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Bath student success in United Nations translation contest

Anna, an MA Translation and Professional Language Skills student, won first prize for translation into English at the UN St. Jerome Translation Contest.

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Published on 16 Oct 2026 Last updated on 16 Oct 2026

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An image made up of two pictures. On the left side is TPLS student Anna. On the right is a graphic for the 17th St Jerome Translation contest - made up of an orange background with icons of books and computer screens.
Anna impressed judges with the ‘harmony and flair’ of her translation.

Bath MA Translation and Professional Language Skills (TPLS) student Anna Hull has been awarded first prize in the prestigious 17th United Nations St Jerome Translation Contest for her translation from French into English of the test piece ‘Les grands-parents d’animaux de compagnie’.

She impressed judges with the ‘harmony and flair’ of her translation, starting with the title, where Anna opted against a literal translation (the grandparents of pets) in favour of the more evocative ‘the pitter-patter of tiny paws’.

The award ceremony, which took place on 30 September, coincided with International Translation Day. It was held online and hosted by the United Nations (UN) Office at Vienna (UNOV).

In a Bath double, two of the volunteers selected to interpret the ceremony were MA Interpreting and Translating (MAIT) students, Alex Graham, working from French and Russian into English, and Nan Hua, working between Chinese and English.

Speaking after winning her award, Anna said:

"I’m honoured that my translation has been awarded first place by the judges of the St Jerome contest. I thoroughly enjoyed translating ‘Les grands-parents d’animaux de compagnie’, especially the challenge of conveying the author’s wry humour in English (while trying not to get carried away with the animal wordplay…).

"I was well prepared to tackle this text by the excellent teaching that I received on the course at Bath, and I’m also extremely grateful for all the other opportunities to improve my language skills that were available to me. Without the chance to study an extracurricular French course, audit French Translation classes and complete a placement at the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva, I would not have considered putting myself forward for this contest.

"I hope that my achievement will inspire other linguists to further their studies and training, and that it demonstrates that there is still very much a need for human creativity in translation."

Continuation of Bath success

Bath students have an impressive record of success in the St Jerome contest, and Anna’s award follows Clare Borradaile’s win in the previous edition, held in 2023.

Bath students qualify to enter thanks to the University’s memorandum of understanding with the UN on cooperation in the training of language professionals.

The contest was launched in 2005 by the English Translation Service at UN Headquarters and welcomed by the UN General Assembly in 2017 in its resolution 71/288 on the role of professional translation in connecting nations and fostering peace, understanding and development. It serves to celebrate multilingualism within the United Nations and highlights the important role that translation plays in the work of the United Nations and in the world at large.

Bath has been training translators and interpreters for over 60 years and is regarded as an international centre of excellence. Bath alumni are proud to play their part in furthering the work of the United Nations, and many other international organisations, by deploying their professional translating, editing and interpreting skills as staff and freelance language professionals all over the world.