Professional Development

Petra-E (Platforme Européenne pour la traduction littéraire - Education) is a European strategic partnership for training literary translators. Funded by a European Erasmus+ grant, the project is being run with 8 European partners and is coordinated by Utrecht University in alliance with the Dutch Language Union (Nederlandse Taalunie). It aims to develop an international reference framework for the training and development of literary translators.

Talented students and graduates of the Master's programme in Literary Translation (Literair vertalen) have the opportunity to publish their first literary translation on the website of The Chronicles, part of the Crossing Border Festival. The translators translate works by young, unknown authors and receive supervision from an experienced mentor.

The Master's programme in Translation (Vertalen) is working on a new internship programme to further strengthen the programme's links with the profession. As part of a new alumni policy, graduates make their network and expertise available to Master's students.

Work is currently underway on the development of a skills lab that will replicate the situation in a professional translation agency, enabling students to become accustomed to a professional working environment.

Thanks to alliances with social partners, Utrecht students can obtain talent grants (Talentbeurzen, in Dutch). After graduation, any up-and-coming professional can call on the services of the Centre of Expertise for Literary Translation to take part in a mentorship programme (mentoraatsprogramma, in Dutch). This involves an experienced translator supervising a novice colleague in completing a translation assignment.

In 2014, in alliance with the University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University established a platform where both young and experienced Flemish and Dutch researchers present current or planned projects in the field of translation.

A location-based translation workshop (Vertaalatelier op locatie, in Dutch) is a training method that enables students and recent graduates of Dutch language and culture across the world to become acquainted (or further acquainted) with literary translation from Dutch.

Lecturers at universities in the Dutch-speaking world can organise guest lectures (information in Dutch) by an experienced literary translator or an expert in the field of literary translation.

Every year, Utrecht University plays host to a translator in residence (information in Dutch): a professional translator (usually literary) who shares his or her expertise in a series of masterclasses.