.com) before the event.

We hope to see you there!

My First ATA Conference: A Newcomer’s View of ATA66 in Boston

Newcomer review by Oleh Bilyk

As a first-time attendee and a relative newcomer to the world of professional conferences, I was excited to travel to Boston for the American Translators Association’s 66th Annual Conference. Over three days, I discovered a packed schedule of sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities, but for me the true gems were the community events organized by the Slavic Languages Division (SLD) and the thought-provoking presentations by our Distinguished Speaker and SLD members. The conference began with Advanced Skills & Training Day, which set a strong educational tone. These longer, in-depth sessions allowed participants to dive deeply into specific topics, including the practical use of AI in translation and interpreting workflows, as well as the often-overlooked challenges of escort interpreting. For someone new to ATA conferences, this format was especially helpful, as it allowed time not only to learn but also to ask questions and connect with colleagues in smaller settings.

As the main conference days unfolded, it became clear just how thoughtfully the program had been designed. Business and professional development sessions addressed real concerns faced by freelancers and agency owners alike — how to market services, communicate value to clients, manage time and finances, and adapt to a rapidly changing industry. These sessions were practical, honest, and reassuring, particularly for those still finding their footing in the profession.

Technology and AI were woven throughout the program, not as abstract concepts but as practical tools. Discussions focused on how translators and interpreters can responsibly integrate AI into their work while preserving quality, ethics, and the essential human element of language. Rather than fear-driven narratives, these sessions emphasized adaptability, critical thinking, and informed decision-making.

Legal translation and interpreting were also strongly represented. Sessions covered contracts, ethics, sworn translations, court procedures, and terminology, offering valuable insight into the realities of working in legal settings. For someone interested in the intersection of language and law, these talks provided both clarity and inspiration.

One of the most meaningful aspects of ATA66 was its attention to language access and inclusion. Sessions on relay interpreting for languages of limited diffusion highlighted the importance of ensuring that smaller language communities are not excluded. Discussions on healthcare language access emphasized that true safety and equity depend not only on patient communication but also on ensuring that staff can communicate effectively across languages. There was also a powerful focus on immigration document translation, reminding attendees that behind every document is a person whose future may depend on accuracy, ethics, and cultural understanding.

Robert Chandler on Russian Translation

One session that stayed with me long after I left Boston was Robert Chandler’s talk “Changing Attitudes to Translating from Russian.” As a distinguished translator of Russian literature, Chandler drew on his deep experience to challenge some of the conventional wisdom we often hear about translation. He shared stories about Constance Garnett, whose early translations of Chekhov, Dostoevsky and other great Russian writers helped shape how English-speaking readers encountered those voices for the first time. Garnett’s work has been both praised and criticized over the decades, and Chandler used this history to illustrate how debates over literal versus free translation can become dogmatic.

What I found most powerful was his insistence on tact and sensitivity as guiding principles. Rather than clinging to a single theoretical approach, he urged us to develop the intuition to know when to be direct and when to let a little “strangeness” remain, when to preserve ambiguity and when to clarify. He also spoke about the value of collaboration — reading drafts aloud with colleagues and discussing tone and rhythm — and the importance of humility: studying other translations, not to copy them but to learn from different solutions. Chandler’s talk was a reminder that translation is a living art, one that requires as much heart as it does technique.

A Warm Welcome at Servia

The Slavic Languages Division Annual Dinner brought us together at Servia, a Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurant tucked near Faneuil Hall. Over platters of hummus, grilled meats, and vibrant salads, I had the chance to meet colleagues I’d only ever seen on Zoom, catch up with old friends and make new ones. Conversations ranged from the challenges of translating dialects to the best places in Boston to grab a cannoli. By the end of the evening, I felt like part of a close‑knit community rather than just another conference attendee.

Equally important were the informal moments: hallway conversations, shared meals, division gatherings, and evening events. As a first-time attendee, I was struck by how welcoming the community was. The Slavic Languages Division dinner, in particular, provided a warm and relaxed environment to meet colleagues, exchange stories, and feel genuinely included. These conversations were just as valuable as the formal sessions.

