Translation students Ulyana Bogolepova, Viktoria Artamonova, and Lyubov Motina from the Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology won prizes in the 20th International Youth Translation Competition “Littera Scripta”. Ulyana Bogolepova became the winner in the nomination “Opinion Journalism”, Lyubov Motina and Viktoria Artamonova shared 3rd place. Another participant, Kirill Kudelin, entered the short list of winners in the nomination “Poetry”.
The students shared their impressions with us.
“Winning one more competition makes me confident that I am moving in the right direction. I wasn’t focused on winning, as the participation process is always important to me, but I was extremely happy to find my name on the list of winners. This time I was interested in trying my hand at journalism, the task was to translate an article. It was a new experience that helped me understand which translation methods and techniques can produce the desired result with a journalistic text. A particular challenge was to translate the title, I didn’t manage to cope with it on the first try! Of course, it is never easy to start translating a new text, you have to do extensive research and consult a lot of sources. However, if you enjoy what you do, you can easily overcome all obstacles and difficulties. I am particularly grateful to my lecturer and mentor Elena Pivovarova, who supported and encouraged me. I advise anyone who has never participated in a translation competition to try their luck. You might discover talents and strengths you didn’t know you had!” said Ulyana Bogolepova, a third-year student (studying on the programme “Translation and Translation Studies”).
“This was my first time participating in a translation competition.” It was a bit scary, but the urge to try and get experience turned out to be stronger. I was very happy to find out that I was among the prize-winners because there were so many participants! I was particularly interested in the nomination “Opinion Journalism”, although it proved to be quite a challenge. Natalie Nougayrède, the author of the article, touched upon the global issue of the coronavirus pandemic and the role of ordinary citizens in the fight against it. The most challenging for me was to preserve the author’s style and make the article interesting and understandable for Russian readers. Competitions like these are very motivating for professional development. You want push yourself hard and gain new knowledge and experience. Competitions like this are certainly worth participating in to test your skills, find inspiration, and experience the reality of working with a text. I would like to thank my mentor Svetlana Lukina, who invited us to participate in the competition. When we celebrated International Translation Day, she told us about the various professional competitions, but we had no idea at the time that it would soon become a reality. Now I know for sure that the most important thing is to have fun translating and not to be afraid of any challenges!”, commented Viktoria Artamonova, a first-year student (studying on the programme “Translation and Translation Studies”).
Lyubov Motina, a fourth-year student (studying on the programme “Translation and Translation Studies”), noted,
“This contest was my first experience of a translation competition. I was interested to learn more about such events, to look at different types of texts and, of course, to challenge myself! Opinion journalism turned out to be closer to me, although the text was not an easy one. The main difficulty for me was to choose the right wording, preserving the original meaning without compromising the authenticity of the Russian language. I had to “rewrite” my translation several times, to think and read more, for example about the spelling of the French name of the author of the text. Despite the difficulties, it was a very rewarding experience, and I would definitely take part in a similar competition again. In this respect, I am very grateful to my mentor, Svetlana Lukina, who gave me the opportunity to participate in the competition and provided me with guidance. For those who want to try their hand, I recommend that you participate in such competitions, but take your time in selecting a text and take breaks during the translation process. It is important to “feel your text out” by reading it over and over again. It is also very important to read a lot on the topic of the text, referring to both Russian-language and foreign sources, constantly adding to your cognitive assets.”
“Throughout the duration of my study at the faculty, I have monitored the translation competitions which include the nomination “Poetry”, which has been my passion since I was a child. I think it is the most interesting and challenging task for a translator to translate a poem into their native language. When I first read the poem featured in this competition, I knew right away that I had to try! It was written in the form of free verse, with offbeat adjectives and professional equestrian vocabulary, it was both frightening and inspiring. In the process, it was incredibly interesting to read more, to study the topic, to analyse how Russian and English convey attitudes to horses (because it has a cultural connotation!) and the sport itself, how professional concepts function and are utilised in real life. I’m delighted to have gained an unforgettable translation experience through this competition and to have discovered a new author!” shared Kirill Kudelin, a third-year student (studying on the programme “Translation and Translation Studies”).
Larisa Kuzmina, Head of the Department of Translation and Professional Communication, “Our team is always happy to hear about the students’ performance and victories. The previous year was quite rich in successes, our translators won 18 prizes! When students take part in competitions, they are fully immersed in the process, and the time is not divided into semesters and vacations for them. I should also mention that the competitions are more and more often attended by younger students. This is a clear sign that the students choose their profession consciously and purposefully. Their success is an indicator of a responsible attitude towards their studies and an interest in their future profession!”
