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TRANZ 2026 — festival literárneho prekladu
TRANZ 2026 — festival of literary translation
Event by: Literárna bašta, Verzia, OZ DoSlov, Záhrada - Centrum nezávislej kultúry, TRANZ - festival literárneho prekladu
Location: Garden - Center for Independent Culture, N. O., Banská Bystrica
Tickets: Get tickets
Discussions and lectures
About event
Also in 2026, we will meet in Banská Bystrica to celebrate literary translation and everything that goes with it. This time in an earlier April date, but again with a rich program full of debates and literary entertainment ✨
ℹ Pre-sale of tickets here: https://www.ticketlive.sk/sk/event/tranz-banska-bystrica-24-25-05-2026
⬇️ Festival program ⬇️
➡️ FRIDAY — APRIL 24, 2026 ⬅️
venue: Záhrada – CNK, Námestie SNP 16
14:30 ⛑ WORKSHOP: EDITORIAL BOUNDARIES IN PRACTICE
Last year at the festival we discussed where and whether in practice there is a boundary between the responsibility of an artistic translator and an editor/corrector. This time we will reflect on this topic in a practical workshop. Capacity is limited. You can register via the registration form: https://forms.gle/7Jz8ZkthgTaz3Rwj9
lecturer: Mgr. Martina Kubealaková, PhD. (Department of Slovak Literature and Literary Science FF UMB)
17:30 🗯 PANEL OF FIRST TRANSLATIONS
What unites translators who are starting to translate their first book? At the next panel of first translations, we will learn how a fifty-year-old book by a famous author feels about being translated, how newcomers look for and adopt translation topics, but also about the fact that it is never too late for your first translation.
discussed by: Ján Púček, Marcel Melicher, Michal Chudý
moderated by: Zuzana Bariaková
19:00 🪩 DIVADLO ACADEMY OF ARTS: I, THE CHILD FROM THE ZOO STATION
A monodrama based on the real story and the now cult novel My children from the ZOO station. A harsh story about the teenager Christiana F., who finds herself in the world of drugs at the age of thirteen. The performance from the Academy of Arts Theater workshop will be complemented after the performance by a discussion with Paulína Čuhová, the translator of the Slovak edition of the book My children from the ZOO station.
performer: Alžbeta Kráľová
director: Jana Ovšonková
script: Alžbeta Kráľová, Jana Ovšonková
20:30 🗯 WHAT DO YOU TRANSLATE? LIVE
Who said that translation work is not a bit of a performance? The popular translation series Denníka N will be presented live again at the Tranz festival. Seven translation personalities, seven forthcoming books and seven minutes on stage. How will they cope with this time?
performers: Juraj Štubner, Alexandra Strelková, Petra Mikulášová, Eva Lavríková, Lucia Szaboová, Michal Švec, Lenka Fifková Školníková
presented by: Paulína Čuhová
➡️ SATURDAY — APRIL 25, 2026 ⬅️
venue: Záhrada – CNK, Námestie SNP 16
10:00 - 19:00 📚 TRANSLATED LITERATURE MARKET
Artforum Publishing House, E.J. Publishing, Literary Bastion, Portuguese Institute, Vlna/Drewo a srd and Verzia magazine and will present their translation production from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the garden park (in case of bad weather in the interior of the cafe).
10:00 a.m. 🗯 POETRY BREAKFAST
Saturday morning at Tranza cannot start any other way. Literary scholar, poet, and translator Viliam Nádaskay accepted the invitation for morning coffee with Eva Urbanová, who will bring a glimpse into his poetic workshop, as well as a reading of his favorite poems, to the awakening Garden. He will also present his current translation effort, the book by the British-German journalist Philip Oltermann, Básnici zo Stasi.
discussed by: Viliam Nádaskay
moderated by: Eva Urbanová
11:30 🗯 LIVE VERSION: DUTCH AND AUSTRIAN ISSUE
Despite the fact that Austrian literature might be intimately familiar to us based on geographical proximity, we do not know too much about it. Book translations of contemporary Dutch prose have an even smaller representation in our country. The last two issues of Verzia magazine are dedicated to these two literatures. Their compilers* will introduce us to authors and phenomena that represent the current form of Austrian and Dutch prose and have also made it to the pages of the magazine.
