Text in Flight: Translation Across Borders
Part of the Tekst i Flukt project, established in Norway in 2015, the literary translation initiative Text in Flight took place at the 2024 ICORN General Assembly in Copenhagen, led by translator, editor, and writer Johanne Fronth-Nygren. The project brought together eight writers from the ICORN network and eight translators working from the original languages into English. A year later, the works of several current and former ICORN residents, along with their English translations, have been published in international publications.
The participants for the Text in Flight workshop were selected through a collaboration between Johanne Fronth-Nygren, English PEN, and ICORN. The pairings of writers and translators included:
• Abduweli Ayup (Uyghur Autonomous Region/Bergen), translated by Aziz Isa Elkun
• Atefe Asadi (Iran/Hannover), translated by Rebecca Ruth Gould
• Gunel Movlud (Azerbaijan/Levanger), translated by Anne Thompson
• Hafsah Mujalli (Yemen/Amsterdam), translated by Sawad Hussain
• Haile Bizen (Eritrea/Kristiansand), translated by Ghirmai Negash
• Mehdi Mousavi (Iran/Lillehammer), translated by Shara Atashi
• Ola Husamou (Syria/Eskilstuna), translated by Nashwa Nesreldin
• Somaya El Sousi (Palestine/Larvik), translated by Ali Al-Jamri
The writers and translators participated in a two-day workshop, working primarily in pairs, while also engaging in group discussions on the texts and the translation process. Prior to the workshop, the writers had submitted texts of up to ten pages and met online with their translators to prepare draft translations.
Prior to the workshop, the writers had submitted texts of up to ten pages each and met online with their translators to prepare draft translations ahead of the workshop in Copenhagen. The various stages, both online and in-person, were designed to foster mutual understanding and trust between the writers and translators, ensuring high-quality translations and building lasting professional networks.
The original texts and their English translations were presented and discussed during multiple events at the 2024 ICORN General Assembly. These included the dedicated ‘Text in Flight- Translations Across Borders’ workshop, plenary sessions, and cultural events such as ‘Other Tellings’ at Vega and ‘Art Bar: DISRUPT!’ at Nikolaj Kunsthal.
Since the workshop, several of the translations have been published internationally. These include two poems by Somaya El Sousi- ‘The Seagulls Are the Gateway to the Sea’ and ‘Her Scent’, translated by Ali Al-Jamri, the poem ‘Lucky’ by Hafsah Mujali, translated by Sawad Hussain, Atefe Asadi’s story ‘A Coffin for Four’, translated by Rebecca Ruth Gould, and works by Haile Bizen translated by Ghirmai Negash.
The Tekst i Flukt project in Norway was established in 2015, through a collaboration between Norwegian PEN, the Kapittel Stavanger International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech, and the Norwegian Association of Literary Translators. Its aim is to promote the works of the many writers living in Norway- whether through the ICORN programme or other forms of exile- who write in a multitude of languages. Tekst i Flukt offers the Norwegian public insight into rich literary traditions, genres, themes, and cultures which are not commonly published by Norwegian publishing houses. Since 2015, the initiative has engaged over 40 writers and more than 20 translators, becoming a regular part of Kapittel’s festival programme.
In addition to the Text in Flight project in Copenhagen, Tekst i Flukt has had international impact. A Scandinavian version of the initiative was organised in collaboration between Ratatosk, Littfest Umeå, and LitXchange in Aarhus. Works and translations from the project have been widely featured at international literary festivals, events, and publications.
