A-level students awarded in national Young Translators competition

Sixth Form students studying A-level French have truly excelled when it comes to language translation.

Isobel Staite and Rosie Heal in Year 12 entered the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators 2024/25, which is a nationally creative translation competition run by the Queen’s College at Oxford University, which had over 22,000 students who competed.

Both students authored two wonderful submissions and Isabel was selected by the judging panel as the Area Winner for the East of England.

This is an extract from Isobel’s winning translation, describing life in rural Algeria: “Our elders say that, when we lack obligations, we are devoured by boredom. And we warble about our complaints without knowing when we must stop. There is nothing we can do. We coddle our boredom, we cherish it, and you can live a long time with boredom.”

This was an exceptional piece of work from Isobel, whose knowledge of vocabulary and sophisticated use of language made her stand out from a range of impressive entries across the East of England.

This is a brilliant achievement for both students and is testament to their outstanding dedication, intellect and work ethic.