"Writers make national literature and translators make universal literature," José Saramago affirmed with profound simplicity.
Many times, still in the shadows and subjected to harsh working conditions, seven translators draw us the keys to an essential job for the reader.
“Every act of communication is translation," affirmed George Steiner, perhaps the last great European humanist. Without being so radical, the truth is that translation is one of the great pillars of the literary world. In Spain, according to the latest data from the Federation of Publishers Guild, slightly more than 13,000 books are translated a year, which translates to 15% of all publications. Despite this, translators are greatly ignored in the literary world. It is a subtle and complex profession on which they have always worked in the shadows, with not enough monetary retribution and a lack of recognition. Without the translators we would not be able to access much of the world's culture.
