The Goldschmidt Programme
The format is aimed at young literary translators from Switzerland, France, Germany and Austria.
"The Goldschmidt programme offers a fantastic introduction to the otherwise difficult-to-conquer world of literary translation. In addition to the professional insights, however, it is above all the interpersonal encounters that make the programme something very special."
"Interesting visits to publishers, constructive translation workshops, great people: For me, the Goldschmidt programme was an incredibly enriching experience and the perfect starter kit as a young literary translator!"
"The Goldschmidt Programme is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of literary translation for several months. On our journey through three countries and ten cities, we not only worked intensively on several texts at the same time, but also got to grips with the multifaceted translation profession and made many new contacts."
"The Goldschmidt Programme is a great opportunity to talk to many people in the book market who are working on translations. Above all, however, it is an exciting and intensive time full of wonderful encounters and intensive translation work in the group and in tandem, during which we learnt a great deal both from our fantastic mentors and from each other."
Application Goldschmidt programme 2025
Application deadline: 23 September 2024
Contact for enquiries: Mathilde Lagadu-Cleyn, lagadu-cleyn@buchmesse.de
The scholarship programme is organised jointly by Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), the society for promoting French literature abroad (BIEF) and Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.
The scholarship programme is organised jointly by Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Franco-German Youth Office (DFJW), the society for promoting French literature abroad (BIEF) and Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council.
Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt has been a patron of the German-French literary translation programme named after him since 2007. Born on 2 May 1928 in Reinbek near Hamburg, he and his older brother were taken into exile in France in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution. Goldschmidt became a French citizen and French became his language. It wasn’t long before he made a name for himself as a translator of German literature. In addition to his work as a translator, Goldschmidt writes numerous essays and autobiographical pieces.
Juliette Aubert-Affholder, born in 1975 in Brest, France, lives in Hamburg and Provence.
Juliette Aubert-Affholder, born in 1975 in Brest, France, lives in Hamburg and Provence.
She translates works by authors such as Daniel Kehlmann, Mirko Bonné, Regina Scheer, and Marc-Uwe Kling into French, and together with Mirko Bonné, translates Victor Hugo and Georges Simenon into German. She writes in both German and French (Theater: "Was man so hört," Theaterstückverlag, Munich 2021; Poetry: published in: Konzepte, Jahrbuch der Lyrik, Akzente, etc.). She has received multiple translation awards, most recently the Nerval-Goethe Prize 2022 (for the French translation of Daniel Kehlmann's "Tyll" and her overall translation work) and the Hamburg Literature Prize 2022 (for the play "Die Nacht vom 4. auf den 5." by Rachel Graton, translated from Franco-Canadian into German). She conducts French writing workshops as well as translation and writing workshops in both German and French (Vice-Versa 2018, 2019, 2022). She is the co-initiator and co-leader of the German-French translation workshop Volx&Versa with Brigitte Große. She is a member of the German literature committee of Maison Antoine Vitez, and a member of ATLF and VdÜ.
Andreas Jandl, born in 1975, studied Dramatics, English and French literature in Berlin, London and Montréal. He has been working as a freelance translator from English and French since 2000.
Andreas Jandl, born in 1975, studied Dramatics, English and French literature in Berlin, London and Montréal. He has been working as a freelance translator from English and French since 2000.
His translations include plays, essays, poems, non-fiction and novels by authors such as David Diop, Nicolas Dickner, Elisa Shua Dusapin, Maaza Mengiste, Gaétan Soucy and Joséphine Bacon. In 2017, he and his co-translator Frank Sievers were awarded the Christoph Martin Wieland Translator’s Prize for their translation of J.A. Baker’s ‘The Peregrine’ (2014). In 2021, he received the Eugen Helmlé Translator’s Prize for his oeuvre.
Since February 2022, Jandl has been 2nd delegate of the German translators’ association VdÜ at CEATL, the umbrella organisation of European translators’ associations, and coordinates CEATL’s copyright working group. He has also been on the board of VdÜ since March 2024.
After completing a master's degree in Literary Translation in 2011, Justine Coquel published her first translation from German with Jacqueline Chambon.
After completing a master's degree in Literary Translation in 2011, Justine Coquel published her first translation from German with Jacqueline Chambon.
She took part in the Goldschmidt Programme in 2014 and the École de Traduction Littéraire (ETL) in 2021. She translates fiction, thrillers, comics and manga for various publishers.
Valentin Decoppet translates from German, Swiss German and English into French. He has written a novel, short stories and is currently working on a dissertation on the poetics of the German translator Eugen Helmlés at the Université de Lausanne.
