John Calder Week | How I translate – in conversation with Katharine Halls
29 January 2026 @ 14:30 - 15:15 GMT
Grab a cuppa and get to know Translator, Katharine Halls. Katharine will be discussing her work and career and offering a glimpse into her creative routines.
The chair of this event is currently TBC but will be updated soon.
#SoAatHome in conversation events – free for all + donation
#SoAatHome How I Translate in conversation events are free for all but with a donation option when registering for the event.
All donations made go towards the Society of Authors’ Access Fund. The fund is to help provide authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats. If you would like to make a donation with your booking, please do so when registering for the event below.
John Calder Week
From 27 – 30 January 2026, we are running a week of events to celebrate the SoA’s new John Calder Translation Prize which was launched in November 2024.
The John Calder Translation Prize is an annual award for translations into English of full-length ambitious, groundbreaking works of literary merit and general interest. The winner is awarded £3,000 and a runner-up is awarded £1,000.
The aim of the John Calder Translation Prize is to celebrate new and ambitious translations into English of full-length works (fiction, non-fiction and poetry) which are distinguished by the highly personal and imaginative approach of the authors to their subject. Submissions can be from any language into English.
The week includes:
- 27 Jan | Industry Insider – Editing translation
- 29 Jan | How I write – in conversation with Katharine Halls
- 30 Jan | SoA in Person: Feel Good Friday – London literary tour
Programme
- Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from chair (tbc) (3 mins)
- Introductions to Katharine Halls, and a glimpse into her creative routine (15-25 mins)
- Katharine will do a short reading from her latest translation On the Greenwich Line (2-3 mins)
- Q&A with audience (10-15 mins)
- Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
- This event will be moderated by Robyn Law – Head of Charities, SoA
Send us your questions
If you would like to send questions in advance, email RLaw@societyofauthors.org with ’Katharine Halls – Question’ in the subject header. We will prioritise questions sent in advance and answer as many as we can from the audience on the day.
#SoAatHome Fundraising Bookshop
Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in the #SoAatHome. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.
The Line-up
Katharine Halls
Katharine Halls is an Arabic-to-English translator. Her translation of Ahmed Naji’s prison memoir Rotten Evidence was awarded the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize. Her work appears in AGNI, The Kenyon Review, The Believer, McSweeney’s, The New York Review of Books Online, Deep Vellum’s Best Literary Translations, and The Penguin Book of the International Short Story.
Website: www.katharinehalls.com | Instagram: @k_l__h___
Need to know
Accessibility
- Attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, to watch with subtitles
- If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org
Before the event
- Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the Zoom link
- If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive in your inbox, please check your junk/spam email folder
- Please add events@societyofauthors.org to your Safe Senders list so you receive our confirmation and reminder emails
During the event
- This online event will take place on Zoom Webinar; you will not be visible on screen but will be able to ask questions via the Q&A function or interact via the chat box
- This event will be recorded but you won’t be on screen
- Attendees have the option to turn on the live transcript
- This event is 45 minutes
After the event
- Hashtags for this event: #SoAatHome & #TranslationPrizes
- You’ll be able to catch the recording on our Vimeo channel
Booking
Please either use the form titled ‘Register – no donation’ or the option of the different ticket options with a donation amount depending on how much you would like to donate towards the Society of Authors Access Fund.
Accordion Content
Access 20% off your first year of membership of the SoA with discount code SOAATHOME20
The Society of Authors is the UK’s biggest trade union for authors – representing more than 12,000 writers, illustrators, translators and other creative practitioners.
Our subscription rate is just £137 per year (£97 concessionary) which equates to just under £12 per month (or £8 per month concessionary).
As an SoA member, you’ll get:
- Access to all our #SoAatHome events for free including the Professional Development sessions usually charged at £35 from Feb 2025
- Access to all our Feel Good Friday and Industry Insider events which are usually charged £5 from Feb 2025
- Access all #SoAatHome Vimeo professional development recordings so you can catch up in your own time
- Access Unlimited one-to-one professional advice
- Membership of our online and real-world professional networks and special interest groups
- A range of member-only discounts, including books, insurance and travel
- And much more
‘It was a surprisingly lovely way to meet fellow writers in a friendly, warm surrounding perfectly hosted by the SoA staff. Thank you for all the introductions, the welcome and the nourishment!’ – attendee from SoA in Person: Autumn New Members’ Party 2024
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Accordion Content
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If you are in a position to help, please donate via the link below. If you are an author facing access issues, please click here to see if we can help.
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Register - No Donation
Please use the booking form to register for this event.
Please email events@societyofauthors.org if you have any questions.
