The exhibition “Translator–Enchanter: Texts in Transit Between Portuguese and Serbian” has opened at the National Library of Serbia
The Ambassador of Portugal, José Veles Caroso, said that the NLS is paying proper tribute and respect to those who perform the honorable work of translation.
According to him, the posters and books presented at the exhibition show that only thanks to the work of translators can something written in another language reach us.
“A translator must know not only the language, but also the culture — even the soul — of the person whose work they are translating,” Caroso emphasized, adding that the exhibition also features books by authors who write in Portuguese and come from Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, and other countries.
Caroso noted that in an era of artificial intelligence in translation, “the role of the translator is more important than ever,” because only human translators can preserve what is genuinely human in language.
The author of the exhibition, Nuno Miguel Neves, stressed that the list of translators from Portuguese does not end with this exhibition, expressing hope that in twenty years some of his students will appear on similar posters.
After the opening, in cooperation with Čigoja Publishing, a discussion with translators was held as part of LusoLivro Belgrade, the festival of Portuguese literature, moderated by Sanja Milić.
The exhibition also marks the 20th anniversary of Portuguese language instruction at the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, where Neves teaches Portuguese thanks to a cooperation agreement between the Camões Institute and the University of Belgrade.
Through several panels featuring photographs, texts, and displayed books, the exhibition presents translators from Portuguese: Ana Kuzmanović Jovanović, Jelena Žugić, Jasmina Nešković, Jovan Tatić, Vesna Stamenković, Anamaeija Marinović, and Mladen Ćirić. The exhibition will remain open until November 28.
