One Planet, One Humanity: Moving Words 2016
On Tuesday 6 December, the 3rd annual translation competition for NZ secondary schools awards' ceremony was held in the Hunter Council Chamber as part of a “Celebration of Creative Translation,” co-hosted by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand, Wai-te-ata Press, and the School of Languages and Cultures.
Taking a different format this year, students were encouraged to respond to the Moving Words (MoWo) theme with a ‘Postcard from NZ’ to the world, write a 200 word caption and translate it into a language of their choice. Distinguished award winners were flown in to celebrate their achievements: Danielle Cooper from John Paul College, Rotorua [French]; Alva Feldmeier from Logan Park High School in Dunedin [German]; and Max Hall from Mt Aspiring College in Wanaka [Spanish]. Angelina Rolston from Cromwell College, Cromwell [in absentia] won a prize for her entry in Russian, as well as the inaugural Sustainability Award.
The MoWo ceremony was preceded by a sneak preview of the forthcoming Italian bilingual edition of 25 Best New Zealand Poems 2015, edited by John Newton and translated by PhD candidate, Francesca Benocci. Steven Toussaint came down from Auckland to read his poem, “The Pond,” and was delighted to listen to the first translation of his own work, read by James Weaver, President of Victoria’s Italian Society. Ashleigh Young’s “Electrolarynx” took a different tone with Janet Colson and Francesca Benocci blending their voices to evoke a memorable episode in the early life of the writer.
Sponsors for an evening that affirmed the power and values of a multicultural and multilingual world included the Embassies of Italy and Spain, the European Delegation to NZ, Alliance Française, the Goethe Institute, the New Zealand Translation Centre and the NZ Society of Translators and Interpreters.