Lower Sixth student Tom has been recognised in a prestigious national translation competition, earning a commendation in this year’s Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators.
Run by The Translation Exchange at The Queen’s College, Oxford, the competition challenges students to translate an unseen literary text into English. Far more than a language exercise, entrants must demonstrate a deep understanding of the original text while producing a translation that reads naturally, elegantly and accurately in English. The text chosen for this year’s competition was an extract from Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, one of the most celebrated works of French literature.
This year, two Lower Sixth students Tom and Thea submitted entries in the Level 4 French-to-English category. Tom’s work was awarded a commendation by the judges, a significant achievement in a competition that attracted more than 25,000 students nationwide. More than 5,400 entries were judged, with organisers noting that the standard was exceptionally high and that selecting winners and commendations was particularly challenging.
Tom was inspired to enter after hearing about the competition from a friend.
“It seemed like a fun challenge, especially because it can sometimes be hard to find organised activities for languages, particularly in comparison to STEM subjects.
“I found the task challenging but enjoyable. It was a super tricky text, an extract from In Search of Lost Time by Proust, which is a bit like the French Ulysses. It’s exciting to be commended out of 25,000 participants.
“I find the process of literary translation really fun. It feels like a puzzle where you get to be creative, having to squeeze meaning and intention from one language into another. One thing that was particularly challenging in this task was ensuring that I matched the style of the original text, with its long, flowing sentences that jump from one idea to another, while making sure it still remained (relatively…) coherent.
“I think studying languages is super important because it opens you up to other ways of perceiving the world, but it’s also just a fun challenge!”
The competition is designed to celebrate the art of translation. Students must not only capture the meaning of the original text, but also its style, tone and literary effect. With no single “correct” answer, success depends on careful reading, linguistic precision and creative decision-making.
Congratulations to both Tom and Thea on taking part in this year’s competition.
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