ATA SLD

Slavic Languages Division (American Translators Association)

American Translators Association: The Voice of Interpreters and Translators

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.

 

Interview with ATA66 Distinguished Speaker Robert Chandler

SLD DS Robert Chandler reading Platonov's novel ChevengurAt ATA66 in Boston this year, SLD has invited literary translator and translation teacher Robert Chandler as its Distinguished Speaker. Robert began learning Russian at 15, and when he was 20, he spent a year as an exchange scholar in Voronezh, where Andrey Platonov was born and Osip Mandelstam was exiled. He has translated a wide variety of works, including by Sappho, Nadezhda Teffi, Alexander Pushkin, Vasily Grossman, and the Uzbek novelist Hamid Ismailov. He has edited three anthologies of Russian poetry, Russian short stories, and Russian magic tales for Penguin Classics. He has also taught translation workshops in London for many years. Before deciding to translate full-time, he worked for eight years as a teacher of the Alexander Technique, a valuable discipline involving breath, voice, and movement. In Boston, he will be presenting two sessions:

  • “Changing Attitudes to Translating from Russian” on Friday, October 24, at 2:40 PM, about the shifting legacy and interpretation of the classic translations by Constance Garnett and what that reveals about attitudes toward translation
  • “Learning from My Mistakes” on Saturday, October 25, at 10:30 AM, focusing on misunderstandings of verbal aspects

If you haven’t already registered for ATA66, don’t wait: early bird registration ends Sunday, September 14!

What brought you to Russian in the first place, and what motivated you to stick with it? What was your path toward translating professionally and teaching translation workshops?

I was fifteen years old. I was very good at Latin and Greek but did not want to continue with what, at the time, I contemptuouly thought of as “dead languages.” And we had an excellent Russian teacher at my school – kind, patient and dedicated.

You have been teaching translation workshops for many years. What do you find rewarding about teaching translators, and what do you find challenging?

Teaching is rewarding in many ways. It makes me focus more intently than ever on each word. And there are few subjects where a complete beginner may come up with truly helpful contributions. If I were teaching engineering or astrophysics, it is unlikely that a beginner would come up with something I have never thought of. But in a translation workshop it happens all the time. There are often thousands of choices to be made, and I am never going to think of all the different possibilities myself. Real collaboration is very enjoyable.

In your opinion, what makes a good translation? Is the ability to translate well something that can be taught, and how do you go about imparting it to your students?

What makes a translation good or bad is no different from what makes any piece of writing good or bad. As for imparting the ability to translate, I don’t really know. All I can do is encourage people to focus on every word of the original – and every letter of every word. And if something doesn’t make sense – to ask questions. And then to read their translation aloud to someone who does not know the original. That is the real test: does it or does it not convey real intellectual and/or emotional meaning to the listener?

I’m very far from literary translation, so I’m mystified by the process of choosing what gets translated. When reading foreign-language works, do you ever come across something that speaks to you and makes you want to translate it? Is there any pattern to the types of works that inspire you in this way? Or do publishers come to you with something they want translated?

Every translator’s experience is likely to be different. For the main part, I myself have made my own choices and proposed them to publishers. I choose works I believe in, works that I can re-read many times with pleasure. And if it is a long project, I need to feel confident that I can live for months or years in that particular author’s world.

When translating, what’s your approach to elements of the text that draw on cultural knowledge the Russian reader would have, but an English reader wouldn’t?

As with nearly all translation questions, it depends on the individual case. Sometimes a five or ten page introduction may be the best way. Sometimes end notes may be more helpful. Sometimes, for the sake of clarity, it may be possible to slip a few extra words into the main text.

I know that picking a favorite translation project can be a bit like choosing a favorite child, but do any of your translations stand out to you as particularly memorable in some way – positively or negatively?

Hard to say. I feel a great warmth towards Teffi.  Her wit, grace and resilience are remarkable.  It is a joy to be in her company.  I am also deeply moved by the number of people who have written to me, unprompted to say that reading Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate has changed their lives.

Slovo Episode 36: John Riedl and Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya

The SLD podcast, Slovo, has a new episode! Host Halla Goins chats with Russian-to-English ATA exam graders Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya and John Riedl about the session they presented last year at ATA65 in Portland, entitled “I can’t place the accent: Identifying the characteristic traits of machine translation.” Eugenia and John share how they approached the contentious topic of AI in translation, how they drew on their background as graders and their fellow SLD members to gather data on perceptions of human and machine translations, and what they and their audience learned during the session in Portland.

This session has also been reviewed for this blog by Christine Pawlowski, and the slides for it are available in the Slavic Languages Presentation Archive.

You can listen now on Soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/atasld/episode-36-eugenia-tietz-sokolskaya-and-john-riedl or look for this and past episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Join SLD at the Annual Dinner in Boston!

Thursday, October 23 | 7:00PM-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. There, we will be offered a buffet of dishes to serve various tastes (salad, ratatouille, grilled chicken, pork tacos), non-alcoholic drinks, and table wine.

Location: Servia (https://serviaboston.com/)
126 State St, Boston, MA 02109

Cost: $55 per person (includes tax, gratuity, non-alcoholic drinks, and table wine while supplies last)
Guests will have the option to order alcoholic beverages out of pocket.

Space is limited! Reserve your seat by October 16th or as space allows.

To register, please contact Natalia Postrigan at divisionSLD@atanet.org.

In Memoriam: Vadim Khazin

I am sorry to inform you that my friend and colleague Vadim Khazin, an ATA member and former EN-RU and EN-UA grader, passed away June 25, 2025.

Vadim was born April 1, 1937, in Kyiv. (Vadim and I were classmates; we had been friends since 1947).

