On 4 and 5 November, Francis Mus and several colleagues from the universities of Liège and Leuven will be organising an international conference on (self-)representation strategies of literary translators and translations (into and from French). The programme and poster can be found in the attachment. You are welcome to attend one or more sessions in the university library (Rozier). Advance registration is not necessary, unless you wish to stay for the whole day and also participate in the coffee and lunch breaks. In that case, please let Francis (francis.mus@ugent.be) know before Wednesday 29 October.
CfP The Circulation of Georges Simenon’s Work in Translations
Call for papers for the conference From Liègeois writer to global author: the circulation of Georges Simenon’s work in translation, to be held in Liège on 24 and 25 June 2026.
Proposals for papers are due by 15 December 2025 at the latest.
This conference, which will contribute to the emergence of an international network dedicated to the study of the circulation of Georges Simenon’s work across different languages, spaces, media and formats, is part of the ‘Simenon in Translation’ (SITRAD) project. Led by Céline Letawe and Maud Gonne at the University of Liège, this project aims to map the international circulation of this writer’s work through the construction of a relational database storing bibliometric data.
Symposium Translating from the Periphery: The Case of Dutch Literature
On 14 November 2025, the annual symposium organized under the auspices of the King Willem-Alexander Chair for Low Countries Studies will take place at Liège University.
During 2025, we had the pleasure of welcoming Emeritus Professor Johan Heilbron as our guest professor. The symposium that concludes his year as a visiting professor focuses on research situated at the intersection of Translation Studies and the Sociology of Literature.
Through a series of lectures, we will explore how literature from peripheral languages finds its way into global literary circulation through translation, with particular attention to Dutch-language literature. Translation from the periphery will be approached as a space where strategic innovation can take place, with attention to concrete strategies that succeed in overcoming structural constraints. Examples include exophonic writing and self-translation, alternative publishing models, shifting forms of cultural diplomacy, and state support for literary translation, among others.
The full programme is available here: https://www.chaire-willem-alexander.uliege.be/cms/c_20485820/fr/translating-from-the-periphery
After the symposium, you are warmly invited to join us for a reception.
Participation is entirely free of charge, but registration is required.
To register, please send an email to elies.smeyers@uliege.be
UGent PhD Fellowship in Translation Studies
The Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication at Ghent University is looking for a full-time (100%) PhD candidate in Translation Studies. The doctoral researcher will be affiliated with TRACE, the department’s research group on Translation and Culture.
We invite applicants to propose an original research project on translation between English and Spanish (in either direction: English–Spanish or Spanish–English). The proposal should fall within the broad field of translation and culture. We particularly welcome projects engaging with one or more of the following areas:
- Philosophy
- The novel of ideas from the twentieth century onwards
- Film and ideology
- Feminism and post-feminism
- Other relevant themes
The supervisors of the project are Prof. Jeroen Vandaele and Prof. Lieve Jooken.
Read the full vacancy and practical details for applying here. Applications are due by 18 November 2025.
New Issue: Journal for Literary and Intermedial Crossings: Crossings – Concept, Discourse, Practice
Dear colleague,
We are delighted to announce that the latest issue of the Journal for Literary and Intermedial Crossings, entitled ‘Crossings – Concept, Discourse, Practice’, has been published. This special issue is occasioned by the eponymous 12th annual CLIC day and was edited by Janine Hauthal and Arvi Sepp (Vrije Universiteit Brussel).
The contributors to this issue explore the conceptual transversality of intermedially and transculturally oriented studies of crossings across medial, spatial, and historical axes. The media and genres they discuss range from autofiction on social media (Saemmer) and perceptions of literary translation through reader-generated social media posts (Sanz Gallego) to plurimedial theatre adaptations (Lacoue-Labarthe) and the embedding of visual art in literature (Mamatsashvili). While most contributions focus on 21st-century artworks, Manu’s exploration of 19th-century Victorian whimsical satire provides an inspiring example of how historical depth and an appreciation of contemporary aesthetics can fruitfully converge in the study of generic crossings. The special issue concludes with two interviews that bring humanities scholarship and artistic practice into dialogue about crossings, focusing respectively on 21st-century street poetry by poets David Giannoni and Timotéo Sergoï (Gusella) and on the way cultural, geographical, and linguistic intersections have shaped Belgian British poet Patrick McGuinness as a ‘writer of crossings’ (Rosenfeld).
The open access issue can be accessed under: clic.research.vub.be/volume-9-issue-1-2024-crossings-concept-discourse-practice or via the JLIC website: Journal | CLIC (vub.be) .
Kind regards,
The JLIC editorial board,
TRACE/CLIV Second Annual Research Day: Exploring New Horizons
Dear TRACE/CLIV members,
As you are aware, circumstances recently obliged us to postpone the date of our ‘TRACE/CLIV Research Day no. 2: Exploring New Horizons’, which had been previously scheduled for the afternoon of the 23rd of May 2025. It brings us great pleasure to announce that a new date has been decided upon: the Research Day will now take place on Friday October 3rd, 2025. This Research Day serves primarily to enable better communication about research between the ZAP, postdocs, and PhDs on a relatively informal and amicable basis: concomitantly, it also serves to develop the friendly connections between the TRACE and CLIV research groups.
