The 38th Annual Erasmus Lecture: In Praise of Translation

All know the quip, traduttore, traditore. Translation is an exercise often spurned. It is casually farmed out, these days, to AI. In a postlapsarian world, though, translation stands for crucial competence. The ability to understand, interpret, and render others’ speech is a foundation of culture, a condition for politics. Theology, too, is in essence translation, an attempt to frame in human terms an eternal Word. Erik Varden, cautioning against monoglot assumptions, presents translation as a paradigm for engaging intelligently with otherness. 

About the Lecturer

Bishop Erik Varden spent ten years at the University of Cambridge, after which he joined Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in England as a Trappist monk. In 2019, he was named bishop of Trondheim by Pope Francis, after becoming an ordained priest in 2011. He is the author of The Shattering of Loneliness (Bloomsbury Continuum, 2018), which explores the depth and richness of the Christian tradition.

Dress Code

Jackets are required for gentlemen and equivalent dress for women. Jeans and sneakers are not permitted.

Photography Policy

Attendance at First Things events constitutes consent to be photographed for use in print and electronic media for marketing purposes. Images will not be identified without written approval. Please notify us at [email protected] if you would prefer that your photo not be used.

Please also be on the lookout for registration for the annual Erasmus poetry reading with Ben Myers on Sunday, November 2 at 5 p.m.

To sponsor this year’s Erasmus Lecture, please contact Claire Giuntini, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at [email protected] or 212-627-1985.

In Praise of Translation

2025 Erasmus Lecture

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