Translating Anime and Manga: Workshop at the Mori Ōgai Center at HU Berlin
How do Japanese words and expressions become appropriate German translations? In a four-part workshop at the Mori Ōgai Center at Humboldt University of Berlin, participants aged 14 and older will learn the basics of translation and put them to the test using well-known anime and manga.
The workshop covers both the theoretical foundations of translating from Japanese and practical methods that can be applied immediately. The workshop is open to beginners and advanced learners alike. The only requirement for participation is the ability to read the Japanese syllabaries hiragana and katakana.
Over the course of four two-hour sessions, participants explore various goals and methods of translation. They learn about the linguistic peculiarities of Japanese and examine different ways to render Japanese words and idioms into German.
The focus is on practical exercises: working individually and in small groups, participants develop their own translation proposals, compare different approaches, and discuss them together. Excerpts from well-known anime and manga serve as the basis for these exercises. This allows them to immediately apply what they have learned and develop a sense of the challenges involved in translation.
Dates and Location
The workshop will take place on four dates, each from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at the Mori-Ōgai Center at Humboldt University in Berlin.
November 24, 2026
December 1, 2026
December 8, 2026
December 15, 2026
Location: Mori-Ōgai Center, Luisenstraße 39, 10117 Berlin
The course materials and a light snack are included in the registration fee.
The Speaker
Dr. Nora Bartels is the Education Coordinator at the Mori Ōgai Center at Humboldt University in Berlin. For more than ten years, she has been translating books, films, anime, and manga for German-language publishers. In doing so, she combines academic educational work with many years of practical translation experience.
The workshop offers participants the opportunity to put their Japanese language skills to practical use, learn about different translation strategies, and delve deeper into the language and culture behind their favorite anime and manga.
Registration: https://eveeno.com/animeundmanga