One way to develop your professional competencies and to network with collegues is attending translation residencies. They are generally organised quite informally, although they tend to have set application deadlines. Conditions may vary greatly: some offer free accommodation, while others charge a (sensible) fee, some offer grants to cover travel expenses or even per diems, or a combination of grants and fellowships.
Translation residencies or literature houses are either managed as independent institutions or form part of already existing NGOs. In addition to offering work spaces for translators, they also organise talks and other public events.
Fifteen literary translation centres from 13 European countries have formed a network called RECIT (Réseau Européen des Centres Internationaux de Traducteurs littéraires), but they are not the only ones of their kind. Translation houses may be privately funded or supported by a public—usually regional or local—funding body.
If you are considering hosting a translation residency, please be aware that it does require considerable financial resources. You also need to bear in mind that a literature or a translation house has to be a quiet and comfortable place where translators can work in peace. It has to be fully furnished and equipped with living necessities so that translators do not have to worry about the minutiae of everyday life. If your financial structure does not allow for grants, you can pay your guests a speaking fee for participating in your public events.
Check out some of these success stories:
A New Translation Residency in Slovenia
Residency of the Croatian Literary Translators’ Association for literary translators and writers