“Bringing together translation students and successful business leaders has always been a challenge, which is why I felt it was so important to establish a vehicle that provides translation students with the experience of being a translator in the challenging world of commerce and industry. Translation Challenge, which my company established in 2014, brings together different stakeholders of the sector and gives the students the opportunity to experience the translation industry first-hand.”
“My company, TTC wetranslate, works with professional linguists from around the world providing translations into more than 100 languages from our project offices in the UK and Turkey so we really appreciate the need to offer the next generation of linguists live workplace opportunities
“Our own challenge has been to find a new sponsor company each year for the event. Happily over the last eight years some amazing sponsors have stepped up to the plate, but the challenge is far more than just an academic exercise. The sponsor provides a live project for the students to work on and the winning translations are put to work in their business. This year’s sponsor is Truede, an authentic Turkish Delight company founded by Zeynep Turudi.
“The aim is to engage university translation students and give them the experience of being a translator in the sector. This event has proven to be instrumental in complementing the students’ studies and their progress for employability.
“For the second year in a row the Translation Challenge will be held with the participation of 3 universities,” continues Levent, “They are the University of Essex in the UK and two of Turkey’s leading universities, Ege University and Dokuz Eylül University. The sponsor’s source document is shared with students from each of the three universities, the students will be formed into teams with each member taking on different responsibilities throughout the project. At the end of the challenge a winning team will be selected from each University.
“Translation Challenge has been the starting point for many of today’s commercial translators by helping them gain experience, confidence, and a realistic expectation about the industry. The event also gathers translation students from different countries with a common goal and proves that language is a great tool to break down communication barriers.
“After experiencing the success and positive outcomes of the Translation Challenge for universities, students and sponsors, my company’s motivation for organising this annual event is to show that there is more than one side to the translation story while bringing together the future with the present-day translation industry.”
