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International Conference of Foreign Students of Czech: No one was left defeated except the ignorance of Czech

In the ninth year of the translation and presentation competition, the translation category was dominated by students from the University of Zagreb, while in the presentation contest, students from Charles University had the upper hand once again. The competition took place as part of the International Conference of Foreign Students of Czech and was joined by a total of 53 students from 16 countries from all over the world.

The conference was organised by the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies of Charles University (ÚJOP UK) together with the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic on 25 and 26 April 2024. The event was held under the auspices of the Rector of Charles University, Professor Milena Králíčková.

Teaching Czech is the most important area in which ÚJOP UK presents itself, whether it is Czech as a foreign language, as a second language, or Czech for special purposes, especially for the purpose of studying at university. "Part of the Institute's mission is to promote the Czech language, to link and collaborate within the field of teaching Czech to non-native speakers, and to connect different workplaces and learners anywhere in the world. Our conference is a platform where students of Czech can compare their skills, gain new inspiration and new contacts, learn quite a deal and use Czech in practice," said Dana Hůlková Nývltová, director of ÚJOP.

This year, the participants of the translation competition had to cope with the source text Ballroom Dancing Remains Part of the Czech Lifestyle, which came from the website of the media partner Radio Prague International. The European Commission's professional translators evaluated altogether twenty-six submitted translations of the competition text.

Another international comparison of students' skills was the competition of 27 presentations, which were submitted by students from eight countries all over the world. "I greatly appreciate that you have done more for yourselves and for Czech, the language you are studying, than your classmates and friends. You have dedicated your free time to the preparation and translation, you have had to study and explore new things, which is very beneficial," said Marie Poláčková, a co-organizer of the event, at the award ceremony.

The winner of the thematic competition was Solhee Bae, a Korean student from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, with her presentation Why It Is Hard to Learn Czech and How I Try. Ramazan Mustafaiev, a Ukrainian student from the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, placed first in the expert competition with his presentation Flashcards as an Effective Study Method.

The International Conference of Foreign Students of Czech has been organised by the Institute for Language and Preparatory Studies of Charles University in cooperation with the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic since 2016. It consists of two sections. The first one includes a presentation competition focused on various topics of interest or professional subjects and a translation contest. The second, non-competitive section, consists of specialised language and translation seminars and workshops. Along with their diplomas, the winners of the competition received tablets, readers and other small prizes as awards