It's Lit in Translation

Ross Benjamin on fascism, film, and being shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize

Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation: the podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. This year, in collaboration with the International Booker Prize, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing the shortlisted panel of translators ahead of this year’s Prize announcement. In today’s episode, award-winning translator of German literature Ross Benjamin joins the pod to discuss his translation of The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize. Ross takes us through his journey into literary translation, reflecting on his early encounters with translated literature through Grimm’s fairy tales, Bible stories, and French poetry, before eventually developing a deep connection to German language and literature. We discuss how translation became, for him, an extension of reading itself: a form of intense attentiveness that shaped both his literary sensibilities and his craft as a writer. We dive into his translation of Daniel Kehlmann's The Director, a historical novel centred on Austrian film director G.W. Pabst during the rise of the Nazi regime. Ross shares the challenges of translating a work that moves so deftly between horror, satire, absurdity, and psychological tension, discussing the importance of preserving the novel’s tonal volatility without over-amplifying or flattening its effects. We also explore the novel’s cinematic quality, the role of silence and hesitation in dialogue, and the moral questions surrounding complicity, artistic integrity, and self-deception under authoritarianism. Together, we discuss the delicate process of translating humour and historical voice, including Ross’s fascinating approach to the character Rupert Worcester, whose voice draws on the world of P.G. Wodehouse. Ross also reflects on the extensive research involved in the translation process, from watching archival footage and films to recreating the atmosphere of 1930s Europe for contemporary readers. It is absolutely fascinating to hear Ross discuss translation as a craft of calibration, revision, and close listening, as well as the role translated literature plays in preserving cultural difference and expanding the possibilities of reading beyond borders. - You can purchase a copy of The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation - Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rose Photo Credit: David Schloss

Padma Viswanathan on translating to build community and being shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize

Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation: the podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. This year, in collaboration with the International Booker Prize, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing the shortlisted panel of translators ahead of this year’s Prize announcement. In today’s episode, Canadian-American writer and literary translator Padma Viswanathan joins the pod to discuss her translation of On Earth as It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize. Padma takes us through her journey into literary translation, reflecting on her early exposure to translation through the Bhagavad Gita and the role language and literature have played throughout her life. We discuss how her interest in Brazil, through music and the Portuguese language, gradually evolved into a translation practice, as well as the many experiences that shaped her approach to language, close reading, and storytelling. We dive into her translation of On Earth as It Is Beneath, discussing the challenge of capturing the swiftness, atmosphere, and intensity of Ana Paula Maia’s prose while preserving the novel’s striking visual and emotional force. Padma shares her thoughtful translation philosophy, including her decision to avoid footnotes in favour of maintaining the reader’s immersion, and reflects on the delicate balance between cultural specificity and readability in translated literature. Together, we explore the novel’s themes of violence, morality, confinement, religion, and power, unpacking the symbolic connections between the penal colony and the former enslaved plantation at the centre of the text. We also discuss the humour and humanity that run throughout the novel, and the importance of allowing readers to fully inhabit the world of the book without interruption. It is absolutely fascinating to hear Padma discuss translation as both a craft and an art form, as well as the attentiveness, confidence, and care required to bring a literary work into another language. - You can purchase a copy of On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation - Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rose Photo Credit: Alex Tram

Lin King on colonialism, food as politics, and being shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize

