17th St. Jerome Translation Contest
The Conference Management Service of the United Nations Office at Vienna is pleased to announce the launch of the seventeenth edition of the St. Jerome Translation Contest.
Eligibility
The contest is open to students from universities that have signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations on cooperation in the training of language professionals and other partner universities (see list of partner universities for more information).
Test pieces
Two texts are selected for each edition of the contest: one in English for translation into Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish, and one in another language (traditionally alternating between French and Spanish) for translation into English.
For the seventeenth edition of the contest, the test piece for contestants translating into English is a French text entitled “Les grands-parents d’animaux de compagnie”.
The test piece for contestants translating from English into one of the other languages listed above is a text entitled “A dog’s life”.
Submission of entries
Students should obtain a copy of the registration form from their University Focal Point or download the form here and submit the completed form together with their entry in Word format to their University Focal Point.
The University Focal Points should submit students’ entries (in Word as received) by email to sjtc17@un.org, together with the completed registration forms, which should be attached in PDF format. Please note that no more than four entries per language from each university will be accepted. Entries submitted directly by students will not be considered.
Entries should be submitted no later than Monday 18 May 2026 (end of day, CEST).
Evaluation procedure and awards ceremony
Entries will be evaluated by a panel of two judges for each language.
Judges will pay particular attention to accuracy in conveying not only the meaning but also the nuances of the source text, and to style.
As in previous years, each submission will be identified by a number, and not by the name of the contestant, in order to ensure anonymity in the selection process.
The winners’ names will not be disclosed until the official announcement at the awards ceremony, to be organized by the United Nations Office at Vienna and held online on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, which will coincide with the celebration of International Translation Day. Further details will be provided in due course.
About the St. Jerome Translation Contest
Launched in 2005 by the English Translation Service at United Nations Headquarters, the contest is held to commemorate International Translation Day. The contest was welcomed by the General Assembly in its resolution on the role of professional translation in connecting nations and fostering peace, understanding and development. The contest 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.