We are absolutely delighted to announce the outstanding success of Great Park Academy students in the prestigious Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, organised by Queen's College, Oxford University. For the second year running, our talented linguists have excelled, bringing home both regional and national honours!
In the Spring term, all Key Stage 3 students at Great Park Academy enthusiastically participated in this exciting translation competition, designed to celebrate and encourage young linguists. Following a rigorous selection process, five top translations from each year group were submitted in February, showcasing the incredible linguistic talent within our school.
We are immensely proud to celebrate our North East regional winners:
- Cooper Cole & Mamadou Saine (7 Birch): Level 1 Area Winner for North East, Mandarin
- Alice Martin (9C/9X): Level 1 Area Winner for North East, German
The good news continues with an even more impressive announcement! We are absolutely thrilled to share that Cooper Cole and Mamadou Saine (7 Birch) have not only achieved regional success but have also been selected by the judges as National Winners for Mandarin Level 1! They competed for this highly coveted national title against other Regional Winners in their category, demonstrating exceptional linguistic prowess and understanding.
This is a truly remarkable achievement, especially considering the sheer scale of the competition. Over 22,000 students from across the UK participated this year, and nearly 5,000 final entries were meticulously judged. To be recognised at a regional level among such a vast and talented pool of young linguists is a testament to their dedication and skill.
Ms Khalid, Curriculum Leader for MFL, expressed her immense pride:
"We are incredibly proud of Cooper, Mamadou, and Alice. Their success in the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and natural aptitude for languages. It's fantastic to see our students not only engaging with language learning but also excelling on a national stage. This achievement truly inspires all our young linguists at Great Park Academy."
Would you like to see their award-winning translations? Both of our regional and national winners expertly translated poems that were originally written in Chinese and German. You can view their impressive entries here: