Linguist Max wins top prize

A BUDDING Ripon Grammar School linguist has scooped a top prize in a prestigious national competition.

Max Perry-Masey was declared a winner of the seventh annual University of Sheffield Translation Competition, which attracts entries from sixth formers all over the UK.

Organisers revealed that they received a very high number of high-quality entries, which were judged by a panel of experts, this year: “So this is a real achievement.”

The 18-year-old, from Knaresborough, studying French, physics, art and mathematics at A-level, said he was surprised and very pleased to have won.

Planning to study astrophysics at university, he entered the competition because it sounded like fun: “And I gained a great experience in challenging my language skills,” he said.

He did find it challenging: “I had to translate a passage from Laure Murat's bookProust, roman familial.The book discusses how Marcel Proust's masterpieceÀ la recherche du temps perdu completely opened her eyes to the true extent of French aristocracy, the world she grew up in, leading her to decide to leave it behind and start living her own life finally.

“The passage itself was short but presented lots of strange grammatical challenges with the particularly long, run-on and conversational style of her writing. The vocabulary was challenging too - Murat comes from a long line of the affluent and royal so her language reflected that.”

Max, who helps younger students in class at RGS with French speaking practice, was invited to attend a language workshop at the university’s School of Languages and Cultures with French academics and post-graduate students in addition to receiving an Amazon voucher and certificate.