On February 12, the annual Albertine Translation Prize Ceremony returns, honoring translators and American publishers of English translations of contemporary French works. This year Villa Albertine is partnering with the Colloquy series at World Poetry Books to celebrate the art of translation in a new and exciting way.

Bringing together translators and readers, the evening will feature translation jousts: two translators and a moderator will engage in a lively discussion of their different renderings of the same French texts, one a work of fiction, the other a poem.

We’re delighted to welcome Emma Ramadan an award-winning translator specializing in contemporary French-language fiction, and Marcella Durand, a prize-winning poet and translator known for her work in experimental and modern poetry. The conversation will be moderated by Mark Polizzotti, an acclaimed translator and author whose extensive career includes more than 60 translations of major French literary and intellectual figures.

Through the translation jousts they’ll be taking part in, the creativity, nuance, and choices, but also the labor behind each translation choice will be highlighted, and the often-invisible labor behind the books we read will be displayed.

The Albertine Translation Fund & Prize

Representing emerging trends across a variety of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, and comics, the Albertine Translation Fund helps cover publishing and translation costs for U.S. publishers of works translated from French to English.

We will announce the winner of the 2025 Albertine Translation Prize at the end of the evening.We look forward to cheering to the 2025 laureate with you!

The Albertine Translation Prize is made possible through the generous support of The Florence Gould Foundation, Albertine Foundation, and the Institut Français.

Free with RSVP. Click here for tickets.