Lauren
A student from Tory Island has scooped a first in Ireland.
Lauren Ní Bhaoill, who is a final-year student at Colaiste Phobaiol Cholmcille has won first place in the Juventes Translatores translation competition run by the European Commission.
The Juvenes Translatores (Latin for ‘young translators’) contest has been organised every year since 2007 by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation.
Its aim is to promote language learning in schools and give young people a taste of what it is like to be a translator.
It is open to 17-year old secondary school pupils (for those born in 1998, for this year’s contest) and takes place at the same time in all selected schools across the EU, including in its outermost regions.
The contest has inspired and encouraged some of the participants to pursue their languages at university level and to become translators.
Eleven schools in Ireland took part in the competition where students, who are seventeen years old, translate a piece of writing from one European language to another.
Lauren chose to translate the article about a person doing voluntary work in Sierra Leone, from English to her native Irish, and a result of her efforts she has won a trip to Brussels for herself and a parent.
A prize will be presented to all 28 European winners at a ceremony in Brussels in April. And Karen Ní Dhuibhir, another leaving cert student, came second in the competition.
It seems that the Tory islanders have excellent translating abilities because eight years ago another student from the College won the same competition.
