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The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, hosted by the Queen's Translation Exchange - this one is about to close (ends 28th March) but is a great thing to get involved with if you can. You will need to ask your teacher(s) if your school is registered, as entries are sent in by teachers not individual applicants.
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The Stephen Spender Prize - this is another competition for language students/enthusiasts. It is a poetry in translation competition which is really worth getting involved in and mentioning on your personal statement, even if you don't get an award as mentioned above - it's the effort you're putting in that counts. (This competition opens on 1st May). I highly recommend visiting the Stephen Spender website as there are also lots of resources and guides for budding linguists. Below is an overview of the translation competition:
Submit an English translation of a published poem from any language, together with a commentary of no more than 300 words. The translation should be max. 60 lines. (It is worth noting that a 'commentary' refers to a translation commentary, which is essentially an explanation of why you chose certain words over other alternatives during the translation process)
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Oxford's French and Spanish flash fiction competitions (deadline 27th of March) if you are applying for either French or Spanish. This competition is great because you can enter it yourself (i.e. not through your school) and it only requires you to write a story of under 100 words! (in the target language - i.e. either French or Spanish).
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Trinity College Linguistics Essay Prize - this competition opens a bit later in the year (last year's submission deadline was 1st August), so just something to keep an eye on if you're interested!
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Trinity College Languages and Cultures Essay Prize - this one might be more relevant for MML applicants. They are currently accepting submissions but the deadline is also 1st August so plenty of time to prepare! Here are the essay questions that you can answer for this competition (you can only respond to one):
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‘Cultural objects are never objective. It is crucial to ask whose perspective is dominant.’ Discuss.
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‘Language is often the least effective mode of communication.’ Discuss.
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‘What truth is depends on what language you use.’ Discuss.
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‘Artists change the world by re-defining the meaning of words and/or images’. Discuss.
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There are also plenty of English competitions that you could get involved in, which are particularly relevant if you are applying to Oxford, as the Modern Languages degrees at Oxford are essentially literature degrees (specifically, there is the Trinity College Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature or there are a range of competitions on The Poetry Society's website which you can browse through).
•
The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, hosted by the Queen's Translation Exchange - this one is about to close (ends 28th March) but is a great thing to get involved with if you can. You will need to ask your teacher(s) if your school is registered, as entries are sent in by teachers not individual applicants.
•
The Stephen Spender Prize - this is another competition for language students/enthusiasts. It is a poetry in translation competition which is really worth getting involved in and mentioning on your personal statement, even if you don't get an award as mentioned above - it's the effort you're putting in that counts. (This competition opens on 1st May). I highly recommend visiting the Stephen Spender website as there are also lots of resources and guides for budding linguists. Below is an overview of the translation competition:
Submit an English translation of a published poem from any language, together with a commentary of no more than 300 words. The translation should be max. 60 lines. (It is worth noting that a 'commentary' refers to a translation commentary, which is essentially an explanation of why you chose certain words over other alternatives during the translation process)
•
Oxford's French and Spanish flash fiction competitions (deadline 27th of March) if you are applying for either French or Spanish. This competition is great because you can enter it yourself (i.e. not through your school) and it only requires you to write a story of under 100 words! (in the target language - i.e. either French or Spanish).
•
Trinity College Linguistics Essay Prize - this competition opens a bit later in the year (last year's submission deadline was 1st August), so just something to keep an eye on if you're interested!
•
Trinity College Languages and Cultures Essay Prize - this one might be more relevant for MML applicants. They are currently accepting submissions but the deadline is also 1st August so plenty of time to prepare! Here are the essay questions that you can answer for this competition (you can only respond to one):
•
‘Cultural objects are never objective. It is crucial to ask whose perspective is dominant.’ Discuss.
•
‘Language is often the least effective mode of communication.’ Discuss.
•
‘What truth is depends on what language you use.’ Discuss.
•
‘Artists change the world by re-defining the meaning of words and/or images’. Discuss.
•
There are also plenty of English competitions that you could get involved in, which are particularly relevant if you are applying to Oxford, as the Modern Languages degrees at Oxford are essentially literature degrees (specifically, there is the Trinity College Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature or there are a range of competitions on The Poetry Society's website which you can browse through).
•
The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, hosted by the Queen's Translation Exchange - this one is about to close (ends 28th March) but is a great thing to get involved with if you can. You will need to ask your teacher(s) if your school is registered, as entries are sent in by teachers not individual applicants.
•
The Stephen Spender Prize - this is another competition for language students/enthusiasts. It is a poetry in translation competition which is really worth getting involved in and mentioning on your personal statement, even if you don't get an award as mentioned above - it's the effort you're putting in that counts. (This competition opens on 1st May). I highly recommend visiting the Stephen Spender website as there are also lots of resources and guides for budding linguists. Below is an overview of the translation competition:
Submit an English translation of a published poem from any language, together with a commentary of no more than 300 words. The translation should be max. 60 lines. (It is worth noting that a 'commentary' refers to a translation commentary, which is essentially an explanation of why you chose certain words over other alternatives during the translation process)
•
Oxford's French and Spanish flash fiction competitions (deadline 27th of March) if you are applying for either French or Spanish. This competition is great because you can enter it yourself (i.e. not through your school) and it only requires you to write a story of under 100 words! (in the target language - i.e. either French or Spanish).
•
Trinity College Linguistics Essay Prize - this competition opens a bit later in the year (last year's submission deadline was 1st August), so just something to keep an eye on if you're interested!
•
Trinity College Languages and Cultures Essay Prize - this one might be more relevant for MML applicants. They are currently accepting submissions but the deadline is also 1st August so plenty of time to prepare! Here are the essay questions that you can answer for this competition (you can only respond to one):
•
‘Cultural objects are never objective. It is crucial to ask whose perspective is dominant.’ Discuss.
•
‘Language is often the least effective mode of communication.’ Discuss.
•
‘What truth is depends on what language you use.’ Discuss.
•
‘Artists change the world by re-defining the meaning of words and/or images’. Discuss.
•
There are also plenty of English competitions that you could get involved in, which are particularly relevant if you are applying to Oxford, as the Modern Languages degrees at Oxford are essentially literature degrees (specifically, there is the Trinity College Gould Prize for Essays in English Literature or there are a range of competitions on The Poetry Society's website which you can browse through).
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