The conference culminated with a keynote that traced the human drive to decipher language from ancient history to modern AI, offering a fitting conclusion to a week focused on both innovation and tradition. By the final day, what stood out most was not just the volume of knowledge shared, but the shared sense of purpose among translators and interpreters from around the world.

Final Thoughts

This year’s conference reminded me why I’m proud to belong to the Slavic Languages Division. As a newbie, I was welcomed warmly into conversations and felt supported every step of the way. Our dinner at Servia created a space where colleagues could relax and connect, and Robert Chandler’s session challenged me to think more deeply about my craft. I left Boston feeling inspired, grateful, and eager to apply what I learned to my own work. I hope that by sharing these impressions, I can encourage more of our members — especially those who haven’t attended before — to join us at future conferences. There’s nothing quite like experiencing the energy and camaraderie of the SLD in person when you’re just starting out.

Oleh Bilyk is the founder and CEO of Speakr LLC, a language solutions provider specializing in medical, legal, and educational interpreting and translation. He is an NBCMI-certified medical interpreter and certified by the Oregon Health Authority. Drawing on his background in law and his personal experience as an immigrant, Oleh focuses on ethical, culturally sensitive language access, particularly for underserved and emerging language communities. He currently works nationwide in high-stakes medical and legal settings and is active in professional associations supporting language access and interpreter development. He can be found on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/oleh-bilyk-9ba5641a7 (personal) and https://www.linkedin.com/company/speakrllc (Speakr LLC), and at the Speakr LLC website, https://speakrllc.com/.

Minutes of the 2025 SLD Annual Meeting

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Slavic Languages Division of the American Translators Association

September 27, 2025, 1:00 PM EDT

Held online via Zoom

Steven McGrath, Administrator; Natalia Postrigan, Assistant Administrator

 Note: Text in red designates formal actions and decisions made by the group democratically.

SLD Annual Meeting Convened on September 27, 2025, 1 PM EDT

The Zoom meeting was opened at 12:30 PM Eastern. The Slavic Languages Division Annual Meeting was called to order by Steven McGrath shortly after 1 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Tom Fennell volunteered to be the Secretary of the Meeting.

SLD Annual Meeting 2024 Minutes

Having been duly circulated to the membership, the 2024 minutes were approved unanimously.

SLD Election Results

It was noted that over the summer, Steven McGrath was re-elected as Administrator and that Natalia Postrigan was re-elected Assistant Administrator, both by affirmation in the absence of other candidates. It was noted that both Steven and Natalia are term-limited in their current roles.

Reports and Decisions arising out of them

SLD Blog

Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya reported that the division’s website and blog now have full functionality after previous technical issues. She highlighted the restoration of the subscription function as an important step toward increasing member engagement with the Blog and encouraged all SLD members to subscribe to the blog as our main means of sharing information in the division.

Eugenia also requested volunteers to help coordinate conference session reviews for the blog, in particular, about the sessions of our distinguished speaker.

A motion arose out of the discussion of the report:

Decision to consider renaming the Blog

A motion was made to consider a new name over the next year. The motion was duly seconded, and after discussion, it carried unanimously. Suggestions were made to consider names such as Slavfile, Slavfile Online, or Proceedings of the Slavic Divisions, and a call was made for the members to supply further ideas. Paul Gallagher commented that increasing the participation and visitor traffic on the blog was of importance. Steven suggested that the leadership council gets involved in the discussion of the name.

SLD Webinars

Eugenia reported on the successful ATA certification exam preparation webinar, which had 22 participants. She stated that the webinar materials were available. A suggestion was made to explore the possibility of offering the webinar as a division member benefit, free to the SLD members. A suggestion was made to explore alternative formats, such as a workshop, and to try Canva to record presentations. Steven suggested surveying the members to find whether they prefer a webinar or workshop. David Stephenson suggested talking with the Spanish division about their experience conducting webinars and workshops as a division benefit.

Social Media

SLOVO – the SLD Podcast

The recent podcast episodes were reviewed, and it was noted that the current podcast administrator, Halla Goins, is stepping down.

