Translation at the interface of modalities — meeting with Filip Łobodziński

As part of the series “Translator in the museum: laurels and orders” we invite you to a meeting with Filip Łobodziński

Does a good translation require a community of experience? In addition to excellent knowledge of the original language and context, is it necessary for the translator to have other experiences — journalistic, musical, stage? How do you explain fiction that grew up on the ground of engaged journalism? What does it take to translate well the prose and poetry of a famous bard? What do you need to be able to see in the biography of the famous instrumentalist and jazz legend? What sensitivity and skills does the translation of the lyrics of songs that have permanently entered the canon of European and world culture require? Filip Łobodziński, winner of many laurels for translations of the works of writer and journalist Arturo Pérez-Reverte, will talk about translation work at the intersection of artistic modalities, including the Cervantes Institute in Warsaw award for the best translation of 2004 for the series Captain's Adventures and the “Literature in the World” Award for the translation In the shadow of the eagle, translator Bob Dylan's work, including Tarantula, nominated for the Gdynia Literary Award 2019, author of the translation of Miles Davis's autobiography, translator of cult songs, British series Monty's Flying Circus Python. The meeting will be hosted by Katarzyna Byłów, translator of literature, member of the Association of Literary Translators.

The meeting will be broadcast live and translated into Polish Sign Language Translated by Anna Morawska and Elżbieta Resler.

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Filip Łobodziński — born in 1959, Iberist by education, legal pensioner, volunteer for homeless animals. In his childhood he acted (“Abel, your brother” by Janusz Nasfeter, “Journey for one smile” and “I bet on Tolka Banana” by Stanisław Jędryka, “Wanted, Wanted” by Stanisław Barea), later he was a journalist for many years (TVP: Wiadowy, Pegaz, Studio Kultura; Trójka” Radio Clash; Inforadio, “Non Stop”, “Rock'n'Roll” Roll”, “Machina”, “MAX”, “Przekrój”, “Newsweek”), for eight years he co-hosted the television program “Xięgarnia”. Since 1979 he has been translating literature and songs from Spanish, Catalan, French, English, Portuguese and Ladino in his spare time. He performs some with the Representative Team and with the dylan.pl group. Winner of the Cervantes Institute in Warsaw Prize in 2005 for the best literary translation, nominated for the Gdynia Literary Award for translation in 2019 and the Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński Prize for Translation Works in 2025, winner of the “Literature in the World” award for the best translation of prose 2025 He also worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Supreme Chamber of Control.

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Katarzyna Byłów — social anthropologist, translator, scholarship holder of the University of St Andrews (2010—2016), European Mind & Life Summer Research Institute (2015, 2016) and European Varela Awards (2015). She conducted scientific research among the Tibetan diaspora in the Himalayas, as a translator and researcher she worked in Belgium, Great Britain, India, and now in Poland. Translator of books and scientific articles in the field of social and cultural anthropology, history, art history, art, texts on social topics and novels. She works at the Center for Migration Research of the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, she is a member of the Olga Tokarczuk Foundation and the Program Council of the Academic Research Center Ex-Center of Olga Tokarczuk, the Association of Literary Translators and the Association of the Center for Traditional Archery in Wrocław.

More about the cycle

The series “Translator in the Museum” has been operating in the Museum of Mr. Tadeusz (Branch of the Ossolinski National Institute) in Wrocław since 2022, but translation meetings have already been held here regularly. In 2024 and 2025, the program was implemented thanks to a grant from MKiDN (“Promotion of Reading”). In 2026, in the series “Laurels and Orders” we will present to the recipients the nominees and winners (not necessarily the most famous ones) of translation awards, which in recent years have become as important as the author's awards — we plan to talk about careers, the impact of the distinction on everyday work and the specifics of working in a specific language. The project is organized in partnership with the Association of Literary Translators.

Date: March—November 2026

See also

The series is organized in cooperation with the Association of Literary Translators.

Co-financed from the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund — a state special purpose fund.

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