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thelinguist.uberflip.com AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 15 the small auditorium. Secondly, the organisers had provided a template to help us structure our submissions. I found this particularly useful and have since used an adapted version to prepare submissions for publishers. Passion vs. pragmatism So what were the judges looking for? Max Porter, Senior Commissioning Editor at Granta/Portobello, told me he wanted something 'electrifying in any language, something with real linguistic energy and political fire. I want to fall in love.' Most editors wade through 'so much of the same' every day, he explained. Yet this passion has to be supported by a concrete proposal that can persuade a sales department to take the book on. The panel put some tough questions to those pitching and Max frequently asked about the market. 'Give me a market steer,' he demanded of one contestant. Kerry Glencorse, Literary Agent at Susanna Lee Associates, tended to focus more on plot. When someone has to ask 'But what actually happens in the book?', you know the be discouraged. Cultivate your links. And be very patient.' Angela has received support from the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation and suggests that other translators investigate similar opportunities for their language pairs. Pitching paradoxes In the business of pitching, I believe there are two paradoxes. The first is the 'whizz bang wow' factor that we are encouraged to strive for contrasted with the need to identify a work that people will still want to read several years in the future. The second is publishers (and the reading public) saying that they want something 'different' and yet wanting to know which authors or works each book resembles. Events such as these, and the wider ELN programme, are important not only to those with a professional interest, but also to the wider public, as they provide a chance to hear about new authors and the insights they can bring to our lives. As Erica Jarnes, English PEN Programme Manager for Writers in Translation, said in her welcome, such an occasion can 'bring more voices into the global conversation that is literature'. Look out for the eight featured translators and their books: I wish them every success. Notes 1 For information about International Translation Day 2015 at the British Library on 2 October, see www.bl.uk/events/international-translation-day-2015 2 For details of the selection process, see Chitnis, R and Harvey, R, 21/5/2015, 'Lost and Found: Shortlisting for the European Literature Night Translation Pitch 2015'. Available at www.englishpen.org/translation FEATURES The Translation Pitch was organised by the Czech Centre London on behalf of EUNIC and in partnership with English PEN, Free Word, the Translators Association and the ETN. For details see www.europeanliteraturenight.co.uk. The finalists were: • Angela Rodel: Ruin by Vladimir Zarov (Bulgaria) – winner • Anne Posten: Small Talk and Slaughter by Verena Rossbacher (Germany) – commended • Andrea Reece: That's Just How It Is by Pierre Autin-Grenier (France) – commended • Anna Asbury: Scraps by Jan van Loy (Flanders) • Melvyn Clarke: A History of Light by Jan Nemec (Czech Republic) • Lindy Falk van Rooyen: Proper Fractions by Jesper Wung-Sung (Denmark) • Owen Goode: Pixel by Krisztine Tóth (Hungary) • Laura Vroomen: Take 7 by Vonne van der Meer (Netherlands) summary has not been great. 'People need to be told in a sentence what the book is about,' Max explained, adding that it is important to be convincing about the relevance of a book to a 'saturated' English-language market. Stefan Tobler, Founder of And Other Stories, emphasised the need for a 'hook'. Winning advice After the event, I talked to Angela Rodel by phone from her office in Sofia, and asked her about her winning pitch. Zarev's writing can be 'heavy, philosophical, so I chose this extract for something lighter,' she explained. I wanted the actor to be able to do it as a performance, and the use of the first person meant the actor could get into the character.' Angela has already translated several works from Bulgarian to English, and has observed a shift towards the longer novel in the last ten years. I asked what advice she would give to those hoping to break into literary translation. 'See it as a long-term investment. You might have a sample ready for five years before the right publisher is there at the right time. Don't DELIBERATIONS: Members of the panel Event details