Each spring, undergraduates across campus are invited to submit their entries for words that test the boundaries of translation. The contest, judged by BLC and Found in Translation panelists, encourages reflection on the ability of language to capture culturally specific meanings and resonances, pushing the boundaries of translatability.
See below for our amazing past winners, and keep an eye out for next year's contest announcement in early spring!
AY 2025-2026
1st Place
Sophia Hawthorne: 勿体ない（もったいない) "mottainai" (Japanese)
2nd Place
Xingyu Chen: 缘 "yuán" (Mandarin)
3rd Place
Ariana Mansouri: دلتنگی "del-tangi" (Persian)
AY 2024-2025
1st Place
Lucy Eunhyul Kim: 눈치, "nunchi" (Korean)
2nd Place
Joshua Rezneck: 缘分,"yuánfèn" (Mandarin Chinese)
3rd Place
Sungmin Kim: 답답하다, "dap-dap-ha-da" (Korean)
AY 2023-2024
1st Place
Julia Iwahori:青春, “seishun” (Japanese)
2nd Place
Brenda Ngo: “thương” (Vietnamese)
3rd Place
Arya Taupier Vishin:उन्मीलन (Hindi)
AY 2022-2023
1st Place
Anna Reck: Waldeinsamkeit (German)
2nd Place
Angeli Lohner: empalagar (Spanish)
3rd Place Tie
Aurelia Widjaja: han (Korean)
DJ Fernandez: hiraya (Tagalog)