The 2025 Winter School of Translation

Author: Monika Smolková

Translation: Marianna Pacáková

After the successful pilot year of the Winter School of Translation, we eagerly awaited the weekend at the turn of January and February, when we could reunite in Banská Bystrica to discuss translation, interpreting, and other related topics, meet new people, and strengthen existing friendships. We were delighted that the second edition of the Winter School of Translation was once again a great success – but before we embark on a short trip down memory lane, let's look behind the scenes.

After the first edition, the Sa zobuď! association welcomed new faces from universities across Slovakia, who collaborated on several projects, one of which culminated in this event. Together with the help of other volunteers, we got to work, and there was plenty to do! We could have compiled books from all the emails we exchanged. As we fell asleep, images of the new graphics for the website or social media danced before our eyes, and we prayed for volunteers with cars, as the equipment started to pile up. We devised a game plan, and even in our dreams, checked items off our to-do list. All our efforts eventually paid off.

The avalanche of tasks began on Friday morning – preparing classrooms and other spaces, creating social media content, setting up the registration desk, running up and down the stairs, preparing refreshments and much-needed coffee, and so on. We were also surprised by how many things still needed to be cut – scissors quickly became a scarce commodity. Thankfully, we managed to get everything done just in the nick of time. The doors of Matej Bel University opened, and the first participants checked in and headed straight to the third floor, where Martin Djovčoš officially opened the programme with a short speech. The programme filled the entire weekend, offering something interesting, new, and inspiring for everyone.

On Friday, we attended a discussion between representatives of translation and interpreting associations, because at Sa zobuď! we believe in the importance of community. As a student association, we care deeply about the future of our profession, which is why we were eager to hear the opinions of professionals in the field. The lectures offered insight into inclusive subtitling and video game localisation – areas that spark great interest among students. After receiving positive feedback from the Deaf community last year, this edition featured even more focused contributions on topics such as theatre interpreting or the use of sign language in therapy sessions. The European Parliament contributed to the variety of topics, and ambitious students received tips on how to build a career in the world of interpreting. By taking part in the Winter School of Translation, we have already taken the first step, because it's social capital that is the foundation of professional practice. We concluded the first day in Banská Bystrica's Záhrada, where we got to know each other better, networked, and listened to a discussion with Samo Marec. The excitement for Saturday’s workshops was already in the air.

On Saturday we met again at the faculty. The day began with a discussion with three students who shared their experiences with transitioning from school to professional practice. Although everyone's journey is different, it is essential to start early - which is exactly what the Sa zobuď! association aims to support. The morning continued with the most anticipated part of the program: a session on translating vulgarisms. First, we examined the situation on streaming platforms and later moved on to a discussion about the translation of the film Wolverine & Deadpool, with the participation of both the subtitle translator and the translator of the dubbed version. We learned a lot of behind-the-scenes information and left in high spirits for the workshops that followed. There we experimented with translating puns and finding creative translation solutions. Our creativity continued to flow during a creative writing exercise, and we also explored technologies during an unconventional simultaneous subtitling session during an interpreting workshop. We were also introduced to an interesting RegEx tool, which revealed useful technical tricks. The workshops were hardly the end of the day – during the internship section, students learned about opportunities offered by the European Parliament and the European Commission. On a different note, the event also featured a democratic discussion about critical thinking, and the "school" programme concluded with lectures on legal translation and the Slovak language, which must not be forgotten in any language combination. The day culminated at Urban Spot, where we continued with networking and getting to know each other. After a quiz, where randomly assembled but still very competitive teams faced off, we let loose on the dance floor and the mood wasn't dampened by the fact that the programme continued quite early the next morning.

Sunday began with essential coffee stops rather than by lectures. But not even exhaustion could stop us from enjoying the final student presentations. We believe that active students have better chances of breaking into the field, and we were delighted by the inspiring contributions of future language professionals. Once again, we were impressed by the diversity, ambition, and creativity of the topics presented. Finally, during a discussion we travelled to distant America and learned a lot about its student life and education system. The programme gradually came to an end, and we concluded it in a rather unconventional manner, namely by recording a live podcast. We interviewed an interpreter, enjoyed some snacks, and slowly said our goodbyes.

The second edition of the Winter School of Translation is now successfully behind us. Even weeks and months later, we continue to live off the experiences, new friendships, and inspiration we gained. As an association, we are not slacking off – we’re already brainstorming new ideas. But one thing is certain: the Winter School of Translation is a success. We are already excited for a new collection, in which we will be able to revisit the programme, or even have a sneak peek at the parts we were not able to attend in person. This is not a goodbye – we’re confident we will see each other again at future events and, of course, at next year's Winter School of Translation.