discussed by: Benjamin Bossaert, Paulína Čuhová
moderated by: Gabriela Magová
13:00 🎉 PREKLADISK FINALE 2026
Tranz Festival in 2026 opened the second year of the presentation platform Prekladisko for translators and female translators who want to fulfill their translation dream. This time, more than thirty projects applied to the open call, from which the expert committee selected the final eight. She will perform live as part of the festival program to present her translation dreams to renowned publishing houses. You can be there!
finalists: Kristína Böhmer, Anna Ďurišíková, Kristína Juríková, Eva Kopecká, Lucia Turi Nagyová, Veronika Pračko, Alexandra Šušoliaková, Dominika Šušolová
15:30 🗯 PANEL OF NEW TRANSLATIONS
Who is behind the translations of the most important works of modern European and overseas prose? Their names appear more and more often on the covers of books, but even that is not a matter of course today. We will introduce you to three personalities, thanks to whom the books of Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Mann and Dorothy Parker were recently published in Slovak translation.
discussed by: Lenka Cinková, Tomáš Hučko, Andrej Zahorák
moderated by: Andrea Makýšová Volárová
4:45 p.m. 🎙️ KULT KNIHY – PUBLIC RECORDING OF THE SIEDYKH&TALLO PODCAST
Be a part of the live recording of the fourth episodes of the CULT of Books podcast with Anna Siedykh and Michal Tall, in which they address the phenomena of contemporary – primarily translated – literature. In a special festival edition, they will shine a light on Hispanic American feminist prose and the current novel Empty Houses by the Mexican author Brenda Navarro, translated by Eva Lalkovičová.
18:00 🎥 THE ATTEMPT ABOUT B.H. (FILM)
In 2026, we commemorate two personal anniversaries (110 years since birth and 25 years since death) personality of Slovak literary culture, translator and writer Blahoslav Heček. Short documentary profile from 1982 directed by Ján Fajnor st. brings the artist's sincere reflection on the nascent translation in the pleasant environment of his home garden.
the film will be presented by: Miroslava and Stanislav Vallovci
19:00 🗯 56 QUESTION FOR ALEXANDRA SALMELA, ČI?
Slovak-Finnish author and translator Alexandra Salmela has several successful prose works for adults and children. She wrote them in Finnish and then translated them into Slovak herself. At the TRANZ festival, she will be the main performer of an inscrutable performative discussion, in which there will be no need to overcome (any) boundaries.
discussed by: Alexandra Salmela
moderated by: Andrea Makýšová Volárová, Michal Tallo and Zuzana Bariaková
20:15 🙏 TRANSLATOR GALLERY AWARD – IN MEMORIAM: VIERA HEGEROVÁ
Point after fourth year of the TRANZ festival will be the awarding of the translation gallery's honorary award, which this year has the unexpected title of in memoriam. We will award the prize for many years of contribution in the field of artistic translation to Mrs. Viera Hegerová, who was one of the key personalities of the Slovak translation and publishing scene. She enriched the golden fund of artistic translation in Slovakia with unmistakable translations of Boris Pasternak (Doctor Zhivago), Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky and others (The Devil Possessed, Crime and Punishment). She died on April 6, 2026 at the age of 92.
20:30 🎶 CONCERT: HERMETIC DELIGHT
Musical delicacy from Strasbourg! The band Hermetic Delight has over two hundred concerts, three albums and several EPs and singles. At the beginning, they musically moved between shoegaze and noise, but the turning point in their work came with the album Vow from 2016. A softer and more sensitive pop approach came to the fore. The voice of the singer Zeynep Kaya impressively carries the songs and completes the captivating atmosphere. Of course, there are live drums, bass, guitars and synthesizers.
The program is continuously updated.
The program is subject to change.
The festival is organized by Literárná bašta with the civic association DoSlov.
Partners of the festival:
LITA, author's company
Stredoslovenská vodárenská opčná spoločnost, a. p.
