Ekaterina Gromova, Antonina Surmina, and Anton Nechaev, third year translation students from the Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology of VSU, won the 5th Kazan International Translation Contest.
The contest was held between 3 February and 19 April at Kazan (Volga) Federal University with the support of the Institute of International Relations, the Higher School of Foreign Languages and Translation, as well as the Higher School of International Relations and Oriental Studies. The working languages of the competition were English, Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, German, Tatar, Turkish, and French.
The event was attended by over 800 students from 98 universities of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
First place was taken by Ekaterina Gromova, a third year student of VSU (English department):
“The Kazan contest was not my first experience of taking part in translation competitions, however, only this time I managed to be among winners. When working with the text, I did not think about winning at all. I delved into the process and enjoyed it! The news that I won the contest came as a pleasant surprise to me. On the other hand, I had already taken part in 5-6 contests, which allowed me to gain experience. Of course, I had to face a number of challenges, which were quite difficult but very exciting to solve. I want to thank my supervisor, Elena Pivovarova, for her instructions and valuable recommendations that really helped me. This competition was not only an opportunity to gain invaluable experience, but it also encouraged me to develop further in the field of translation and strive for new success!”
The second place was taken by Anton Nechaev, a third year student of VSU (English department):
“I’ve taken part in many professional contests. But this time I decided to test my own abilities in my second foreign language, Spanish. The first attempt was successful. Such a positive experience encourages and motivates me to continue developing my translation skills. I would like to thank Elena Pivovarova who always promptly informs us about contests and invites us to participate. I would also like to thank my Spanish teacher, Natalia Ponomarenko, for her professional support when I was preparing for the contest.”
Antonina Surmina, a third-year student of VSU (German department), took third place:
“Participating in the contest was very important for me because it allowed me to gain practical experience. Such events provide an excellent opportunity to test your knowledge and skills in a working context and to get an objective assessment of your translation work. In addition, the topics and content of the texts were relevant, full of vocabulary which most of us come across in the media space every day, but, most likely, we do not think about how it can be rendered by means of another language. For me, as a future translator, it was interesting and useful to work with a new topic, expand my vocabulary, as well as learn a little more about how common digital platforms can affect the educational process. I would like to express my gratitude to Olga Cherkasova, my teacher of English, for her enthusiasm, support, and faith in me!”
“The staff of our department congratulates the winners and wishes them to keep on developing! The successful participation of our students in professional contests once again demonstrates the professionalism of lecturers who train future translators. This is especially significant in the year that has been declared the Year of the Teacher and Mentor,” said Larisa Kuzmina, Head of the Department of Translation and Professional Communication of the Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology.
