Join three university specialists as they share insights from a four-day "Translathon" exploring Central Europe as a literary and intellectual concept. Speakers Alfrun Kliems (Humboldt University Berlin), Anna Seidel (University of Vienna), and Jakob Wunderwald (University of Potsdam) will discuss how Central European texts are translated and understood across languages and cultures.

The translathon examined previously untranslated works from Central European writers, bringing them into German and English for the first time. Through this work, the speakers explore Central Europe not just as a geographic region, but as "a kind of knowledge base" and "utopian literary landscape." The discussion grapples with fundamental questions: Does the concept of Mitteleuropa remain viable in contemporary discourse, or has it become "ideologically overburdened"? How do translation practices shape our understanding of regional identity?

Moderated by Paula Wojcik from the University of Vienna, this event brings together scholars from the CENTRAL Network—a collaborative project spanning universities in Berlin, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, and Vienna. It's a rare opportunity to hear directly from researchers engaged in active translation work and cultural exchange across the region.

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