Please introduce yourself shortly.
After completing my Abitur, I knew I wanted to do ‘something with German’, so first I studied comparative literature, and Italian and French language and literature in Munich and then translation studies in Heidelberg. In 1996 I began my dream career as a literary translator – see my answer to the next question. To advocate for greater visibility, esteem and, ultimately, better pay in our field, I’ve been a member of the Weltlesebühne e.V. for over ten years, in addition to organizing and moderating events focused on literary translation. In 2020 we founded the Digitale Weltlesebühne and ever since I’ve conceptualized and edited videos myself and cared for the YouTube channel.
What career experience do you have in your advising field?
I got my start in 1996, translating Oliviero Toscani’s polemic Advertising Is a Smiling Carcass for Bollmann Verlag, and have since translated fiction, children’s and young adult literature, as well as non-fiction. Occasionally, a historical crime novel. Fifteen years ago, I discovered the upsides of translating in a team, and ever since Katharina Schmidt and I have been a solid translation duo, occasionally bringing in a third person. Since 2020 we’ve been the core of the Digitale Weltlesebühne and, for example, have curated a video series together with the Guest of Honour at the book fairs in 2020–2021, Canada, which led to the production of fifty clips, in which translators present their books.
What are some typical questions that participants might ask you in an advising session?
How can I increase my presence online? What legal matters should I keep in mind? How does successful team translation work? How does YouTube work? How can I utilize artificial intelligence? How can I use translation software for literary projects?
What are some of your professional achievements?
Through the years I’ve been awarded various work stipends and start-up grants from the Deutscher Übersetzerfonds. The YouTube channel of the Weltlesebühne now has nearly 500 subscribers – that’s a lot in the literary world – and offers more than 200 videos featuring interviews, events, translator portraits and book presentations.
What languages do you offer advising sessions in?
German, English and Italian.
Where can you be found in the internet/on social media?
Here is the website I share with Katharina Schmidt:: https://www.italienisch-uebersetzung.de/
Here is the Weltlesebühne YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Weltlesebuehne
And here you can find me – altogether active – on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-neeb/
What piece of advice would you offer anyone interested in working in your professional field??
The path to reach your goals won’t always be direct – detours in your career will enrich your life and can lead to new, surprising projects! And: get engaged in your professional networks from the beginning!
What were your greatest challenges in the early years of your career?
To see exactly where things were taking me. Much of what sounded exciting turned out to be less so. And, of course, getting a foot in the door in the publishing industry.