Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators
This year, A Level Modern Foreign Language students at King’s High were invited to take part in the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, a national translation competition run by the Queen’s Translation Exchange at the University of Oxford. The Anthea Bell Prize, named in honour of the celebrated Asterix translator, is an annual competition open to secondary school students. A record-breaking 25,000 school pupils from 532 schools across the UK took part in the 2026 competition, defying the national downturn in language learning. The prize, now in its sixth year, saw participation surge again this year, cementing its status as the largest creative translation competition for young people in the country.
King’s High student, Florence, now in Upper Sixth, was awarded Area Winner for the Midlands in German translation, Level 4 (advanced), having expertly translated an extract from a book called Jeder stirbt für sich allein (1947) by Hans Fallada (1893-1947). Inspired by a true story, the book follows an ordinary German couple who initially try to stay out of trouble under the Nazi regime, but are then shocked into mounting a silent campaign of resistance against the Nazis.
Dr Stephen Burley, Head Master of King’s High School, said:
“I am absolutely delighted to congratulate Florence on this outstanding achievement. To be recognised as the Midlands Area Winner in the advanced German category, in a competition attracting 25,000 entries from across the country, is a remarkable accomplishment. I am particularly proud of Florence’s scholarly endeavour: translation requires exceptional linguistic skill, intellectual curiosity, close reading, cultural understanding and the ability to engage sensitively with a complex literary text. Florence has demonstrated all of these qualities in abundance, and her achievement is a wonderful example of the intellectual ambition we seek to foster at King’s High.”
Dr Charlotte Ryland, Director of The Queen’s College Translation Exchange (QTE), said:
“The skills developed through translation – critical thinking, problem solving, empathy – set the rising generation up to thrive in our global economy. Our Anthea Bell Prize winners excel in all these skills, and I can’t wait to see what they go on to do.”
