Stjepanka Pranjković
area: Translation
Key Facts
nationality
Croatiaarea
Translationresidence
Zagrebrecommending institution
BMEIAtime period
September 2021 - October 2021STJEPANKA PRANJKOVIĆ (born in Banja Luka in 1990) studied German and Croatian philology and translation studies in Osijek and Nitra, focusing on the pragmatic aspects of translation (MA). During her studies and in recent years, she participated in numerous seminars and workshops in the fields of language and literary translation (in Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Serbia and Croatia). Since 2018, she has been a tutor at the Summer College "Literary Translation Premuda" at the University of Vienna. She is also a member of the Society of Croatian Literary Translators. Most of the time she lives in Zagreb, where she works as a freelance translator ("Mimesis") and interpreter.
The main goal of my stay in Vienna is the translation into Croatian of the novel "Hippocampus" (Kremayr & Scheriau) by the Austrian author Gertraud Klemm. The book will be published in 2022 by the Croatian publishing house Hena com.
I consider this book an important example of contemporary feminist literature that definitely needs to be transferred to the cultural sphere of the Balkans, where patriarchy is still prevalent both in everyday life and in the literary scene. I am therefore very pleased that the publishing house has entrusted me with this task. Gertraud Klemm addresses sexism and oppression of women in her professional and private environment and uses literature as a mode of resistance. She challenges the literary industry and dismantles mechanisms of pseudo-equality. This complex text is built on two voices: A protagonist and a female protagonist - their voices differ stylistically, which is the author's main methodological approach.
My time in Vienna allows me to exchange ideas with colleagues from Austria. I also like to take the opportunity to work exclusively on this translation, since I would rarely have such an opportunity in my everyday life as a freelance translator.
During my stay in Vienna, I was engaged in translating the book "Hippocampus" by the Austrian author Gertraud Klemm, for which I also received the scholarship. I enjoyed having the peace and time to deal with this complex book and to be able to think about the choice of words in the Croatian text. It was also very helpful to meet with the author, who gave me more context about the book and offered her help with questions, which I will also use. While working on the translation of the novel, I also met with colleagues from Austria, exchanged ideas about literary translation and different approaches, and accepted help on certain parts of the translation (e.g., certain expressions specific to Vienna or Austria). I got very far with the first version of the translation in Vienna, so I am very grateful for the opportunity to work in peace and to be able to devote myself to my passion, which is also becoming a profession. I have also attended readings at the Alte Schmiede and the Literaturhaus, as well as different exhibitions at various museums, the Parallel Vienna, the Vienna Fashion Week and the Film Festival, which has introduced me to the cultural scene in Vienna and enriched me with some experiences. Likewise, I participated in a workshop on literary translation at the Literaturhaus, which is important for my professional development.