Imagining Central Europe: Mitteleuropa Translated

From 8 to 11 September 2026, specialists in Central Europe gather at the LCB to explore a region unmatched in European diversity. Over four days, this "Translathon" brings together translators working across languages, cultures, intellectual worlds, and historical periods. What does Central Europe function as - a repository of knowledge, a utopian literary landscape, a web of texts, a scholarly concept, or merely a buzzword? Does the term still hold meaning, or has it long been ideologically overburdened and exhausted?

The LCB Translathon engages with a selection of Central European texts, both contemporary and canonical, that have yet to appear in German or English translation. On this evening, participants report on their findings and discussions.

Speakers: Alfrun Kliems (Humboldt University Berlin), Anna Seidel (University of Vienna), and Jakob Wunderwald (University of Potsdam)
Moderator: Paula Wojcik (University of Vienna)

The project is supported by the CENTRAL network of universities: Humboldt University Berlin, ELTE Budapest, Charles University Prague, University of Warsaw, and University of Vienna.