We are currently finalizing our program, and it promises to be an afternoon filled with 10-minute talks on topics such as translation, literature, cultural transfer, from a national, international, or transnational perspective. This year we have the honor to finish our day with a presentation by Prof. Em. Guy Rooryck: “Ruses et espiègleries de la traduction : le Canon van Vlaanderen en français”. We hope to welcome you!
Practicalities:
The Research Day will take place in Ghent (location Mercator A., A.104.) on Friday 3rd October 2025 from 13.00 (tentatively) to 18.00, with a coffee break. The afternoon will end with a reception.
We invite you to confirm your attendance by 15 September 2025 using the attached link (Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/jTcvynT6Ju), with which you can submit your name, affiliation and if you will join the reception. There are plenty of spots for attendees, so come in great numbers and with great enthusiasm!
With all our best wishes,
The TRACE team,
Jo De Brie, Dominic Bentley-Hussey, Anna Namestnikov, France Schils, Oliwia Napierala, Prof. Lieve Jooken, Prof. Piet Van Poucke, & Prof. Brecht de Groote.
Colloquium Neerlandicum (VUB, 25-29/08/2025)
The 2025 Colloquium Neerlandicum will take place from Monday 25 to Friday 29 August at the Free University of Brussels (VUB)
No language is an island, and that includes Dutch. That the Dutch language and culture is in contact with other languages and cultures worldwide is an awareness of which international Dutch literature is logically permeated. This theme ties in nicely with the city where the colloquium is being held. In Brussels, 107 languages are officially spoken.
Naturally, this colloquium also contains another cultural programme and we will then also hold the IVN General Assembly of Members again.
Submission of contributions is no longer possible. The deadline has passed.
More information about the content of the colloquium and contributions can be found here. The conference language is Dutch.
Phd position in Translation Studies (UAntwerpen)
The Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies at the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy (UAntwerpen) is looking for a full-time (100%) PhD student in Translation Studies.
The future PhD student will actively work on the preparation of a doctoral dissertation in (literary) translation science, on genre (police novels versus “romans durs”) and gender (description of female characters and discourses) in Dutch translations and re-translations of Georges Simenon’s work.
Read the full vacancy here. You can apply until 3 July 2025 via the University of Antwerp’s online application platform.
CfP Pornography in Babel: Translation, Sexuality, Obscenity
On 23 and 24 October 2025, research group TricS (Translation, Interpreting and Intercultural Studies) will organise Pornographie à Babel/Pornography in Babel, a bilingual conference on the translation of pornographic literature, sexualities and the obscene, at the University of Antwerp. You can find the call for papers here in French and here in English or via the following link: https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/conferences/pornography-in-babel/. Please share this call for papers within your network. We would be delighted to receive your proposals on this still largely unexplored theme.
The deadline for submitting abstracts is 30 June 2025.
Should you have any queries, do not hesitate to contact Philippe Vanhoof (philippe.vanhoof@uantwerpen.be).
EXTENDED DEADLINE: TRACE/CLIV second annual Research Day: Exploring New Horizons
Dear TRACE/CLIV members,
Following the eminent success of our first event in 2024, we are delighted to be able to inform you of the upcoming second annual TRACE/CLIV Research Day: ‘Exploring New Horizons,’ to take place on Friday 23rd May 2025. As was the case last year, this Research Day serves primarily to enable better communication about research between the ZAP, postdocs, and PhDs on a relatively informal and amicable basis: concomitantly, it also serves to develop the friendly connections between the TRACE and CLIV research groups.
We invite speakers of all levels — whether PhD, postdoc, or ZAP — to share their new ideas or research interests in the form of a 10-minute presentation, with another 10 minutes for questions and discussion. This is the perfect, friendly environment in which to share your plans, concepts, hopes, and even the difficulties that you might be facing in their realisation. All kinds of works-in-progress are welcome, on topics such as translation, literature, cultural transfer, from a national, international or transnational perspective.
Practicalities:
The Research Day will take place in Ghent (location Mercator A., A.104.) on Friday 23rd May 2025 from 13.00 (tentatively) to 18.00, with a coffee break. The afternoon will end with a reception.
Please confirm your attendance and/or talk proposal by 15 April 2025 using the attached Microsoft Forms link, with which you can submit your name, affiliation, and, if presenting, the title of your paper — no abstract required! Talk slots are rather limited, so please do not hesitate to respond swiftly. However, there are plenty of places for attendees, so come in great numbers and with great enthusiasm!
https://forms.office.com/e/AXHkuRHQLX
Looking forward to your attendance in May,
Jo De Brie, Dominic Bentley-Hussey, Anna Namestnikov, France Schils, Oliwia Napierala, Prof. Lieve Jooken, Prof. Piet Van Poucke, & Prof. Brecht de Groote.