He immigrated to the U.S. in 1992, and became an ATA member the following year. Vadim was instrumental in creating the English into Ukrainian Certification, and was the first EN-UA Language Chair. He also made presentations at ATA conferences. Colleagues remember him as erudite, witty, never mean-spirited, always pleasant to be with.

Those who attended SLD Dinners at ATA conferences remember the humorous bouts-rimes Vadim was writing while we had been eating and drinking. Each of us suggested two rhyming words – in English, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish or Spanish, and in a few minutes, Vadim was creating a poem that actually made sense!

Vadim will be sorely missed.

Boris Silversteyn,

SLD Leadership Council

As a tribute to Vadim, Larry Bogoslaw has proposed composing a final bout-rimé in his honor. You are invited to contribute rhyming pairs of words, which will then be made into a poem about our dear colleague. Please offer your suggestions in response to this post on the SLD’s Google Group, and we welcome your collaboration in writing the poem.

Division Roundup: June 2025

Natalia Postrigan, SLD Assistant Administrator

Registration for the ATA 66th Annual Conference in Boston, MA, is open now! Head to the conference website for updates on registration and the agenda for what promises to be an exceptional gathering of translation and interpretation professionals.

The conference kicks off on Wednesday, October 22nd with:

  • AST (Advanced Skills & Training) sessions
  • In-person certification exam
  • Welcome reception at 5:30 PM
  • Divisions & Special Interest Group (SIG) meet & greet, 7-8 PM

Over the following three days, attendees can enjoy multiple sessions alongside exciting networking opportunities including division events, a job fair, after-hours open mic café, book & resource fair, game night, and the annual ATA members meeting. The conference concludes on Saturday evening with a closing session (5:15-5:45 PM) followed by the legendary annual dance party.

SLD Annual Dinner: Our team is currently working on picking a restaurant. Stay tuned for updates! If you can recommend a great venue, please contact Natalia at divisionSLD@atanet.org.

Get Inspired: ATA65 Session Reviews

Need motivation to start planning for Boston? Read Conferences and Marketing on Stephen Rifkind’s blog for ideas on how to maximize the economic benefit of participating in a professional conference.

You can find reviews of sessions presented by SLD members in previous conferences on the SLD blog. For example, “On Interpreting for Russian-Speaking LGBTQ+ Individuals“ (presented by Olga Bogatova and reviewed by Julia LaVilla-Nossova).

Distinguished Speaker Announcement

We are thrilled to announce that our Distinguished Speaker will be Robert Chandler, a literary translator and poet with over 50 years of experience, including highly acclaimed translations of Vasily Grossman and Teffi.

Mr. Chandler began learning Russian at age 15 and spent a transformative year at 20 as a British Council Exchange scholar in Voronezh – the birthplace of Andrey Platonov and the city where Osip Mandelstam was exiled. It was there that he first discovered these writers and began his lifelong journey translating Russian poetry and prose. Currently based in London, he runs translation workshops and mentors emerging translators. We’re honored to welcome him from England and hope you’ll join us in Boston to celebrate his remarkable achievements.

Community Building Initiatives

Polish Certification Study Group

SLD member Katarzyna Kawalec is launching a peer practice group for the Polish<>English ATA certification exam. Inspired by Maria Guzenko and Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya’s primarily Russian-language study group of past years, Katarzyna is building a community for feedback exchange on practice texts and mutual support throughout the certification journey. If you’re planning to take the PL>EN or EN>PL exam, contact Katarzyna at kontakt@kawalec-tlumacz-przysiegly.pl.

Turkic Languages SIG

SLD members Shelley Fairweather-Vega and Jamila DelMistro are working on starting a Special Interest Group for Turkic languages within ATA. To learn more or volunteer as a moderator, contact Jamila (jamdmistro@gmail.com) or Shelley (translation@fairvega.com).

Continuing the conversation about AI in translation

The impact of AI on translation remains a hot topic. At ATA65 in Portland, Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya and John Riedl presented “I Can’t Place the Accent: Identifying the Characteristic Traits of Computer Translation,” which compared output from newer AI/LLM models to that of older machine translation and human translators. Read Christine Pawlowski’s review on the SLD blog, and access the presentation slides in our Slavic Languages Presentation Archive.

Coming Soon: Slovo podcast editor Halla Goins is preparing an interview with Eugenia and John. Catch up on previous Slovo episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Share Your Voice

Want to contribute to our community discussions? Contact Halla about podcast opportunities or Eugenia about blog contributions and address any general questions and comments to SLD Administrator Steven McGrath and Assistant Administrator Natalia Postrigan by reaching out to divisionSLD@atanet.org.

Save the Date: Preparing Effectively for ATA’s Russian-to-English Certification Exam

Registration is now open for the upcoming webinar Preparing Effectively for ATA’s Russian-to-English Certification Exam on July 24 at 12:00 PM EDT. It will be presented by SLD member and certification exam grader Eugenia Tietz-Sokolskaya.

Interested in ATA certification but don’t know where to start? This webinar will help you prepare for the exam, using examples from actual Russian>English ATA exams and practice tests. We will cover the format of the exam, including what online resources are allowed, so you know what to expect on the day of the exam. We will take advantage of the resources made available by the Certification Program to delve into the skills and knowledge the exam is testing, with an in-depth look at the rubric and error categories used by graders to assess each candidate’s translation. We will examine examples of errors made on past exams to highlight common difficulties candidates face on the exam and discuss effective ways of preparing to overcome these challenges and increase your chances of passing on the first try. By the end, you will have an understanding of what ATA graders are looking for.

This webinar will be most useful to candidates looking to take the Russian>English and English>Russian exams, but can also provide valuable insight to any potential exam candidate with a working knowledge of Russian.

Find out more and register here.

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