{"id":1906,"date":"2025-07-02T14:17:52","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T13:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/?p=1906"},"modified":"2025-07-02T14:17:52","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T13:17:52","slug":"anthea-bell-prize-for-young-translators-year-7-entries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/2025\/07\/02\/anthea-bell-prize-for-young-translators-year-7-entries\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators – Year 7 entries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Year 7 had a go at translating ‘La Tour Eiffel’ by Maurice Car\u00eame, as a part of the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators. Here are some of their fantastic entries, by Nina, Florence, Poppy-Sophia, Bertie, Anya and Diana, with a special congratulations to Anya for being selected as the area winner!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competition text:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

La Tour Eiffel par Maurice Car\u00eame <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mais oui, je suis une girafe, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u2019a racont\u00e9 la tour Eiffel, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Et si ma t\u00eate est dans le ciel, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

C\u2019est pour mieux brouter les nuages, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Car ils me rendent \u00e9ternelle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mais j\u2019ai quatre pieds bien assis <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dans une courbe de la Seine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On ne s\u2019ennuie pas \u00e0 Paris: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les femmes, comme des phal\u00e8nes, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Les hommes, comme des fourmis, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glissent sans fin entre mes jambes <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Et les plus fous, les plus ingambes <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montent et descendent le long <\/p>\n\n\n\n

De mon cou comme des frelons <\/p>\n\n\n\n

La nuit, je l\u00e8che les \u00e9toiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Et si l\u2019on m\u2019aper\u00e7oit de loin, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

C\u2019est que tr\u00e8s souvent, j\u2019en avale <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Une sans avoir l\u2019air de rien. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nina’s translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am a giraffe, and I once did see, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eiffel tower, it was telling me, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That eating clouds would put me in good stead, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it was in those clouds I placed my head, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For then immortal’s what it said I’d be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But upon my legs my feet never bend, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just beside a meander of the Seine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Paris is an interesting place, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And between my legs, like moths women lace, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men are like ants, through my legs they drain, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slipping round my legs, again and again, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most nimble, but least mentally sound, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They climb on me, up and down and around, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hornets, scaling up my neck from the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the night when I seem up high in space, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If in that gloom you see me from afar, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may be because I swallowed a star, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then pulled my very best innocent face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florence’s translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Poppy-Sophia’s translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I am quite tall, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eiffel tower most certainly did call, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My head always is stuck in a heaven full of bliss, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am something you could never miss, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have four feet, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perfectly positioned, in the right base, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me and the Seine can always meet, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can never get bored near my place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women feel like bees, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And men are certainly fleas, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They wonder round and round my legs, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the craziest most lively bunch, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Run up and down me while I hunch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At night I snatch up all of the stars from the sky, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you can see my glow at night, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, I can’t say it is a lie, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I often steal the spotlight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bertie’s translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why of course, I am a giraffe <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eiffel tower told me on the world’s behalf <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the tip of my head reaches up towards the sun <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grazing among the clouds brings endless fun. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because they make me a timeless, priceless eternal piece <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I need a strong base of four strong sturdy feet <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Placed prominently in the curve of the Siene. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will never get bored in Paris: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women buzz around like moths <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men crawl about like ants <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They weave in and out of my legs in one big flock <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the craziest, never laziest  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decide to take a climb up, down and all around <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swarming my neck like hornets, coming from all over town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At night my tongue can touch the stars <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you can see me from afar <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its because I often swallow one of them <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As easily as if it was a tiny gem.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anya’s translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh yes, it\u2019s true, I\u2019m a giraffe, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eiffel Tower told me with a laugh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My head is high up in the sky, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To graze the clouds as they float by. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stretch up tall to munch on clouds, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They make me strong and calm and proud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But still my feet stand firm and steady, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beside the Seine, I\u2019m always ready. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Paris, things are never slow \u2014 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women float like moths below, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men like ants rush to and fro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between my legs they slip and slide, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wildest ones go for a ride, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They climb my neck like buzzing bees, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up and down with endless ease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At night, I lick the shining stars, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you see me from afar, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s \u2018cause quite often, just for fun, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I swallow one without a fuss done! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diana’s translation:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m like a giraffe <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Eiffel Tower said <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My head is in the sky <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To eat the clouds ahead <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The clouds give me power and make me eternal <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the clouds, their so plenty and so abound <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the curve of the River Seine <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My feet are so well placed that they dig into the ground <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t get bored in the city of Paris: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women are like moths in their dungarees <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men are like beetles in their black suits <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As they waddle on their small feet under me <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some madman thought it would be fun <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To tickle me every single hour <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They climb up my neck and down my chest <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like hornets up a tree or tower <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At night as I lick the stars <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People see me from afar <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they look and gaze they do not think <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That I look like anything. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Year 7 had a go at translating ‘La Tour Eiffel’ by Maurice Car\u00eame, as a part of the Anthea Bell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,68,1],"tags":[173,175,7],"class_list":["post-1906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-french-modern-foreign-languages","category-modern-foreign-languages","category-uncategorised","tag-anthea-bell-prize-for-young-translators","tag-competition-success","tag-french","comments-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1906"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1971,"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1906\/revisions\/1971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whs-blogs.co.uk\/linguistica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}