LinkedIn, Facebook, X

Steven gave a brief report on SLD social media on behalf of the volunteer administrators. Facebook administrator Anna Livermore is stepping down. Steven mentioned that ATA had released a new guide for social media administrators that would be useful to potential volunteers, including on platforms where the SLD currently has no presence.

A motion arose out of the discussion of social media, and the attendees approved, without objections, to establish a social media committee, with Tom Fennell appointed as chair. The committee will manage the division’s social media efforts including the podcast, LinkedIn, and possibly other media. Tom indicated he would try to recruit fellow committee members.

SLD Banquet at Boston-2025

At the time of the annual meeting, the dinner registration was at 14-15 people, well below the target of 30-35 needed for the restaurant buyout. Natalia explained that the restaurant had a fixed price for groups of 30+ people, which included drinks and wine, and could not be prorated based on the actual attendance. The group discussed options including keeping the current reservation, negotiating with the restaurant about separate tables for smaller groups, or switching to a pay-as-you-go system similar to the one in 2021. Tom suggested continuing to work with the restaurant while preparing for a potential late registration surge, and Natalia confirmed that the restaurant would most likely agree to changing the arrangements.

Sourcing Candidates for the Division Leadership Positions

Steven stated that the new ATA handbook changed the process for nominating division officers. There will be no more nominating committees. Active SLD members interested in leadership positions may be self-nominated or nominated by any other member.

2026 San Francisco Conference

The group discussed potential topics and speakers for the future conference. One idea was a presentation on AI resources for Slavic languages, and it was suggested that Dmitry Beschetny might be able to help with this. Another topic suggested was alternative/supplementary career opportunities for translators and interpreters. Tom said he would consider doing a presentation on switching from translating to interpreting. Yet another potential topic for the 2026 conference was interpreting in Slavic languages. Eugenia noted that our division presentations tend to be heavy on literary topics and there is an interest in topics related to interpreting. Natalia Petrova suggesting a panel on the preparation for the Russian court interpreting exam. Tom Fennell shared his experience using AI to prepare for the Nebraska court interpreter exam.

Shelley Fairweather-Vega added in the chat that Nina Bogdan had moved away from translation, but that she had a book out about the Russian community in San Francisco, where the conference will be (Before We Disappear into Oblivion: San Francisco’s Russian Diaspora from Revolution to Cold War). She might want to do a presentation.

The participants also noted that the Slavic Languages Division will not have a distinguished speaker at the next conference in 2026, and that plans for future conferences remain uncertain.

Open Floor Questions and Feedback

A suggestion was made, and the attendees agreed to continue with the quarterly Zoom networking meetings.

Introduction of New Attendees

Yngve Roennike, a seasoned translator based in Washington, DC, shared his background in a broad number of European languages, especially Scandinavian ones, but also including Russian, and his interest in translation.

Adjournment

The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn, which was duly seconded, and was passed unanimously.

Please note that the original version of the minutes was reviewed and approved by:

Steve Mcgrath

Nora Seligman Favorov

Liv Bliss

Shelley Fairweather-Vega

Aleksandr Lukoff

Paul Gallagher

Yngve Roennike

 

Substantial additions and improvements were made by Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya, Dmitry Beschetny and Natalia Postrigan, many thanks for that!  It just goes to show that “too many cooks do not always spoil the broth,” and that oftentimes instead “many hands make light work.”

Faithfully submitted,

Tom Fennell

SLD 2025 Annual Meeting Secretary

November 25, 2025

Robert Chandler at ATA66: Changing Attitudes to Translating from Russian

Session Review: (067) Changing Attitudes to Translating from Russian, presented by SLD Distinguished Speaker Robert Chandler on Friday, October 24, at ATA66

Review by Trace Dreyer

The art of tact, Robert Chandler argued in his first talk as Distinguished Speaker, is at the heart of translation, not choosing sides in theoretical debates. Drawing on examples from Constance Garnett’s groundbreaking work and the collaborative methods of Samuel Koteliansky, Chandler dismantled the false dichotomies that have long constrained translation theory: literal versus free, foreignization versus domestication, transparency versus opacity. Instead, he proposed that great translators must develop the sensitivity to know when each approach serves the text, negotiating meaning through dialogue rather than dogma. His message, delivered through historical examples and practical wisdom, challenges translators to abandon rigid ideologies in favor of something more demanding: the passionate commitment to bringing literature to life for new readers, whatever tactical choices that requires.

