Brussels, 01/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - The third Juvenes Translatores (“young translators” in Latin) contest is under way. EU secondary schools wishing to take part can register from 1 September until 20 October. “A contest that started off as a pilot project has developed into a much-awaited highlight of the school year,” said European Commissioner for Multilingualism Leonard Orban. The contest gives students the opportunity to use the language skills they have learnt and to try “working” as translators, he went on, welcoming the fact that some previous winners are now studying translation at university.
In the first instance, secondary schools are invited to register using the on-line form available on the contest website (http: //ec.europa.eu/translation/contest/index_en.htm). Participating schools will be randomly selected by computer. As the number of schools is limited, the basis for selection is the number of votes that each member state has in the Council of the European Union multiplied by two: 58 for France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, 54 for Poland and Spain, 28 for Romania, 26 for the Netherlands, 24 for Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal, 20 for Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden, 14 for Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania and Slovakia, 8 for Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia, and 6 for Malta.
In the second phase, each school should submit the names of up to five students born in 1992. At the same time, the students choose the language from and into which they intend to translate. They are free to choose from any of the 23 official EU languages. The contest will be held on 24 November 2009, with the translations being done at the same time in all member states under the supervision of the schools. Contestants will have two hours to translate a text.
After the contest, the translations will be marked by a panel consisting of professional translators from the Commission's Directorate-General for Translation, and the contest jury will choose the best translation from each member state. All the winners will be invited to an award ceremony in Brussels. (L.C./transl.rt)