The Translating Culture Conference of the Simon-Dubnow-Institute for Jewish History and Culture will focus on phenomena of Jewish literary transfer from Eastern Europe to Central Europe from the fin de siècle onwards. Jewish literary migrants instigated in Berlin and other places manifold activities of translation from Jewish languages whose characteristics are transgression and adaptation to the target language. The conference will explore the lingual and cultural constellation of Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian and German. The transformation of these languages served as point of reference for an evolving new national Jewish self awareness but also for new forms of acculturation. Agents as different as writers, translators, and publishers played a central role in these processes of intermediation, exchange and transfer among the languages and cultures. To draw a comprehensive picture, the presentations will address questions that deal more generally with reflections on the life and work of individuals, on institutions and associations. The conference will also concentrate on theoretical and methodological questions of translation.The conference will take place on October 15 - 16, 2009 in the Simon-Dubnow-Institut für jüdische Geschichte und Kultur e. V. an der Universität Leipzig (Goldschmidtstr. 28, 04103 Leipzig, Germany).

Participants from CEE countries in the Forum 2008 on 1939-1945 - Decade of Violence can apply for grants (see here):