Sixth-formers interested in translation can sign up for a four-day summer school to be organised by the European Commission representation in Valletta next week.
TraTra is a free translation summer school for teens who have finished their first or second year of sixth form. It will be held between September 4 and 7 at Dar L-Ewropa in Valletta.
Throughout the programme, participants will learn about translation through hands-on exercises, talks and workshops with guest translators from different areas (general, prose, poetry and audio-visual translation). The budding translators will also be working individually under the guidance of the course leaders –David Aloisio, Pat Vella Briffa, and David Schembri.
TraTra is part of the European Commission’s Translating Europe Workshops series, run by its Directorate-General for Translation (DGT), which aims to raise the profile and develop the translation profession within the European Union. This is the first time a programme of its sort is being run within the series. DGT also runs the yearly Juvenes Translatores translation competition for sixth-form students. TraTra is also one of the activities linked to the European Year of Skills, launched earlier this year by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“This summer school is unusual in that normally, translation is taught at university level, and many times at a postgraduate level. However, the Juvenes Translatores competition has shown us that students as young as 16 can start translating competently and reflect critically on the work they’re doing,” David Schembri, programme coordinator and Language Officer at the EC Representation said.
“Translation is an essential skill in multilingual societies such as Malta, and we believe the skills associated with quality translation, which include clear writing, critical thinking and research can be beneficial to the participants’ academic and professional development.”
The name “TraTra” combines first three letters of the Maltese and English words for translation, since those will be the languages used in the translations during the summer school.
The event will run between September 4 and 7 from 10am to 2pm each day. Participation is free of charge, subject to registration and parental consent.
To register, visit the event website.