Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation, the podcast celebrating literature in translation and the people who make it possible. Each episode features an interview with translators from around the world about the books they bring into English, the creative choices behind their work, and what it truly means to carry a story from one language to another.
It's Lit in Translation
Claim This Podcastby Evelyn Heis (@amuchneededbreak)
11 episodes
Updated Daily
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Podcast Overview
Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation, the podcast celebrating literature in translation and the people who make it possible. Each episode features an interview with translators from around the world about the books they bring into English, the creative choices behind their work, and what it truly means to carry a story from one language to another.
Language
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Publishing Since
1/30/2026
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Recent Episodes
June 17, 2026
Kat Storace on photography, memory, and translating Before the Rocket
<p>Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation: the podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible.</p><p>In today’s episode, Maltese editor and literary translator Kat Storace joins the pod to discuss her translation of Loranne Vella's Before The Rocket. Kat also dives into her work of bringing Maltese literature to English-language readers as the co-founder of Praspar Press.</p><p>Kat takes us through her journey into literary translation, reflecting on the unexpected path that led her into the field and the mentorship that helped shape her career. We discuss the co-founding of Praspar Press and the importance of creating space for Maltese literature within the English-speaking publishing world, as well as the opportunities and challenges involved in representing a literary culture that remains largely undertranslated.</p><p>We dive into her translation of Before the Rocket, a genre-defying novel set in Malta in 2064 that blends speculative fiction with dystopian storytelling. Kat shares her experience of translating a work deeply concerned with photography, memory, and time, discussing the challenge of rendering vivid photographic descriptions for readers despite the absence of any actual images within the text.</p><p>Together, we explore the novel’s themes of climate change, colonialism, community resilience, and the relationship between images and storytelling. We also discuss the practical and creative decisions involved in translating Maltese literature into English, from preserving culturally specific language and place names to balancing accessibility with a strong sense of the novel’s Maltese identity.</p><p>It is absolutely fascinating to hear Kat discuss the role translation plays in expanding access to underrepresented literary traditions, as well as the many considerations involved in bringing a distinctly Maltese story to an international readership.</p><p>—</p><p>You can purchase a copy of Before The Rocket by Loranne Vella, translated by Kat Storace, here: <a href="https://www.praspar.com/product/before-the-rocket" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://www.praspar.com/product/before-the-rocket</a></p><p>—</p><p>Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):<br><a href="https://uppbeat.io/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://uppbeat.io/</a></p><p>Photo Credit: KT Bruce</p>
May 13, 2026
Ross Benjamin on fascism, film, and being shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize
<p>Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation: the podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>-</p><p>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</p><p>- </p><p>Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):</p><p>https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rose</p><p><br></p><p>Photo Credit: David Schloss</p>
May 10, 2026
Padma Viswanathan on translating to build community and being shortlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize
<p>Welcome to It’s Lit in Translation: the podcast that champions literature in translation and the people who make it possible.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>-</p><p>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</p><p>- </p><p>Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):</p><p>https://uppbeat.io/t/el-depravo/tarnished-rose</p><p><br /></p><p>Photo Credit: Alex Tram</p>
11 total episodes available
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