Poznan.pl, oficjalna strona Miasta Poznania

Adam Mickiewicz University is the third-best university in Poland. As many as 50 foreign languages can be studied at its philological faculties and their knowledge is crucial in the business services sector (BSS) - a priority for the City of Poznań. The ability to communicate in foreign languages has an unquestionable impact on finding interesting and well - paid jobs. Seeing such assets as gaining new employees with the required skills, companies are eager to get involved in initiatives that promote learning languages. What was the University's intention in creating the competition? The Chairwoman of the Education Council of the School of Language and Literature Studies at AMU - prof. dr hab. Justyna Krauze-Pierz explains:

,,Student Translation Competition ,,Poznań na językach'' was created as an initiative of the Education Council of the School of Language and Literature Studies at AMU with the goal of multilevel integration and visibility. Students in the philological faculties explore numerous languages as well as literature and culture of the countries and areas, whose inhabitants speak these languages. One of the skills that philologists acquire is the art of translation, both literary and specialised. Benefiting from translation skills of our philology students, we have created a translation competition, which aims to integrate the community of the School of Language and Literary Studies".

Professor Krauze - Pierz also added that the organising committee is willing to spread information about the possibility of studying multiple languages at the Adam Mickiewicz University, to be recognisable in the city. This idea led to cooperation with the Investor Relations Department. Furthermore, the subject of the translated texts was in connection with the capital of Wielkopolska. Last year the competition was promoted on the bus stops, on buses and trams. The contest allowed integration of entrepreneurs, who use foreign languages on a daily basis and employ graduates of philology studies.

,,The translations included in the volume, released by the Rys Publishing House in Poznań, highlight the multitude of languages that can be studied at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and can be heard not only within the walls of the more than 100-year-old university, but also in the streets of Poznań. The publication of the students' works also demonstrates their translation skills and is a great promotion of the authors as future translators, of the University as a place where languages and the art of translation are being taught, and of Poznań as a city worth studying and working in" - concluded Ms Professor.

From the perspective of the Investor Relations Department, the concept of the competition, consisting in promoting the possibility of studying 50 foreign languages, is a valuable information, both for companies planning to invest in the city and for already present investors. Processes supervised by business services sector companies are handled in more than 30 languages, including such niche ones as: Hebrew, Chinese, and Arabic, among others. The offer of studying so many foreign languages is an undeniable competitive advantage of the City of Poznań on the national and European scale and has a vital impact on choosing the capital of Wielkopolska as an investment location. The position of the city as a significant linguistics centre in Poland is reflected in many rankings in which the Adam Mickiewicz University is listed.

On the other hand, what aspects may be important for the companies engaged in the competition?

For Next Technology at FlexDev - with employees from different backgrounds and international collaborators - it is crucial that this initiative promotes multilingualism and multiculturalism, as openness and diversity matter to the company. They hope that the contest will provide an inspiring path for students, broadening their horizons and showing the array of career opportunities in Poznań.

Raben company also came to the similar conclusion, which was described by Ms Aleksandra Pieńkosz, Group HR Specialist:

,,The ability to learn 50 languages in one place is a comfortable solution for young people in the labour market, where knowledge of any additional language is an asset for potential employer. As a company using a variety of European languages in our daily work, we are glad to be part of this project and we look forward to further cooperation in workshops, internships, or apprenticeships".

We warmly congratulate the winners of the 1st and 2nd editions of the competition and wish them continued success, especially in their careers.