Juvenes Translatores: Winners at translation contest for secondary schools

The European Commission today congratulates the 27 winners of its Juvenes Translatores translation contest for secondary schools. The participants could choose to translate between any 2  of the EU’s official languages. Of the 552 possible language combinations, the budding translators used an impressive 150.

The topic for this year´s contest – ‘Navigating in challenging times – together we are stronger‘ – turned out to be an accurate reflection of Europe during the past year. Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn said:

“My congratulations to the students who took up the translation challenge in such difficult circumstances. I also congratulate the teachers, who were determined to organise the contest right in the midst of online teaching. All have demonstrated a true passion for languages and multilingualism.”

Based on the amount of positive feedback, the contest brought much needed variety to the pupils ‘ daily lives. As a pupil in a school in Romania put it: “Within this dreary landscape, Juvenes Translatores came as a ray of sunshine that sliced through the darkness… by a twist of fate.”

Another, from an Italian school, wrote: “Thanks to projects such as Juvenes Translatores, students can find stimuli for learning linked to reality, and to their expectations of integration and belonging.”

27 winners at school translation contest

Staff translators at the Commission selected 27 winners (one per EU country) from among almost the 2,800 participants across Europe. In addition, 248 students received special mentions for outstanding translations. The best young translator from each EU country will participate to an online award ceremony on Friday 2 July 2021. The winners and their teachers will also be able to meet a professional translator from the European Commission, to find out more about translation and languages.

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.

Language learning in schools

The goal of Juvenes Translatores is to promote language learning in schools and give young people a taste of what it’s like to be a translator. The competition is open to 17-year-old secondary school pupils and takes place at the same time in all participating schools across the EU.

Use of multiple languages to communicate  – which of course includes translation – has been an integral part of the EU since it was  first created. Language learning enshrined in the first EU Regulation in 1958. Since then, the number of official EU languages has grown from 4 to 24, as more countries joined.

Juvenes Translatores 2020-21 winners:

COUNTRY	WINNER	PARTICIPANTS per COUNTRY
Name, language pair	Name of the school, city	Number of schools	Number of students
Austria	Elena-Jael Seifarth, EN-DE	Akademisches Gymnasium, Salzburg	19	65
Belgium	Lukas Van Lishout, EN-NL	Sint-Barbaracollege, Gent	13	57
Bulgaria	Лъчезар Попов, EN-BG	32 Средно училище с изучаване на чужди езици „Свети Климент Охридски“, София	17	73
Croatia	Nikola Mamić, EN-HR	Gimnazija Bjelovar, Bjelovar	12	49
Cyprus	Marinos Eliades, EN-EL	The Heritage Private School, Limassol	6	24
Czechia	Kateřina Fryšarová, EN-CS	Gymnázium Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, Rožnov pod Radhoštěm	21	81
Denmark	Helene Friis, EN-DA	Svendborg Gymnasium, Svendborg	13	54
Estonia	Eva-Riin Järve, EN-ET	Viimsi Gümnaasium, Viimsi	7	29
Finland	Hanna Pörsti, DE-FI	Tampereen yhteiskoulun lukio, Tampere	14	56
France	Adele  Hory, EN-FR	Lycée Alphonse Daudet, Nîmes	76	331
Germany	Johanna Volk, ES-DE	Goethe-Gymnasium, Bensheim	73	267
Greece	Αικατερίνη Παπαδημητρίου, EN-EL	1ο Πρότυπο Γενικό Λύκειο Αθηνών – Γεννάδειο, Αθήνα	21	89
Hungary	Csőke Zétény, HU-EN	Neumann János Gimnázium, Technikum és Kollégium, Eger	21	89
Ireland	Alba Doherty-Madrigal, ES-EN	Maynooth Post Primary School, Maynooth	10	45
Italy	Tiziano Frasnelli, ES-IT	Liceo linguistico Sophie M. Scholl, Trento	76	371
Latvia	Krišjānis Zauska, EN-LV	Valkas Jāņa Cimzes ģimnāzija, Valka	8	28
Lithuania	Emilija Makaravičiūtė, DE-LT	Jonavos Jeronimo Ralio gimnazija, Jonava	11	45
Luxembourg	Jelena Thiel, DE-EN	Lycée Robert Schuman, Luxembourg	6	24
Malta	Nathan Anthony Pace, EN-MT	L-Universita ta’ Malta G.F. Abela Junior College, Msida	6	27
Netherlands	Lauren Palamba, DE-NL	Stedelijk Gymnasium, Breda	26	95
Poland	Stanisław Adamowicz, EN-PL	I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. ks. Stanisława Staszica, Hrubieszów	52	221
Portugal	Leonor Silva, EN-PT	Escola Secundária Camilo Castelo Branco, Vila Nova de Famalicão	21	86
Romania	Iulia Berciu, EN-RO	Liceul Teoretic „Ioan Jebelean”, Sânnicolau-Mare	33	147
Slovakia	Tereza Kvokačková, EN-SK	Gymnázium Jána Adama Raymana, Prešov	14	55
Slovenia	Patrizia Pahor, DE-SL	Dvojezična srednja šola, Lendava	8	35
Spain	Javier Sánchez-Bonilla Martínez, EN-ES	Retamar, Pozuelo de Alarcón	59	267
Sweden	Chloë Carter, PT-EN	Malmö Borgarskola, Malmö	21	87
TOTAL	664	2797

* The number of participating schools from each country is equal to the number of seats the country has in the European Parliament; the schools themselves are selected randomly by computer.

eudebates EU translation contest