"Translated from the Future" - Capsule event with Xia Jia, Milena Adam, and Wolfgang Tress moderated by Felix Meyer zu Venne October 14, 2026 | 8:00–9:00 PM | Otherland (Bergmannstraße 25, 10961 Berlin) Let us imagine we could bridge decades in cryosleep until incurable diseases are defeated. But what does it feel like to awaken in a world where our friends and relatives are no longer there? And what does a world look like where a pandemic has resulted in only children living there? On the third evening of "Translated from the Future," the question arises of how to translate feelings that one does not (yet) know. Time: 8 PM Location: Otherland Bookstore, Bergmannstraße 25 10961 Berlin Admission: Free - please register by emailing [email protected] Language: English Xia Jia writes science fiction, engages academically with the genre, and translates. She teaches Chinese literature at Jiaotong University in Xi’an as a professor. Her style is described as "Porridge Science Fiction" because her stories are sprinkled with numerous elements atypical of the genre, such as references to myths. Her short stories "In the Clouds," "Night Walk of the Dragon Horse," and "Tongtong’s Summer" have been published in capsule publications. Milena Adam is a translator and interpreter from French and English. For Matthes & Seitz Berlin, she has translated works by Sandra Newman, Eileen Myles, Ken Kesey, Alain Damasio, and Cal Flyn, among others. She lives in Berlin. Lucie Rico and Milena Adam were shortlisted for the PRIX Premiere #5 (2024/25). Felix Meyer zu Venne is a sinologist, translator, and Chinese teacher. Since 2018, he has been part of the editorial team of the science fiction magazine "Kapsel"; since 2021, he has been a co-editor of the magazine. He has translated works by Jia Pingwa, Xia Jia, Jiang Bo, Baoshu, Regina Kanyu Wang, and Chi Hui into German. Wolfgang Tress is a co-owner of the Otherland Bookstore in Berlin, which has specialized in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and role-playing games in German and English for over 25 years. His favorite quote is from Ursula K. Le Guin's essay "The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction": "The stories we tell ourselves create the reality in which we live." (translated)