Getting down to brass tacks

Robert Chandler galvanized the room by opening with a poignant rendition of Maria Remizova’s searing poem “The House that Jack Wrecked,” translated powerfully by Dmitri Manin and published in the Smokestack Books anthology of Russian poetry Disbelief: 100 Russian Anti-War Poems (see below). This drove home the approach he would go on to advocate: grounding translation in tact, sensitivity, and communicating meaning.

Shining a light through the window of translation

Chandler brought theory to life by tracing the historical roots of translation philosophy back to the earliest Bible translations, identifying two fundamental approaches that continue to shape the field today. He likened these to the architectural differences between Protestant and Catholic churches: The windows in Protestant churches offer transparency, allowing light to stream through clearly, while the rich colors in Catholic churches’ stained-glass windows nuance the light even as they reduce its intensity. Both approaches have merit; the transparent translation gives readers the sensation of accessing something deep and complex directly, while the more ornate approach may sacrifice some clarity to preserve the distinctive character of the original language. Chandler suggested that the most successful translations transcend this binary.

Honoring Constance Garnett

Chandler began by shedding light on the success of Constance Garnett’s early-twentieth-century translations of Chekhov, Dostoevsky, and others, despite harsh criticism by those who hold fast to dichotomies.

Chandler reminded his audience that this courageous and independent woman accomplished something remarkable: Garnett’s translations successfully enabled English-speaking readers to sense the greatness of those Russian writers for the first time. Her work profoundly influenced Arnold Bennett, D.H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, Virginia Woolf, and other great writers.

What made Garnett’s work successful, Chandler argued, was her tact, that is, her ability to look beyond rigid adherence to structure, grammar, and literal meaning to capture something more essential. In her translation of Chekhov, for instance, she preserved his characteristic indefiniteness, his contradictions, his loose ends. She understood that Chekhov’s genius lay partly in what he left unresolved.

The Collaborative Model: Samuel Koteliansky

Chandler also highlighted Samuel Koteliansky, whose approach was, crucially, collaborative and oral. He would read translations aloud with literary partners, D.H. Lawrence and both Leonard and Virginia Woolf, discussing and negotiating where the meaning was to be found, not just in individual words, but in tone and rhythm. This method of reading aloud and negotiating meaning offers a model for how translators might work: not in isolation, following rigid principles, but in dialogue, seeking the living spirit of the text.

Practical Wisdom

Chandler insightfully recommended that translators examine other translations into English, even translations from languages other than Russian, before beginning their own work, not to copy but to discover good ideas and solutions to common problems. This approach requires humility, a willingness to learn from predecessors rather than simply dismissing them.

He invoked the translators of the King James Bible, who “sought the truth not their own gain” and recognized the importance of not rushing their work or coveting praise. Their example reminds us that translation is ultimately a service to the author, to the text, and to readers in the target language.

Bringing Life to Translation

The session’s through-line was clear: rigid ideologies—whether favoring literal fidelity or creative adaptation, foreignization or domestication, meter or meaning—can interfere with the translator’s essential task. That task is not to demonstrate theoretical consistency or to showcase one’s own linguistic cleverness, but to bring the original text to life in a new language.

For translators of Russian literature, especially those working in today’s complex cultural and political landscape, Chandler’s message is challenging and liberating as well. Let’s develop our tact: the sensitivity to know when transparency serves the text and when a touch of strangeness is needed, when to preserve ambiguity and when to clarify, when to follow the letter and when to pursue the spirit.

