The School of Global Affairs will be welcoming Dr Diana Coromines i Calders as this year’s Translator in Residence from March 17th until March 21st. The residency programme is intended to actively promote translation practices by engaging students, staff, and the public through workshops and talks and to foster a greater understanding of translation as a multifaceted process requiring skills beyond the knowledge of languages. Diana will share her expertise as a cultural mediator sharing knowledge through translation in a complex world. Translation hence becomes an integral part of intercultural communication and bridging cross-cultural bridges, and it is integral in our School of Global Affairs programmes to encourage students to grow as global citizens facing new challenges.

Diana’s expertise will be inspirational for our School of Global Affairs students. She is a journalist, translator, writer, and editor, born in Catalonia and based in Denmark. She holds a master's degree in communication and another in Translation, as well as a PhD in Multilingual Strategies, with a thesis on the translation of irony in Günter Grass’s masterpieces into several languages. She has worked as a diplomat for the government of Catalonia and for the Public Diplomacy Council Diplocat. She teaches French and German at a school in Copenhagen, writes for various media on politics, international affairs and culture, occasionally contributes to academic papers, and runs her own publishing company specializing in contemporary Scandinavian and Catalan writing.

To support our students, Diana will be leading a series of sessions on translation practices for both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students. These sessions will include a specialized workshop tailored for MA students, focusing on the creative aspects of literary translation. Diana’s remarkable polyglotism has enabled her to work across diverse fields beyond translation, including journalism, politics, and diplomacy. Her inspiring and multifaceted career will be shared with students, particularly those in their final year, as they explore potential career opportunities. In addition to the group sessions, Diana will also offer one-to-one translation workshops for School of Global Affairs students, providing personalized guidance to help them refine their skills and achieve their academic and professional goals.

The School of Global Affairs is delighted to invite Lancaster University staff, students and members of the public to Diana’s lecture entitled “Charting a New Arc: Translation, Politics, and the Role of Catalan in a Globalized World” on 18th March, 4:00–5:30 pm. This is a free event hosted by the Transcultural Writing, Practice and Research Network and chaired by Dr. Alícia Moreno Giménez and Dr Deborah Madden from the School of Global Affairs. The public lecture will take place in a hybrid format at the Welcome Centre Lecture Theatre 1 or online via Teams. All are welcome to join us for an insightful discussion on the intersection of translation, politics, and global engagement!

You can find more information about this lecture here:

“Charting a New Arc: Translation, Politics, and the Role of Catalan in a Globalized World” - 18th March, 4:00-5:30 pm

Translation and publishing always have a political dimension, because through them imaginaries are created that determine how we see the world. In this lecture, we will examine how translation into Catalan has evolved as a political element in its own territory, the Països Catalans. What has its role been historically, and what is its current role? The element of chaos that new technologies have introduced into the publishing market opens up new possibilities, especially in small nations such as Catalonia, where the role of the independent translator and publisher is gaining strength and engaging with Europe without intermediaries. Bypassing the usual rigid channels and employing criteria not mediated by Madrid or Paris, translation—and therefore the way in which we perceive the world—in Catalan is beginning to chart a new, free, and creative arc.