Translating Yiddish Literature:
Mobilizing a New Generation

A Working Conference at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA
Saturday, November 12 – Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Yiddish Book Center and the Fund for Translation of Jewish Literature are proud to announce a working conference entitled, “Translating Yiddish Literature: Mobilizing a New Generation.” The event will take place at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, MA on Saturday evening, November 12, and Sunday, November 13, 2011. Established and aspiring translators, publishers, students and scholars are invited to attend.

This conference comes at a moment of great urgency and promise. Less than two percent of Yiddish literature has been translated to date, and despite recent efforts (such as the New Yiddish Library), at the current rate it will be another 25,000 years before all Yiddish titles are accessible to English readers.

The goal of the conference, therefore, is to spark a concerted, all-out effort to translate the best of Yiddish literature into English. Panel discussions will explore a number of practical issues: 

• What works should be translated? 
• How can we make use of new media and online publishing?  
• How do we train a new generation, and what resources do they need to succeed?

The conference will begin with dinner and an opening session after Shabbos on Saturday evening, and conclude by 3 PM Sunday. A complete schedule and list of panelists follows.

The subsidized fee for the conference, including kosher dinner and lunch at the Center, is $25 per person. We’ve arranged for discounts at local hotels. (You’ll need to make your own reservations.) Please direct inquiries to conference@bikher.org.

Space is limited, so we suggest you register early. The deadline for registration is October 10.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE