The translator, interpreter and founder of the Black Translators Network in Germany speaks to NBG about her work, the founding of the Network and support for translators.
Hi Melody, thank you so much for speaking with us today. Where are you at the moment and what are you doing or working on?
Hi Sarah! Thanks for inviting me to interview for Kaffeepause. I just returned to Berlin after a short holiday and am now working on a pitch for the English translation of Messer, Zungen, SimonĆ© Goldschmidt-Lechnerās multilingual debut novel. This autofictional work delves into the fragmented biographies of a Cape Coloured family, following the German-South African protagonist Girl and her experiences as a migrant in Germany. Thematically, the novel explores language, speechlessness and memory as a communal process, but also resistance against racial violence by returning to lost places as well as being resilient in hostile spaces, both in the German and South African contexts.
Prior to working on this pitch, I translated a series of artistic interventions for a project titled re*visionen curated by Kunsthalle Karlsruhe. I also completed a collection of essays by Berlin-based political educators and researchers on intersectionality and the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law for the Bundeszentrale fĆ¼r politische Bildung (bpb).
Can you tell us how you first got into translation and interpreting? What do you enjoy most about your work?
In 2014, a friend organizing a convening of activists from across Europe asked if I could interpret. At first, I declined explaining that I was not an interpreter. However, not wanting to leave her without support, I offered to help if needed.
This first experience with interpreting was eye-opening: While simultaneous interpreting requires intense focus, it also felt surprisingly natural and easy. I recognized that, despite my lack of formal training, I had a deep well of experience interpreting in personal and family settings, which has proven to be a valuable asset in pursuing a career as a professional interpreter. Furthermore, I find it particularly rewarding to help foster connections and facilitate exchange between individuals who otherwise might not have the opportunity to interact. I consider interpreting to be an inclusive practice that broadens access to participation.
Interpreting paved the way for commercial translation in the arts, followed by some academic and eventually literary translation. While I have primarily translated into German, I have focused extensively on translation into English over the past year.
Are there particular types of texts you most enjoy translating? And is there a dream translation project you would love to work on one day?
Coming from a multilingual world, I feel a deep connection to works that weave languages together, reflecting the layered, hybrid, and often complicated realities that are common but often underrepresented in literature.
Melody Makeda Ledwon
I am drawn to translating prose, especially novels, because of the way they invite me to linger, step back, return, and listen again. There is a quiet joy in finding the right voice, rhythm, and subtle shifts in register that make a text come alive in another language. Coming from a multilingual world, I feel a deep connection to works that weave languages together, reflecting the layered, hybrid, and often complicated realities that are common but often underrepresented in literature. I also enjoy the ability of multilingual texts to defy linguistic boundaries and norms, to critique the power relations embedded in language, and to offer new ways of seeing.
A dream translation project would be to translate another multilingual novel, especially those that explore language as an emotional marker. This would be a story in which shifting between languages is central to the characters’ identities, relationships, and inner conflicts.
Have there been any individuals or communities that have supported you along your career journey? Are there areas where you feel more support or career development opportunities are needed?
Working as a translator can sometimes feel isolating, especially for those who have taken less conventional paths into the profession or come from marginalized communities. Increased funding opportunities are crucial ā¦
Melody Makeda Ledwon
In the summer of 2024, I attended the British Centre for Literary Translation’s Summer School. Attending the Summer School was such a rewarding experience and I found it to be a very supportive community. I continue to keep in touch with the wider BCLT community and share resources with translators from my workshop strand. There are also several translators who have been very generous in sharing their knowledge and time with me, especially Jeremy Tiang. I met Jeremy briefly after a reading of Beijing Sprawl in New York City in 2023. He’s been incredibly supportive ever since: Inviting me to translation events and connecting me with translators and opportunities. Finally, the Violent Phenomena anthology has given me a community, a home of sorts, to turn to when I want to make sense of the translation world and be inspired.
Working as a translator can sometimes feel isolating, especially for those who have taken less conventional paths into the profession or come from marginalized communities. Increased funding opportunities are crucial – for translation projects themselves, but also for gatherings that support translators of color (workshops, networking events), formal mentorships, and peer support programs. I deeply appreciate the efforts of several literary translation organizations and journals in the U.S. and U.K. that are committed to providing opportunities for emerging translators who have been historically excluded from the industry. Through travel grants, sample translation grants, and residencies, they are helping to make the field more accessible. But we need more initiatives like these to support translators’ careers. In places where such opportunities don’t yet exist – such as Germany – it is essential to create them as a step towards a more equitable and inclusive translation industry.
In 2020, you founded the Black Translators Network in Germany. What motivated you to create this network, and could you share a bit about its mission and how it operates?
I started the Black Translators Network in the fall of 2020, after having similar conversations with fellow Black translators in Germany about work opportunities and specific linguistic conundrums related to translating race and Blackness into German. Recognizing the value of collective knowledge, I felt it was essential for us to pool our resources and draw on our shared expertise. The network formed four months after the global Black Lives Matter uprisings and five months before the Amanda Gorman debate in early 2021.
We operate as an online platform where members share job opportunities, discuss questions about the translations they are working on, and offer advice on navigating the German translation industry. Our members range from emerging to seasoned translators, with most in mid-career. Many hold advanced degrees in African or African diaspora studies and linguistics, comparative literature, translation and interpreting studies, while others have entered the industry from a variety of other fields. Our mission is to create a space where Black translators can connect, find support, and grow our collective understanding of translation from our unique perspectives.
The Black Translators Network does not currently have a website, as we are a non-public-facing group focused on fostering exchange among Black translators for now. Unfortunately, due to limited resources, we are unable to respond to external inquiries and requests on behalf of the network. However, I can be contacted individually regarding translation and funding opportunities and forward inquiries to members of the network.
What advice would you offer to Black translators who are just starting out in their careers?
Find community! Sometimes all it takes to find the translation community you are looking for is to connect with one or two people. Sign up for newsletters from literary translation associations and literary magazines to stay informed about career and funding opportunities. And if at first you don’t succeed then dust yourself off and try again.
Melody Makeda Ledwon (she/her) is a bidirectional translator, interpreter and educator. Sie works in German and English.
Born and raised in Berlin she spent most of her adult life in New York City. She holds a bachelorās degree in Africana Studies and Sociology from Hunter College and a masterās degree in Education from Washington University in St. Louis.
Her translations have ben published by S.Fischer Verlage, Penguin Random House, Aki Verlag, Mousse Magazine and TRANSIT.
Melody’s website is here.