Valentin Decoppet translates from German, Swiss German and English into French. He has written a novel, short stories and is currently working on a dissertation on the poetics of the German translator Eugen Helmlés at the Université de Lausanne.
As a translator, he prefers experimental texts or texts that play with and twist language, creating and discovering new characters and novel ways of expressing a changing reality. Rhythm, sound and movement are the essential elements of a text for him.
Boris Kenov, born in Basel in 1993, is a translator from French, English and Bulgarian into German, with a particular interest in the interplay between words and images.
Boris Kenov, born in Basel in 1993, is a translator from French, English and Bulgarian into German, with a particular interest in the interplay between words and images.
After a preliminary design course at the Sofia Art Academy, he studied Multilingual Communication and Translation in Canterbury and Geneva. In 2023, he was a fellow of the Goldschmidt Programme for literary translators. Boris lives in Geneva.
Julia Charlotte Kersting translates from French with a focus on Quebec literature, especially its multifaceted spectrum of expression in the linguistic space between "standard" French and English.
Julia Charlotte Kersting translates from French with a focus on Quebec literature, especially its multifaceted spectrum of expression in the linguistic space between "standard" French and English.
Such hybrid texts play with and challenge linguistic conventions, posing particular challenges for translation into other languages. It is texts like those by Réjean Ducharme, for example, that are of particular interest to the translator.
Gaël Le Lostec comes from Brittany and moved to Bremen after completing his master's degree in Translation and Localisation.
Gaël Le Lostec comes from Brittany and moved to Bremen after completing his master's degree in Translation and Localisation.
Today, he works as a freelance translator in the fields of environment and horticulture, while also pursuing a passion for children's literature. As he was already inventing new words long before translating from English and German, he can finally put this expertise into practice!
His first book translation, "Schnapp den Dieb!" (Engl: Catch the Thief!) by Steffen Gumpert, was published in 2023 by Actes Sud under the title "Au voleur!".
Marion Maurin, born and raised in Paris, holds a master's degree in philosophy from Freie Universität Berlin. Since 2017 she is a PhD student at the Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School for Literary Studies (FU Berlin).
Marion Maurin, born and raised in Paris, holds a master's degree in philosophy from Freie Universität Berlin. Since 2017 she is a PhD student at the Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School for Literary Studies (FU Berlin).
Marion Maurin translates from German, specialising in the humanities, essayistic prose and poetry.
She prefers to translate collectively, as this allows her to better listen to the many voices that speak from the text. She is particularly interested in experimental ways of writing that serve the language rather than using it.
Lina Robertz works as a freelance editor and literary translator from English and French.
Lina Robertz works as a freelance editor and literary translator from English and French.
She is well versed in many different genres – from non-fiction and fiction to children's and young adult literature. What she likes best are timeless stories that open our eyes to the wider world. Before becoming self-employed, she was a trainee at a publishing house. She lives in a small village in western France and on the North Sea island of Juist.
Claire Schmartz translates from French and English into German and Luxembourgish.
Claire Schmartz translates from French and English into German and Luxembourgish.
She is interested in the diversity of francophone literature (with a focus on Caribbean and African literature) as well as non-fiction. She is convinced that translations are an important means of building bridges in our globalised, multilingual world – be it with stories, memories or ideas.
Merle Struve is a Romanist, translator and conference interpreter.
She is particularly interested in polyphonic texts and the details that only become apparent during translation.
What she likes most are the sometimes surprising, often fascinating discoveries that arise from each new translation – in the interaction between languages, but also between people, professions and subject areas.
Merle Struve is a Romanist, translator and conference interpreter.
She is particularly interested in polyphonic texts and the details that only become apparent during translation.
What she likes most are the sometimes surprising, often fascinating discoveries that arise from each new translation – in the interaction between languages, but also between people, professions and subject areas.
What she likes most are the sometimes surprising, often fascinating discoveries that arise from each new translation – in the interaction between languages, but also between people, professions and subject areas.
After studying International Relations, Translation and Cultural Mediation in Paris and Germany, Jeffrey Trehudic moved to Berlin and worked for a while in the Franco-German cultural sector.
After studying International Relations, Translation and Cultural Mediation in Paris and Germany, Jeffrey Trehudic moved to Berlin and worked for a while in the Franco-German cultural sector.
In the spring of 2022, he took part in the Georges Arthur Goldschmidt Programme, after which he took up a position at the Literary Colloquium Berlin. Since June 2022, he has coordinated the publication of Litterall, an annual journal for German-language literatures, for which he has been translating for several years. He is currently translating the second novel by Sasha Marianna Salzmann (to be published by Christian Bourgois éditeur). He is particularly interested in queer voices and the questions that arise when translating their texts.
