A group of Farnborough students have recently undertaken a joint project with students from the Liceum, in Sulechów, Poland to translate Polish poems. The College has a special relationship with the Liceum and Sulechów which is twinned with the Borough of Rushmoor.

Four students from the Liceum wrote literal translations of the Polish poems and the group from Farnborough then wrote their own creative versions based on these translations. They worked on a number of pieces by award winning poet Wislawa Szymborska including; 'Love at First Sight', 'Utopia', 'Photographs from September 11' and 'It May be Untitled' as well as 'Julka' by Malgorzata Stachowiak-Schreyner.

The project allowed the students from Sulechów to improve their English, while our students were given the opportunity to explore a different culture and develop their creative writing in a new direction. 

Gabi Reigh, Curriculum Manager for English commented, “Our students mostly wrote their poetry translations during lockdown. In this context, the translation interchange took on a new significance, symbolising the fact that, although our access to exploring other countries through travel has become restricted, our desire to connect and appreciate other cultures is just as strong as ever.”

Beata Kouhan, a teacher from the Liceum, registered this project with the European Council as an event celebrating the European Day of Language which takes place on 26 September every year. The purpose of the European Day of Language is to celebrate both the cultural and linguistic diversity within Europe and to encourage and promote language learning.

The Farnborough students also entered their poetry translations into the 2020 Stephen Spender Trust translation contest which had a special ‘Polish Spotlight’ prize this year. The results will be announced soon – good luck!