Alba Doherty-Madrigal, from Maynooth Post Primary School, is the Irish winner of the 2021 Young Translators Contest for Secondary Schools.

Rytis Martikonis, Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Translation, has been organising the Juvenes Translatores (Young Translators) contest every year since 2007. Over the years, the contest has become a life-changing experience for many of the participants and winners. Some have decided to study translation at university, and some have gone on to join the Commission as a trainee or even full-time translator.

Alba netted the European Commission Award for her Spanish-to-English translation on the theme: Navigating in challenging times – together we are stronger.

Commenting on her win, Alba said:

“I am so glad I was able to take part in this competition as I have undoubtedly learned more about translating and about these languages. I believe learning languages is a crucial skill as they can bridge cultural and communicative gaps.”

The Contest

The Juvenes Translatores (Young Translators) contest is organised annually by the European Commission. It aims to promote language learning in schools and to give young people a taste of what it is like to be a translator.

Staff translators at the Commission selected 27 winners (one per EU country) from among almost 2,800 participants across Europe. In addition, 248 students received special mentions for outstanding translations.

Online Award Ceremony

The winning translators from each EU country, along with their teachers, will be invited to attend an online award ceremony on Friday 2 July 2021. There they will meet a professional translator from the European Commission, to find out more about translation and languages.

Life-changing Experience

Rytis Martikonis, the Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation, has been organising the Juvenes Translatores (Latin for young translators) contest every year since 2007. Over the years, the contest has become a life-changing experience for many of the participants and winners. Some have decided to study translation at university, and some have gone on to join the Commission as a trainee or even full-time translator.

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