My city, Marseille, was the European Capital of Culture in 2013. It’s one of the first things locals spoke of when I came house hunting ahead of a move south in 2016: ECoC had transformed neighborhoods, revitalized heritage sites like the iconic Vieux Port, spurred cool initiatives like the GR2013 (a hiking trail linking urban and natural spaces), and funded the first national museum outside of Paris–the MuCEM. So, when an offer came to work with a team of translators on proposals for the 2028 European Capital of Culture, I didn’t hesitate.

I had the opportunity to work on two ECoC bids, at different phases of the bid process and with two separate teams. Each bid was unique, reflecting the singular character of the cities vying for the title and the visions of the program designers. But the parameters of the selection process and the European Commission’s vernacular also afforded a certain familiarity to the task the second time around.

Challenges for these projects included:

–> Time

Our teams faced extremely tight, hard deadlines and evolving source texts as the bid teams made updates to the French document right up to the last minute. Time was the reason behind dividing up the work among three linguists, since the volume of work was simply too large for a single translator to handle. We also streamlined communications with the bid team by creating a Google Docs query sheet and WhatsApp group for on-call requests.

–>Multi-handed translation

To meet the time constraints, we worked as a team of two translators and one reviewer, with one translator (me on project two) acting as the project lead to interface with the client. Maintaining consistent language and tone of voice are key challenges on group translations. We had two initial calls–one with the client and one internal team call–to set out some basic guidelines and align on client expectations as well as lexical preferences. We also worked in a Computer Assisted Translation tool with an editable glossary and constantly updating Translation Memory. This allowed us to gain maximum consistency as we worked, but of course the final review was critical to harmonize key terms and style preferences, as well as to ensure the client guidelines had been respected throughout.

–>Client interfacing

These translations were done within an agency, where typically the Project Manager handles the bulk of client interactions. Our team was well supported by the PM, but the specifics of these projects–time crunch, evolving source text, very hands-on clients–meant more direct contact between the linguists and the bid writers. I was designated as the project lead on the second bid, which meant acting as the face of our team for the client, responding in real-time to updates and queries, and keeping our team informed of actionable client communications. I participated in several calls throughout the process to explain translation choices, better discern client expectations, and manage last-minute requests.

–>Translating for non-native speakers

The jury reading ECoC bids is composed of European readers for whom English is not likely their mother tongue. The language required is therefore not necessarily the most idiomatic or ‘native’ English. Instead, the focus is on creating clear, direct phrasing. With French as the source text, this involved simplifying syntax and breaking apart intricate sentences, but without losing any of the content or intention.

–>Research

Cultural projects are typically research intensive, involving searches for standard translations of organizations, works of art, and so forth, as well as contextual deep dives into artistic movements and cultural figures. ECoC bids, which tend to include an overview of a city’s cultural and historical heritage as well innovative initiatives by established and emerging contemporary artists for the ECoC year, are particularly research heavy. Again, the time constraints on these projects added significant pressure since research is always time consuming. We reduced some research time by pooling knowledge in a Google Sheet shared with our language team and targeted client querying.

As deserving as they were, our ECoC bid cities did not win the title, but I’m thrilled to learn that Bourges–the Territory of the Future–will be the 2028 European Capital of Culture for France, and I’m excited to see how the organizers will showcase the city and its cultural offering.