To mark International Translation Day in the final week of September, the Czech Department organised a range of activities that gave students a chance to explore just how much goes into translation.
Year 7 students translated books from the Little People, Big Dreams series from Czech into English and had a go at voice acting for the animated film Bílá paní na hlídání. Getting the timing right proved particularly tricky! Other students tried dubbing scenes from The Lord of the Rings and The Martian and Mozart, discovering how difficult it can be to convey the same meaning, tone, and emotion in another language. They also explored dialects, older expressions, and words borrowed from other languages.
There was a chance to try simultaneous interpreting, too, with students taking on the role of interpreters working in international organisations such as the UN and EU.
Next up, Czech History students will explore the origins of writing, including Egyptian hieroglyphs, Chinese characters, and Mesopotamian cuneiform.
Michaela Manton
Czech Department