Matthew Carey:
I read German and Italian at the University of Oxford where, alongside writing essays on German and Italian literature, I produced multiple translations a week both into and out of these languages. It wasn’t until the end of an Advanced Translation course in my final year – a course which exposed me to translation theory for the first time – that I began to wonder whether there could be such a thing as a Masters in Literary Translation. The MPhil here at Trinity College Dublin was the first result that appeared, and justifiably so. I was drawn to the opportunity to produce both a substantial portfolio of translations and a significant piece of research. The course has delivered on all fronts: it has given us a solid foundation in translation theory and history, training in the use of AI and machine translation, and practical tools like proposal writing to help us break into the professional world of translation. I’m extremely grateful to have been the recipient of the Key Capital Scholarship, which made this incredible experience possible.
Joanna Lewandowska:
When I first visited Trinity at the age of 16, I would never have guessed that a few years later, I would become a student here. But the dream turned into reality! I have been interested in literature for as long as I can remember and, during my BA in Applied Linguistics at the University of Warsaw, I discovered that literary translation was my passion. While I very much enjoy reading and translating fiction, academically, I am most interested in the translation of experimental literature. My dissertation research focused on the translation of the French novel Sphinx by Anne Garréta into Polish: the challenge lies in the fact that the gender of the protagonists remains unknown to the audience. I am now returning to Poland, where I aim to work as a literary translator, preferably of Irish literature. My dream is to see the words ‘translated by’ followed by my name on the cover of a book and, after this year, I believe that this dream will come true. I send my sincere thanks to Key Capital for supporting this great opportunity for me.