Linguist Wins Poetry Translation Competition

A talented linguist at Solihull Sixth Form College has scooped a translation prize after being named as one of the winners of the Stephen Spender Translation competition this year.

Emily Evans, who is currently in Year 13 and studying French, Computer Science and Criminology, is one of three Key Stage 5 winners in the competition. She translated the French poem ‘Les Corbeaux’ by Guy Goffette to win the prize. Fellow learner Sarai McDonald also entered the competition and received a commendation for her entry.

The Stephen Spender Prize is the leading annual prize for poetry in translation, with categories not only for learners, but also for adults too. The competition asks people to translate into English any poem from any language – from French to Farsi and from Spanish to Somali.

Jane Weatherup, a Modern Languages teacher at the College, commented:

"The Stephen Spender Prize is a very prestigious competition and Emily has done fantastically well to be named one of the winners."

After finishing her A levels at College, Emily is hoping to progress to the University of Coventry to study Games Art, while continuing to practise French outside of education.

5 December 2024