Embassy of Spain in Slovakia
Austrian Cultural Forum
Goethe Institute
Antikvariátik.sk
IKAR, a. with
Faculty of Dramatic Arts – Academy of Arts Banská Bystrica
Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica
UMB Engage
ℹ Pre-sale of tickets here: https://www.ticketlive.sk/sk/event/tranz-banska-bystrica-24-25-05-2026
⬇️ Festival program ⬇️
➡️ FRIDAY — APRIL 24, 2026 ⬅️
venue: Záhrada – CNK, Námestie SNP 16
14:30 ⛑ WORKSHOP: EDITORIAL BOUNDARIES IN PRACTICE
Last year at the festival we discussed where and whether in practice there is a boundary between the responsibility of an artistic translator and an editor/corrector. This time we will reflect on this topic in a practical workshop. Capacity is limited. You can register via the registration form: https://forms.gle/7Jz8ZkthgTaz3Rwj9
lecturer: Mgr. Martina Kubealaková, PhD. (Department of Slovak Literature and Literary Science FF UMB)
17:30 🗯 PANEL OF FIRST TRANSLATIONS
What unites translators who are starting to translate their first book? At the next panel of first translations, we will learn how a fifty-year-old book by a famous author feels about being translated, how newcomers look for and adopt translation topics, but also about the fact that it is never too late for your first translation.
discussed by: Ján Púček, Marcel Melicher, Michal Chudý
moderated by: Zuzana Bariaková
19:00 🪩 DIVADLO ACADEMY OF ARTS: I, THE CHILD FROM THE ZOO STATION
A monodrama based on the real story and the now cult novel My children from the ZOO station. A harsh story about the teenager Christiana F., who finds herself in the world of drugs at the age of thirteen. The performance from the Academy of Arts Theater workshop will be complemented after the performance by a discussion with Paulína Čuhová, the translator of the Slovak edition of the book My children from the ZOO station.
performer: Alžbeta Kráľová
director: Jana Ovšonková
script: Alžbeta Kráľová, Jana Ovšonková
20:30 🗯 WHAT DO YOU TRANSLATE? LIVE
Who said that translation work is not a bit of a performance? The popular translation series Denníka N will be presented live again at the Tranz festival. Seven translation personalities, seven forthcoming books and seven minutes on stage. How will they cope with this time?
performers: Juraj Štubner, Alexandra Strelková, Petra Mikulášová, Eva Lavríková, Lucia Szaboová, Michal Švec, Lenka Fifková Školníková
presented by: Paulína Čuhová
➡️ SATURDAY — APRIL 25, 2026 ⬅️
venue: Záhrada – CNK, Námestie SNP 16
10:00 - 19:00 📚 TRANSLATED LITERATURE MARKET
Artforum Publishing House, E.J. Publishing, Literary Bastion, Portuguese Institute, Vlna/Drewo a srd and Verzia magazine and will present their translation production from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the garden park (in case of bad weather in the interior of the cafe).
10:00 a.m. 🗯 POETRY BREAKFAST
Saturday morning at Tranza cannot start any other way. Literary scholar, poet, and translator Viliam Nádaskay accepted the invitation for morning coffee with Eva Urbanová, who will bring a glimpse into his poetic workshop, as well as a reading of his favorite poems, to the awakening Garden. He will also present his current translation effort, the book by the British-German journalist Philip Oltermann, Básnici zo Stasi.
discussed by: Viliam Nádaskay
moderated by: Eva Urbanová
11:30 🗯 LIVE VERSION: DUTCH AND AUSTRIAN ISSUE
Despite the fact that Austrian literature might be intimately familiar to us based on geographical proximity, we do not know too much about it. Book translations of contemporary Dutch prose have an even smaller representation in our country. The last two issues of Verzia magazine are dedicated to these two literatures. Their compilers* will introduce us to authors and phenomena that represent the current form of Austrian and Dutch prose and have also made it to the pages of the magazine.
