The Center for the Art of Translation broadens cultural understanding through international literature and translation, with programs in publishing, teaching, and public events.
We aim to make global voices and great literature accessible to readers and communities through our three programs: Two Lines Press, publishing international literature in translation; the Poetry Inside Out education program; and Two Voices, an event series spotlighting international writers and translators. The Center promotes translation and world writing as a vital bridge not just between languages, but between people.
The Center was incorporated in 2000 to serve a diverse community of globally minded individuals--readers, translators, teachers, and students in the U.S. and worldwide--and to build an audience for international literature.
Two Lines Press, established in 2012, is an expansion of the TWO LINES anthology series, which was founded in 1994 to make international literature more accessible to English-speaking audiences and champion the unsung work of translators. Two Lines Press specializes in exceptional new writing and classics that have not previously been translated into English. For almost twenty years, the TWO LINES series has filled a gap in contemporary publishing, showcasing literature from over seventy languages and giving readers access to renowned and emerging writers from around the world.
Two Voices is the Center’s bilingual reading series launched in 2006 to provide a venue for important cultural exchange and to reach readers of world literature in the Bay Area and beyond. Incorporating afternoon Lit&Lunch readings with evening and special events, Two Voices features international authors and translators, presenting thought-provoking literature from around the world. Two Voices has been called “a cultural treasure of San Francisco” and “an indispensable resource for translators, teachers, students, and readers of world literature.”
Poetry Inside Out is a literacy program that fosters imagination and builds students’ problem solving, critical thinking, and literacy skills through the translation and composition of poetry. The innovative curriculum educates, enlightens, and enhances students’ skills and academic performance, preparing them for success in their academic lives and beyond. Since 2000 PIO has worked with more than 7,000 students and teachers via in-school residencies and professional development.
The Center for the Art of Translation is grateful for the many individuals and institutions that support its mission.