RECIT (a network of European literary translation centres offering residencies for translators and organizing events)

Written By Benne van der Velde

RECIT is a network of European literary translation centres offering residencies for translators and organizing events bringing together writers, translators & audiences.

Their network currently links 18 organizations across 16 countries in Europe. Members comprise of translation residencies providing opportunities for literary translators to live and work on a translation project, professional development programs and events with audiences.

HISTORY

Initially established as a European network of Colleges of literary translators in the beginning of the 1990s, RECIT evolves into European Network of Literary Translator Centers and appears as such for the first time in an international event in September-October 2000 at the First European meetings of literary translators in Sarajevo.

With focus on strengthening the network of translators, RECIT facilitates residence programs for literary translators in Europe which had affirmed as a vital necessity in today’s cultural world.

Click on the image for a list of all the residencies!

Member benefits

  • Connect with peers and become part of a European community of translation residencies;

  • Learn from experienced managers and programmers, and share your knowledge;

  • Get access to information and contacts in the countries of the network;

  • Visit different members’ residencies during the annual General Assembly;

  • Get information on funding and other opportunities;

  • Promote your centre Europe-wide via the network website and members’ channels;

  • Participate in discussion groups on specific topics (such as translation trainings or organizing digital events) with other members;

  • Raise the visibility and reputation of your centre.

Click on the image for their Current opportunities!

Membership requirements and conditions

Present and future members of RECIT should be in a position to offer literary translators the possibility of a creative residency under good conditions of residence, work and meetings with other translators and people from the literary field. These centres should also offer, within the limits of their means and their environment, a public program of meetings around literary translation and/or training courses for literary translators. It is recommendable that member-residencies maintain a library at their premises and/or ensure residents access to libraries.

The eligibility of new members will be assessed by the General Assembly in accordance with all these criteria.

The annual membership fee is currently 250 euro per organization. Any adjustments of the size of the fee are decided upon by the General Assembly.

Members fee supports the work of the network, including promotion and management as well as the network’s contribution to the annual GA.

Want to get in touch as a translator looking to apply for a stay? Contact the recidency of your choosing! Cheers :)

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Benne van der Velde

After thoroughly enjoying the Dutch slam poetry scene in the early and mid 2000s (with wins in 7 cities and eventually a place in the Nationals of 2012) and performances at the Lowlands-, Uitmarkt- and Parade festivals a/o, Benne successfully made the transition from the stage to paper by signing his first publishing deal in 2005. Since then 4 publishing houses (kleine Uil, Douane, Nadorst and Stanza) released volumes of his poetry. For a 5th (Passage) he co-edited an anthology of satirical/pamphlet poetry with fellow poets Daniel Dee and Alexis de Roode.

As a member of the artist movement ‘Het Ongeboren Idee’ he helped to organize (and was part of/presented) cultural lo-fi festivals, exhibitions, making a movie, monthly poetry stages in his hometown of Vlaardingen (Poezie in De Steeg), Rotterdam (De Poetsclub) and Nijmegen (Late Letteren Live) + a talent show for bands.

In 2002 and 2003 he studied ‘writing for performance’ at the vocational university of the Arts in the city of Utrecht (HKU) and as a result saw 3 of his theater plays make it to a stage. Writer Hiekelien van den Herik and he co-wrote a knight spectacle play complete with real choreographed sword fights, men in heavy plate armor and more great stuff like that. Theater-/enactment group Ridderspoor performed said play in 2004 and 2005 at Het Archeon, during De Kasteeldagen and at an Elfia-fantasy fair. He also gave numerous poetry and rap workshops at schools and other institutions. There were a lot of collabs too, for example voice-over work for a Rock Opera, a monumental art project for which he partnered up with the artist Erwin Adema and thrice alongside the R.J.S.O (The Rotterdam Youth Symphony Orchestra).

Benne has been an editor for several literary magazines (Krakatau, Renaissance and Op Ruwe Planken), at one time he and his wife owned a secondhand bookstore, he’s been the official poet laureate for his hometown of Vlaardingen and released his first and only Dutch rap-EP in 2011. In 2012 he rapped his way into the finals of Art Rocks. An EP with songs in English followed in 2021. A year later he started translating Dutch musical and lyrical classics from Dutch into English, and vice versa. Some of his short sci-fi and fantasy stories have found their way to medium related websites, magazines and anthology’s.

According to the poet himself rewriting his own poetry, lyrics and prose in English somehow feels like the next logical step in his career, a way to open up to the world at large. Which is both exhilarating and terrifying. So far several of these translations have been published in Bebarbar, Hare’s paw, Festivalforpoetry, Punt Volat, The Dewdrop, The Dillydoun Review and Months to Years a/o.

In everyday (some claim real) life he worked as an industrial tank cleaner, in pest control, on a garbage truck, driving a forklift, in a chemical waste facility, on a Ferry and 10 years as a bartender in a cannabis bar. At the time of writing this resume he can be found at home or in the hospital battling throat cancer. He’s been off the Herb since 2008, has a wife, 2 dogs, mild anxiety issues and likes to read every sci-fi and fantasy classic he can find.

www.linkedin.com/in/benne-van-der-velde-8b17a7296

The poet/lyricist and author Rob Chrispijn: ‘Benne writes sentences that stick; clean, dark and intense. This way a poem lasts!’

The poet Philip Hoorne on the website Poetry rapport: ‘There’s a genius hiding in Benne van der Velde, those are the Good Tidings of today. Amen.’

https://www.doubledutchmagazine.com
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