Translation is not about following rules. It is about negotiation, sacrifice, and above all, the passionate commitment to bringing the text to life for those who are unable to read the original. As Constance Garnett demonstrated over a century ago, when done with tact and dedication, translation can change literary history itself.

Robert Chandler is a distinguished translator of Russian literature, whose translations include works by Pushkin, Akhmatova, and Vasily Grossman, among others.

Tracy Philip Dreyer is a professional translator and interpreter with over 25 years of experience with international agencies, government entities, and non-governmental organizations working in human rights, environment, development, and others. He is highly proficient in translation, as well as simultaneous and consecutive interpreting, and has proven familiarity with the institutional languages of UNDP, FAO, ILO, the World Bank, and other multilateral agencies. L1 English, L1 Spanish, L2 French, L3 Portuguese. Since 2020, he has been the Translation Coordinator with Signify Translation in El Salvador, Central America, where he lives and works.

The House that Jack Wrecked

Maria Remizova

This is the house

that Jack wrecked.

And these are the tenants who went to hide

In the dark basement and so survived

In the house

that Jack wrecked.

 

This is the merry titmouse

That flies no longer about the house,

The house

that Jack wrecked.

This is the cat

That cowers and whimpers and doesn’t get

What’s going on with the bombs and all that

In the house

That Jack wrecked.

 

This is the tailless dog,

Toothless, gutless, beheaded, declawed.

Maybe up in heaven it will meet God

In the house

That Jack wrecked.

 

This is the cow with the crumpled horn,

Mooing, its udder tattered and torn,

Dripping blood and milk in the morn

On the road to the house

That Jack wrecked.

 

This is the old woman, sad and forlorn,

That can’t see the cow with the crumpled horn,

Can’t see the dead dog without tail and all that,

Can’t see the mewling, hysterical cat,

Can’t see the silent and motionless titmouse,

Can’t see the mess in the basement of the house,

The house

That Jack wrecked.

She clings to the steps in an odd embrace,

A meat fly crawling across her face.

translated by Dmitri Manin

 

Original:

Дом, который разрушил Джек

Мария Ремизова

 

Вот дом,

Который разрушил Джек.

А это те из жильцов, что остались,

Которые в темном подвале спасались

В доме,

Который разрушил Джек.

А это веселая птица-синица,

Которая больше не веселится.

В доме,

Который разрушил Джек.

Вот кот,

Который пугается взрывов и плачет,

И не понимает, что все это значит,

В доме,

Который разрушил Джек.

Вот пес без хвоста,

Без глаз, головы, живота и хребта.

Возможно, в раю он увидит Христа

В доме,

Который разрушил Джек.

А это корова безрогая,

Мычит и мычит, горемыка убогая.

И каплями кровь с молоком на дорогу

К дому,

Который разрушил Джек.

А это старушка, седая и строгая,

Старушка не видит корову безрогую,

Не видит убитого пса без хвоста,

Не видит орущего дико кота,

Не видит умолкшую птицу синицу,

Не видит того, что в подвале творится

В доме,

Который разрушил Джек.

Она как-то криво припала к крыльцу.

И муха ползет у нее по лицу.

How “And Other Stories” (translated by Michael Ishenko and Liv Bliss) Came To Be

How And Other Stories (translated by Michael Ishenko and Liv Bliss) Came To Be

Front and back cover of Michael Ishenko's "And Other Stories," translated by Liv Bliss

Front and back cover of Michael Ishenko’s “And Other Stories,” translated by Liv Bliss (Photo provided by Liv Bliss)

When asked to tell the readers of the SLD blog something about one of my favorite translation projects ever, I (Liv) realized that there wasn’t much I could say that hadn’t already been said in the book itself. Michael Ishenko, fellow ATA member, author, illustrator, book designer, and translation partner extraordinaire, agreed. So here, reproduced and lightly modified with his kind permission, is the book’s afterword, “About This Translation.” As idyllically unlikely as what follows may sound, I promise you that every word is true.

Any ATA member interested in receiving their very own AOS (no charge) need only send their mailing address to me at bliss.mst@gmail.com. Don’t be shy: I’ve got lots of copies.

