NEWS

ICU Student Wins the "18th Student Interpretation Contest"

Update: December 5, 2024

On November 30, 2024, Nao Ihara (4th-year student in the College of Liberal Arts, majoring in Media, Communication, and Culture with a minor in Environmental Studies) won the 18th Student Interpretation Contest hosted by Nagoya University of Foreign Studies.

The theme of this year's competition was "Media-Human Relationships; Potential, Challenges, and Hopes," marking the first in-person event in five years. Representative students from 11 universities nationwide competed by consecutively interpreting content spoken in Japanese and English, evaluated on accuracy and expressive richness.

The theme this time closely aligns with the focus of our university's students majoring in MCC (Media, Communication, and Culture). Through collaborative preparation and mock training sessions, it provided valuable learning opportunities for all participating students.

Ihara's victory follows her second-place finish at the 6th JACI Simultaneous Interpretation Grand Prix, organized by the Japan Association of Conference Interpreters (JACI) in June of this year.

Comments by the Awardee:
I remember watching a video of this competition three years ago. It was the first time I took an interpreting class at ICU, and I thought to myself that, hopefully, I could compete in it someday.
Thanks to my days at ICU, I was able to compete and win first prize in my final year. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my mentor, Professor Tamura, my fellow interpreting trainees, my family, and all who have supported me along the way.
Starting next January, I will move on to the Japanese Translation and Interpretation Program at Middlebury Institute of International Studies under the ICU Accelerated Entry Program. Interpreting has opened my eyes to how fascinating it is to "convey messages across languages." I look forward to further enhancing my skills and continuing with my interpreting journey.