discussed by: Benjamin Bossaert, Paulína Čuhová
moderated by: Gabriela Magová
13:00 🎉 PREKLADISK FINALE 2026
Tranz Festival in 2026 opened the second year of the presentation platform Prekladisko for translators and female translators who want to fulfill their translation dream. This time, more than thirty projects applied to the open call, from which the expert committee selected the final eight. She will perform live as part of the festival program to present her translation dreams to renowned publishing houses. You can be there!
finalists: Kristína Böhmer, Anna Ďurišíková, Kristína Juríková, Eva Kopecká, Lucia Turi Nagyová, Veronika Pračko, Alexandra Šušoliaková, Dominika Šušolová
15:30 🗯 PANEL OF NEW TRANSLATIONS
Who is behind the translations of the most important works of modern European and overseas prose? Their names appear more and more often on the covers of books, but even that is not a matter of course today. We will introduce you to three personalities, thanks to whom the books of Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Mann and Dorothy Parker were recently published in Slovak translation.
discussed by: Lenka Cinková, Tomáš Hučko, Andrej Zahorák
moderated by: Andrea Makýšová Volárová
4:45 p.m. 🎙️ KULT KNIHY – PUBLIC RECORDING OF THE SIEDYKH&TALLO PODCAST
Be a part of the live recording of the fourth episodes of the CULT of Books podcast with Anna Siedykh and Michal Tall, in which they address the phenomena of contemporary – primarily translated – literature. In a special festival edition, they will shine a light on Hispanic American feminist prose and the current novel Empty Houses by the Mexican author Brenda Navarro, translated by Eva Lalkovičová.
18:00 🎥 THE ATTEMPT ABOUT B.H. (FILM)
In 2026, we commemorate two personal anniversaries (110 years since birth and 25 years since death) personality of Slovak literary culture, translator and writer Blahoslav Heček. Short documentary profile from 1982 directed by Ján Fajnor st. brings the artist's sincere reflection on the nascent translation in the pleasant environment of his home garden.
the film will be presented by: Miroslava and Stanislav Vallovci
19:00 🗯 56 QUESTION FOR ALEXANDRA SALMELA, ČI?
Slovak-Finnish author and translator Alexandra Salmela has several successful prose works for adults and children. She wrote them in Finnish and then translated them into Slovak herself. At the TRANZ festival, she will be the main performer of an inscrutable performative discussion, in which there will be no need to overcome (any) boundaries.
discussed by: Alexandra Salmela
moderated by: Andrea Makýšová Volárová, Michal Tallo and Zuzana Bariaková
20:15 🙏 TRANSLATOR GALLERY AWARD – IN MEMORIAM: VIERA HEGEROVÁ
Point after fourth year of the TRANZ festival will be the awarding of the translation gallery's honorary award, which this year has the unexpected title of in memoriam. We will award the prize for many years of contribution in the field of artistic translation to Mrs. Viera Hegerová, who was one of the key personalities of the Slovak translation and publishing scene. She enriched the golden fund of artistic translation in Slovakia with unmistakable translations of Boris Pasternak (Doctor Zhivago), Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky and others (The Devil Possessed, Crime and Punishment). She died on April 6, 2026 at the age of 92.
20:30 🎶 CONCERT: HERMETIC DELIGHT
Musical delicacy from Strasbourg! The band Hermetic Delight has over two hundred concerts, three albums and several EPs and singles. At the beginning, they musically moved between shoegaze and noise, but the turning point in their work came with the album Vow from 2016. A softer and more sensitive pop approach came to the fore. The voice of the singer Zeynep Kaya impressively carries the songs and completes the captivating atmosphere. Of course, there are live drums, bass, guitars and synthesizers.
The program is continuously updated.
The program is subject to change.
The festival is organized by Literárná bašta with the civic association DoSlov.
Partners of the festival:
LITA, author's company
Stredoslovenská vodárenská opčná spoločnost, a. p.
Embassy of Spain in Slovakia
Austrian Cultural Forum
Goethe Institute
Antikvariátik.sk
IKAR, a. with
Faculty of Dramatic Arts – Academy of Arts Banská Bystrica
Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica
UMB Engage