AI and Literary Translation – A Struggle for Copyright
This webinar will be conducted only in English. No interpreting services will be provided.
Ce webinaire se déroulera uniquement en anglais. Aucun service d’interprétation ne sera fourni.
Este seminario web se celebrará únicamente en inglés. No habrá servicios de interpretación.
Join us for this joint CEATL–FIT event exploring the impact of AI on literary translation.
German translator André Hansen, co-founder of Kollektive Intelligenz, will discuss the copyright challenges posed by the rapid development of large language models.
CEATL President Francesca Novajra and Andreas Jandl, chair of CEATL’s Authors’ Rights Working Group, will share CEATLs experience advocating for translators in the face of advancing AI.
A brief Q&A will follow the presentations. The webinar will be conducted in English.
The webinar in detail
In his presentation, André Hansen explores what copyright can still offer literary translators
in the face of accelerating AI development. He revisits the historical rationales for copyright,
highlights its benefits and limits for translators, and examines how AI disrupts notions of
authorship and creative agency. Against the backdrop of current EU legislation and strategic
court cases, he critically reflects on common responses—from cultural protectionism to
copyright maximalism—and argues for a strategic reorientation: away from panic and
toward building the creative work environment we really want.
Following Andrés’ expert input, Francesca, representing CEATL as President, and Andreas,
coordinator of CEATL’s Authors’ Rights Working Group, will discuss their advocacy and
educational efforts around AI and translation across diverse European contexts. They will
explore the roles of individual translators and institutions, and present CEATL’s upcoming
campaigns and initiatives for the future.
Our presenters
André Hansen is a literary translator from French, English and Italian to German
and a board member of the German translators’ association VdÜ. He translates
authors such as Nicolas Mathieu, Florence Aubenas, and Thomas Piketty, and is a
co-founder of the project Kollektive Intelligenz (“Aggregate Intelligence”), which
examines the impact of AI on translation practices.
Francesca Novajra is a literary translator working from English, French, and
Portuguese into Italian and a winner of the FIT Astrid Lindgren Prize (2017) for her outstanding work in the translation of children’s literature. She holds degrees in
Translation from the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting in Geneva and in
Interpreting from the University of Trieste. Her professional journey has included
roles as a print production specialist, editorial coordinator for a children’s literature
publisher, and collaborator with a children’s museum. For over twenty-five years,
she has translated fiction and non-fiction for both children and adults. A delegate to
CEATL for the Italian association AITI, she currently serves as CEATL President.
Andreas Jandl translates from French and English into German. His translations
include plays, poetry, non-fiction, and novels by authors such as David Diop, Nicolas
Dickner, Elisa Shua Dusapin, Robert Macfarlane, Gaétan Soucy, and Joséphine
Bacon. In recognition of his body of work, he was awarded the Eugen-Helmlé
Translation Prize in 2021. Since 2024, he has served as the coordinator of CEATL’s
Authors’ Rights Working Group.
by