As she explains, the tasks focus on less known and exotic languages which the competitors don't understand, but can use the translated examples to derive certain rules and relations that exist in this languages, and thus obtain enough information to translate other examples.
From Armenian to Slovenian language?
The competitors are usually given assignments based on a unique and vanishing characteristic of a certain language. "This can be a certain grammatical element, a concept that its speakers perceive in a different way, a special script or numerical system... In any case it's very important to think outside of the limits of one's own language when solving the task," notes Lara. This year the students competed in solving problems on diverse languages including Benabena, Kiowa, Engenni, Tangut, northwestern Gbaya, and at the team competition Slovenian students had to find suitable Slovenian translations for mixed articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Armenian.
Lara has come in contact with the linguistics olympiad at the national competition in logic, which she participated in regularly since primary school. "As one of the competitors who solved the linguistics assignment best, I was shortlisted for the Slovenian national team already as a freshman. I didn't make it to the team at the time, but I became so interested in this field that I've participated for my third time this year," relates Lara her enthusiasm about this very specific contest.
The other members of the Slovenian team, Teja Močnik (Diocesan Classical Gymnasium, Ljubljana), Vivian Mohr (2nd Grammar School, Maribor) and Uroš Prešern (Grammar School Novo mesto), Lara had attended a few lectures before the selection, whereas in later stages every team member prepared individually. "Since there's also a team competition at the olympiad, we met once beforehand to test our team dynamics."
When asked if she's satisfied with how successful she was in solving the tasks, Lara replies that she wished she could have a bit more time, but that she had a good feeling throughout the competition. "I knew I'd do better than in previous years, and I hoped it would suffice for a medal, but I never expected it would be a silver one."
While participating in the olympiad, the contestants used this opportunity to do some sightseeing in Beijing. As Lara says, China's capital is quite different from European cities. "We had a few organized tours, we climbed the Great Wall of China, saw two plays in a traditional Chinese theatre, visited a renowned tea house, where numerous performers presented us diverse fragments of Chinese culture. We did some sightseeing on our own with the other team members and saw the Forbidden City, too." She has mixed impressions about Beijing; on one hand, she found its culture fascinating, but on the other hand, she found the metropolis too crowded, which is why she finds it difficult to imagine living in it.
She’s excited about her studies in biochemistry
After her extraordinary achievement Lara had 3-month-long holidays. Now she can’t wait for them to be over, as she’s about to start her studies in biochemistry. As she points out, the decision on what to study was both easy and hard. “It was hard to face the fact that by choosing one thing I’d be renouncing all other possibilities. On the other hand, I’ve always been drawn to natural sciences.”
The soon-to-be-university student hopes to find work that will give her satisfaction as well as offer challenges when she completes her studies, but for now her long-term vision is doing research work. “We’ll see what time brings.”
In her leisure time she is involved in many different activities: she’s been an active scout for 10 years, but in recent years she’s become part of the organizational structure: “As much as time permits, I do orientation running, I love to read as well, and spend time doing completely ordinary teenage things (laughter).”