Translation Triumph at King’s

We are very proud of Fifth Year pupil Eva who was highly commended for her French translation in this year’s Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, organised by the Queen’s Translation Exchange at the University of Oxford.

Eva was one of a number of Fifth Year Modern Language pupils who took part in the competition, which is named in honour of the celebrated Asterix translator.

Defying the national downturn in language learning, this year’s competition attracted entries from 25,000 pupils from 532 schools across the UK, making Eva’s achievement all the more impressive.

The pupils who took part in the competition received specialist tutoring from Mrs Hartley, who was delighted to learn of Eva’s success.

She said: “The pupils all worked very hard in preparation for the competition and I am thrilled that Eva has been so successful. There is an art to good translation and the students fully embraced the challenge, showing great skill and maturity in their work.

“Going beyond the language curriculum in this way is important for pupils and it is something that we encourage at King’s. It gives context and meaning to the language and enables students to access different cultures in new and exciting ways.

“Nationally, language learning is in decline but it is our belief at King’s that the skills students gain through learning a language are increasingly important in our changing world.”

Dr Charlotte Ryland, Director of the Queen’s Translation Exchange, added:

“The skills developed through translation – critical thinking, problem solving, empathy – set the rising generation up to thrive in our global economy. Our Anthea Bell Prize winners excel in all these skills, and I can’t wait to see what they go on to do.”