Press release
Young Translators’ Competition Shield brought back to An Spidéal
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
Cainnear Nic Réamoinn, a student from Coláiste Chroí Mhuire in An Spidéal, Conamara has been announced today (27 April 2022) as the winner of the 2022 Young Translators’ Competition. This is the second year in a row that a student in Coláiste Chroí Mhuire has won the Perpetual Shield for a translation from French into Irish.
Tomás Ó hUiginn, Roscommon Community College; Seán Holt, Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach; Liam Ó hÓgáin, Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne; and Niamh Ní Mhuirí, Scoil Iósaef, Tyrone won the Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster categories and were each awarded Samsung tablets.
Speaking at the Competition Awards Ceremony, Minister of State Jack Chambers said:
“I am delighted that my department, in partnership with the European Commission, has been able to run this very important competition again this year. It's also great to be able to meet these young translators in person and I congratulate all the applicants who took part in this year's competition. The derogation on the use of the Irish language in the EU institutions ended on 31 December 2021 and it is extremely important that those wishing to fill EU posts have excellent translation skills in the years to come. The winners have shown great skill and I would like to heartily congratulate each of them. Well done to you all.
“It is great that young people are showing so much interest in the field of translation and this is a testament to the great work that my department's officials have put in to end the derogation, especially through the Advanced Irish Language Skills Initiative through which many Irish 3rd level institutions are involved in preparing translators for a career as translators in the European institutions. The range of opportunities in the field of Irish translation is going from strength to strength and I am confident that the Competition experience will stand to all the young people who entered as they embark on a career in translation in the future.”
Also present at today's ceremony were Seán Hade, Head of the Irish Language Unit at the European Commission and Barbara Nolan, Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland. The Young Translators’ Competition is a joint initiative between the European Commission and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media which is running since 2018.
Seán Hade, Head of the Irish Language Unit at the European Commission, said that the students who took part in this year's competition should “be very proud of their achievements” and that “it is wonderful to see the high standard and accuracy shown by the winners in their translations.” Seán was delighted with the range of languages used by the students in this year's competition, and is looking forward “to expanding that range in the years to come.” Finally, he said he hopes that “this work inspires the candidates to consider translation as a profession in the future.”