Each year, the Queen’s College Translation Exchange runs a Creative Translation Ambassadors programme for undergraduate and postgraduate students at Oxford. We train selected students to design and lead their own creative translation workshops in local schools. As an Ambassador, you’ll be part of the QTE family, meaning you can take part in our other projects, including our national translation prize for schools, blog writing, book clubs and events.
Attend our Information Webinar & Apply Now!
Applications for our 2026-27 programme will be open until Friday 23 October at 5pm. The programme is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students at Oxford, and the only prerequisite is that you know at least one language other than English (though there’s no need to be fluent!). To apply, complete the application form at the button below.
If you would like to learn more about our Creative Translation Ambassadors programme before applying, you can attend our information webinar on Monday 19 October at 5pm. Register here to receive the joining details.
What is the Creative Translation Ambassadors programme?
Creative Translation Ambassadors deliver their own creative translation workshops in local state primary and secondary schools. Creative Translation is an inclusive approach to language learning that raises academic and professional aspiration for pupils of Modern Languages and provides the inspiring literary and cultural content that is limited in the current languages curriculum.
Activities are accessible to students of all levels, and capitalise on pupils’ diverse backgrounds and languages, with specific benefits for pupils who have English as an Additional Language. Creative Translation is a method that recognises multilingualism as a social justice issue.
Through the Creative Translation Ambassadors training programme, participating undergraduates and postgraduates develop and practise numerous professional skills, including presentation and public speaking, teamwork, leadership and negotiation. It also connects students to their local community and fuels a civic mission to support widening participation and language learning.
In June 2026, we received a University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor’s Award in the Local Community Engagement category for our work delivering creative translation workshops to over 700 pupils across Oxfordshire. This included pupils in Years 4-13 and involved 16 local state schools. You can read more about the award here.
Hear from our Ambassadors
Here is a series of blog posts written by our Creative Translation Ambassadors about their experiences in the role and the opportunities that it opened up for them. You can read more from our Ambassadors on the QTE blog.
From Golden Age Spain to the Multilingual Classroom: My Experiences as a Creative Translation Ambassador
Guest blog by Hannah McLaughlin (2026)
Creative Translation on the Year Abroad: QTE in Coimbra, Portugal
Guest blog by Emily Dicker (2026)
Swire Mandarin Residential: A Student Ambassador’s Perspective
Guest blog by Shuaichu Pan (2026)
What QTE did for me: the view from a languages entrepreneur
Guest blog by Ffion Kellegher (2023)
Testimonials and Gallery
Below are some further testimonials from our Creative Translation Ambassadors and photographs of their work in practice.
I loved seeing how motivated the students were to engage in translation, especially when they had a heritage language they spoke at home – I found that really heart-warming and inspiring. I would really recommend the experience to anyone interested in outreach, languages, translation or teaching.
Photo © 2025 Edmund Blok
Photo © 2026 Edmund Blok
I really enjoyed meeting other people in Oxford who were interested in translation and being part of an active community. I also really enjoyed the training that encouraged me to think critically about my translation practice and how that would apply to teaching.
Photo © 2025 Edmund Blok
Photo © 2022 David Fisher
There are so many varied and great opportunities to get involved in things related to your love for languages whilst contributing towards promoting the value of learning languages.
Got a question about our Creative Translation Ambassadors programme? Get in touch with us at translation.exchange@queens.ox.ac.uk!