Liv:

Author Michael Ishenko and I had been professional colleagues for quite some time when he began sending me chapters of his fictionalized autobiography И другие рассказы, just to read. For me, it was pretty much love at first sight. The honesty, the insight, the scope… The self-deprecating humor, the visual immediacy, the whimsy… The characters, the settings, the plot twists…

And I began nagging, insisting that what I was already calling And Other Stories couldn’t possibly go untranslated. He demurred, justifiably pointing out the pitfalls. There’s too much untranslatable subtext, he told me, having witnessed younger Beta readers of the Russian-language original scratching their heads over its Soviet-era realia and its cultural nuances. Endnotes abounded.

Michael:

I included a total of seventy-one (71!) endnotes in the Russian-language original. As I wrote, I kept sending finished stories to my then-twenty-one-year-old great-niece “for queries.” My answers to her questions actually made up the bulk of my cultural and historical notes. I hate notes in a book of fiction, but it was the best I could do to make things clear for the younger reader.

Liv Bliss blended all those notes into the English narrative gently, tactfully, and seamlessly. As a result, the reader will be pleased to find not a single endnote in this book.

Liv:

I normally try to rock as few boats as possible. Not this time. Unbeknownst to Michael, I started working on an episode from the book, planning to send him my translation and then hide under my desk for a week or two. And only days before I was ready to do that — his translation, of the same episode, arrived in my inbox. Clearly, this thing was meant to be.

Michael:

And when I compared those two translations, the choice of translator became obvious to me. If I had to write this book in English, I would be happy to accept this translation as my English original. But I couldn’t write it myself, so Liv did it for me.

Liv:

Having to adjust our intensive work on And Other Stories to the rest of our professional and private lives presented some challenges. Progress was at times slow, but it was always steady. Early in the process, Michael began compiling cheat-sheets, often with illustrations, to cover elements of the next chapter in line for translation that he thought I might have difficulty with. This was invaluable to me. And any mistakes I still insisted on making that happened to escape his sharp eyes were usually caught by Nathalie Stewart, a long-time colleague and friend of Michael’s who gave each chapter a close reading and found things that had eluded us both.

Fellow translator Lydia Razran Stone once wrote that “Translating poetry is a series of compromises punctuated by miracles,” and can’t most creative translation be considered a kind of poetry? Miracles did happen in this project, for sure. But the fun, for me, came from the back-and-forth with Michael, the trading of ideas and inspirations, the dogged hunt for solutions that came closest to satisfying us both.

I have worked with, for, around, and even against many authors in my translation career, and I can tell you that not one of those experiences has been remotely comparable to this. I have learned so much, on so many levels, from Michael. He has made me a better translator than he found me.

Michael:

Speaking of compromises, I have to end with a few words about the way place-names have been transliterated in this book. Among the various Ukrainian place-names transliterated in line with the contemporary conventions, one — the name of my birthplace, Odessa — is spelled the old way. “Here I stand,” I basically told Liv. “I can do no other.”

And once again, we were on the same page.

ATA66: SLD Roundup

66th ATA Annual Conference, October 22-25, 2025

If you’re heading to Boston for the 66th ATA Annual Conference this year (October 22-25) and wondering what will be there for the Slavic languages enthusiast, we have you covered! In this roundup, we’ve compiled a rundown of SLD-related happenings at the conference, from the Wednesday night division meetup to our Distinguished Speaker sessions to the annual dinner. Hope to see you there!

And if you haven’t registered for the conference yet, there’s still time!

Division Mingle

Keep Connecting and Celebrating with Divisions & Special Interest Groups

Wednesday, October 22, 7:00–8:00 PM (after the Welcome Celebration)

Commonwealth Ballroom AB

Come find the SLD area, meet our administrators and fellow members, and get the conference off to a good start!

