Juvenes Translatores - Multilingualism, translation and language-based AI services

What is Juvenes Translatores?

Juvenes Translatores is an annual online translation contest for 17-year-old secondary school students across the EU. It’s organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Translation to inspire and encourage young people to learn languages and has been running since 2007.

See below the list of randomly selected schools. The selection is final and cannot be contested. However, if a selected school withdraws or is unable to participate, and time and resources allow, the quota for the country may be filled by a second randomly drawn school from that country. In such cases, the list published on the website may not be updated, but the school will be informed directly (Contest Rules, Chapter 3. Selection of Schools).

See list of selected schools

Why take part?

Juvenes Translatores offers several benefits for students and schools.

1

Put your language skills to work

Students experience what translating a text feels like and are able to apply their language knowledge in a new context. This builds confidence in their skills.

2

Explore other cultures

Translating involves more than finding the right words. It requires students to understand different perspectives and cultures.

3

Gain recognition

Winning the contest is a significant achievement, recognised at EU level and rewarded with a 3-day trip to Brussels.

What previous participants say

“Juvenes Translatores made me believe in the ‘European project’. Meeting other winners in Brussels showed me what the EU can truly mean – it no longer felt distant but full of friends.”

Ivar Lasses, 2023 winner for Sweden

“In uncertain times, connecting with inspiring people from across Europe gave me hope for the future. As young translators, we play a key role.’’

Jan Hübel, 2022 winner for Luxembourg

‘’Thank you for your dedication to promoting language learning and camaraderie among young translators. It’s made a lasting impact on Iulia’s journey as a language enthusiast.”

Dana-Marciana Jebelean, Romania – teacher of 2023 special mention student lulia-Karina Meszaros

How the contest works

Schools apply online from early September to mid-October. We share the registration link on this page and on social media when registration opens.
We randomly select 720 schools across the EU through an electronic draw. There is a quota for each country based on the number of seats it has in the European Parliament.
Each selected school can enter 2 to 5 students.
Students choose any language pair from the 24 EU official languages.
On contest day in late November, students translate a 1-page text between any 2 EU official languages, under exam conditions, supervised by their teachers.
Students have 2 hours to complete their translation.
The contest takes place online. Schools must provide internet access and appropriate IT equipment.
Participants may use paper and online dictionaries, but not spell-checkers, machine translation, AI or computer-aided translation tools.

Choosing the winners

Professional translators from the European Commission assess all entries. They evaluate the translations for accuracy, correct grammar and expressions, fluency and creativity in finding effective translation solutions.

They choose 1 winner per EU country and may also award special mentions to additional participants whose translations show excellent quality.

We announce the winners and special mentions in early February.

What is the prize?

The 27 winners are invited to Brussels for 3 days in the spring. The programme includes an award ceremony and the chance to meet Commission translators and learn about their work. The Commission arranges and pays for travel, accommodation and some meals for each winner, accompanied by 1 teacher and up to 2 parents or guardians.