Welcome to It's Lit in Translation. The podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. This year, in collaboration with the International Booker Prize, I've had the privilege of interviewing the shortlisted panel of translators ahead of the Prize announcement. In today's episode, writer and literary translator from Taiwan, Lin King, joins the pod to discuss her translation of the IBP-shortlisted novel, Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ. Based between Taipei and New York, Lin takes us through her journey into literary translation, reflecting on growing up between languages, discovering literature through translation, and the path that eventually led her to champion Taiwanese voices in the Anglophone world. We dive into the layered complexities of translating Taiwan Travelogue, discussing the challenge of preserving historical specificity, cultural nuance, and the novel’s rich culinary vocabulary while making the text accessible to English-language readers. Lin shares her thoughtful approach to footnotes, the importance of retaining the texture of Taiwanese history within the novel, and the many considerations involved in translating a work so deeply rooted in language, colonialism, and memory. Together, we explore the novel’s themes of tourism, empire, food, and power, unpacking the uneasy dynamics between cultural appreciation and appropriation that emerge throughout the text. We also discuss the book’s queer undercurrents, the symbolism of travel and infrastructure, and the role fiction can play in fostering empathy and transcending borders. It is absolutely fascinating to hear Lin discuss her translation process and to learn about the many steps that took place for us to access this novel in English. - You can purchase a copy of Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ (published by And Other Stories) and translated by Lin King from Mandarin, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation - Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rose Photo Credit: Annette An-Jen Liu

Izidora Angel on translation as migration, art birthing more art, and being shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize

Welcome to It's Lit in Translation. The podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. This year, in collaboration with the International Booker Prize, I've had the privilege of interviewing the shortlisted panel of translators ahead of the Prize announcement. In today's episode, writer and literary translator from Bulgarian, Izidora Angel, joins the pod to discuss her translation of the IBP-shortlisted novel, She Who Remains by Rene Karabash. Taking us through her early life as a Bulgarian immigrant living in the United States, Izidora shares about her upbringing in between two cultures and languages. Later on, this straddling between the two is what would lead her to pursue translation, bringing over Bulgarian literature into English in a similar journey of migration. We dive into her translation of the IBP-shortlisted She Who Remains, which is a compelling and hallucinogenic stream-of-consciousness novel about the ways female autonomy is hindered under patriarchy. Izidora described her process of reading and translating this novel as a very physically reactive one, in which She Who Remains creates a universe for you to experience and ask yourself questions about lies/truths, woman/man, good/bad, and who dictates these quandaries. Given that this is a novel about gender transformations, it was extremely fascinating to hear about the challenges involved with the original, given that Bulgarian is a very gendered language, and about the creative liberties Izidora undertook to capture the same captivating effect in English. We also spoke about Izidora's own writing and her involvement with Third Coast Translators Collective: an international community of literary translators in Chicago, and about the benefits of community. It is absolutely fascinating to hear Izidora discuss her translation process and to learn about the many steps that took place for us to access this novel in English. - You can purchase a copy of She Who Remains by Rene Karabash (published by Peirene Press) and translated by Izidora Angel from Bulgarian, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation You can read an excerpt from Izidora Angel's upcoming memoir, Solomon's Daughter, here: https://theamericanscholar.org/banana-yellow-trabants/ - Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rose Photo Credit: Izidora Angel

Jordan Stump on wandering through languages, the magic of time, and being shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize

Welcome to It's Lit in Translation. The podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible. This year, in collaboration with the International Booker Prize, I've had the privilege of interviewing the shortlisted panel of translators ahead of the Prize announcement. In today's episode, prolific and award-winning literary translator from French, Jordan Stump, joins the pod to discuss his translation of the IBP-shortlisted novel, The Witch by Marie Ndiaye. A professor of French at the University of Nebraska, Jordan takes us through his journey into literary translation: one that came merely by accident. We learn about his love for the French language and literature from a very early age, and how teaching Marie Ndiaye's work led him to pursue his translation of her latest seven works. We dive into his translation of IBP-shortlisted, The Witch, and how he had to become creative with the language to mimic the 'dreamlike' and 'uncanny' tone from the original, as well as some crow-shaped Easter eggs that later inform the plot. Sharing his in-depth process of producing his translation, we discussed some of the challenges he faced, particularly with bringing over the novel's cultural contexts and the history of French literary traditions that inform Marie's work that English readers might be less familiar with. It is absolutely fascinating to hear Jordan discuss his translation process and to learn about the many steps that took place for us to access this novel in English. - You can purchase a copy of The Witch by Marie Ndiaye (published by Quercus Books) and translated by Jordan Stump from French, here: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/it-s-lit-in-translation - Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rose Photo Credit: Jordan Stump