SLD-Related Sessions and Sessions by SLD Members

(067) Changing Attitudes to Translating from Russian

Robert Chandler (Distinguished Speaker)

Friday, October 24, 2:40–3:40 PM

Session description: Constance Garnett was a courageous and independent woman. She translated at least five great Russian writers well enough that readers could sense their greatness for the first time (there are few translators of whom one can say that). Her translations influenced such varied writers as Arnold Bennett, D.H. Lawrence, Katherine Mansfield, and Virginia Woolf. Bizarrely, both Nabokov and Brodsky and, more recently, Pevear and Volokhonsky, have criticized her work. These attacks exemplify how rigid ideologies of translation can interfere with our real work–that of communicating meaning, whether thought, fact, or feeling.

(099) Learning from My Mistakes

Robert Chandler (Distinguished Speaker)

Saturday, October 25, 10:30–11:30 AM

Session description: In some fields of translation (e.g., legal), mistakes are likely to be noticed. In other fields, there may be no one checking your work. That’s why it’s essential to find a way of getting another person to do this. One of the dangers in our profession is that the better one’s command of English, the better one can be at disguising a misunderstanding. A serious source of misunderstandings is verbal aspects. The speaker will provide memorable examples of his own misunderstandings to help attendees grasp the power of these aspects.

This session is also available on livestream (https://www.atanet.org/ata66/education/livestream/), which is included with every level of conference registration and can be purchased separately before October 16.

An interview with Robert Chandler is available on the blog.

(103) New Directions on the Contact Line: How the Russia-Ukraine War Changed Terminology

Steven McGrath

Saturday, October 25, 10:30–11:30 AM

Session description: After more than three years of intense fighting, the war in Ukraine has resulted in numerous consequences for diplomatic and military affairs, as well as for the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians in harm’s way. Nonetheless, English-language media has struggled with terminology for discussing even the technical aspects of battlefield weapons and tactics, let alone the deep, distinct Russian and Ukrainian cultural contexts involved in home-front mobilization and information warfare. In this session, attendees will discuss various approaches for conveying wartime concepts to a general audience in English as they explore terminology with potential applications in various translation fields.

(119) Three Paths to Publishing Professional Literary Translations

Shelley Fairweather-Vega

Saturday, October 25, 1:30–2:30 PM

Session description: No literary translator can succeed without publishing their work, but most translator certification programs teach nothing about publishing. That means too many highly skilled translators never pursue a career in book translation. This session will dispel some of the mystery around the publishing process through case studies of three recent translations published by different routes: a teen romance self-published by the author, short fiction published by a tiny university press, and literary fiction commissioned by a prestigious imprint of another university publisher. We’ll explore specific differences in process, cost, editing, marketing, and more in each publishing scenario.

(138) Court Interpreting – The Translation Side of It

Ana Biškup

Saturday, October 25, 2:40–3:40 PM

Any court interpreting job, whether consecutive or translation, will always include analyzing relevant documents and making sure to use accurate terminology. This session will highlight the importance of research for a court interpreter that goes beyond what any available Artificial Intelligence tool could offer. This includes knowledge of consular affairs, relevant historical sources, and comparative analysis of the source and target language. It also implies using consistent terminology that conveys the correct meaning in the target language.

SLD Annual Dinner

Thursday, October 23, 7:00-9:00PM

Join us for a delightful dinner featuring dishes from Mediterranean, Italian, and Mexican cuisines. We will head out to Servia, located near the famous Faneuil Hall Marketplace, on Thursday evening between the job fair and After Hours Cafe. Servia offers a buffet of dishes to serve various tastes (salad, ratatouille, grilled chicken, pork tacos).

Location: Servia (https://serviaboston.com/)

126 State St, Boston, MA 02109

Guests will pay for their own food, but registration ensures we can reserve the right number of tables. To register, please contact Assistant Administrator Natalia Postrigan at divisionSLD@atanet.org.

Attending the conference? Consider writing for SlavFile Online, the division blog! Doing a writeup of an SLD-related session (or any session if it really made an impression!) is a great way to collect your thoughts and impressions, extend the reach of knowledge shared at the conference, and raise your own profile. If it’s your first time attending, you can also share general impressions of the conference for a Newcomer’s Column. If interested, contact editor Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya at eugenia@sokolskayatranslations.com.

 

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