Ana Šubic has joined twenty-eight other students from all over Europe for winning the 2017-2018 translation contest for secondary schools ‘Juvenes Translatores’! Ana translated from English into Slovene. Two other students from the DCG, Ana Schrader, who translated from German and Martin Rode, translating from Spanish, received a special mention for their translation. The 60th anniversary of the signature of the Treaty establishing the European Community was the topic of the texts which young translators from across Europe had to translate.

We all agree that Latin, which all of the above-mentioned competitors have been learning now for the third year, contributed to the excellency and accuracy of their translations. Alenka Battelino, the teacher of English at the DCG, is Ana Šubic’s mentor. In April 2018 Ana will travel with her to Brussels to collect the award for the most accurate translation of Slovenia. This year The Diocesan Classical Gymnasium has competed for the fourth time in a row and won the competition three times! Well done indeed!

The Contest in Numbers

For the 11th time since 2007, over 3000 students from across the European Union translated texts, this time on the subjects of languages and translation. They could choose from any of the 552 possible combinations between any two of the EU’s 24 official languages. Students used 152 language combinations. All winners chose to translate into their strongest language or mother tongue, as the official translators in EU Institutions do.

The Commissioner Günther Oettinger, responsible for Budget and Human Resources at the European Commission congratulated the winners, parents and teachers, pointing out that “This is a great initiative combining two of Europe’s greatest values – language diversity and youth talent.« The aim of the contest is to promote language learning in schools and give young people a taste of what it is like to be a translator.

The Slovene Context of Juvenes Translatores

On the national level, there were 35 students competing from eight Slovene high schools. There were six contestants from the DCG, translating from English, German and Spanish. Peter Jakša, Language Officer from the Representation of European Commission in Slovenia, congratulated warmly the students, mentors and the headmaster Simon Feštanj on the outstanding success of the school. The obligatory languages taught at the DCG are Latin and English, some students take also classical Greek, but all have to choose a third foreign language from German, French, Spanish or Russian. /Lily Schweiger Kotar/