Editing and Translation

Presenter: Shelley Fairweather-Vega, Fairvega Translations
Moderator: Sarah Peterson
Hosted by: MariLou Harveland, Vice Presented - Member Services

The inside story of how translation works and why, and insights on how to edit translations effectively and with confidence.

Texts translated from another language present a special challenge to editors. A poor translation can sound awkward – but what if the language is supposed to be strange? How much are editors “allowed” to fix a translation? What if you don’t know the source language? How can you edit a translation while respecting the original? This presentation will help you navigate these tricky questions. Professional translator Shelley Fairweather-Vega will share the inside story of how translation works and why, and provide you the insight you need to edit translations effectively and with confidence. 

Shelley Fairweather-Vega is a freelance translator (and editor of translations) working mainly from Russian to English. She is a member of the American Translators Association and the American Literary Translators Association, and the president of the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society. Her translations have been edited and published by AmazonCrossing, Tilted Axis Press, Syracuse University Press, and several scholarly and literary journals. Learn more at www.fairvega.com.  

Shelley has kindly made her slide deck available to us, and you can download it here.