McGill Associates Prize in Translation (French - English): Danielle Rosset
Montreal, June 2011 – Danielle Rosset, who hails from Saint-Claude, Manitoba, is no newcomer to bilingualism. Her home town, located some one hundred kilometers from Winnipeg, is one of those distinctly Canadian environments where residents can live à la franco-manitobaine while taking advantage of a large urban centre at the same time. In Saint-Claude, French and English live side by side in the workplace, schools and everyday life. It is no wonder that translation took root in Ms Rosset’s soul at an early age! She was awarded the McGill Associates Prize in Translation (French to English) at the 2011 Convocation. The prize is awarded annually to the student with the best academic record in the Certificate in Translation.
Her work life brought her from Winnipeg to Toronto, and finally to Montreal where she worked in the insurance industry until 2008. Eventually, however, her love of the arts and culture came to the fore.
While studying music at Concordia University, where she earned a B. F. A. in 1998, she became the lead soprano in St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Montreal West. As if that did not keep her busy enough, she also dedicated herself to community work in which her cultural sensitivity and language skills have served her well.
Since 2008, Ms Rosset has been the president of a non-profit community organization in the Plateau district of Montreal. Under her leadership, the Carrefour des petits soleils provides community support for families experiencing psychological, social and financial difficulties. The main beneficiaries of Ms Rosset’s work have been lower income families, single parents, handicapped children and newly arrived immigrants. “Translators are natural cultural mediators,” pointed out McGill’s Director of Translation Studies, James Archibald, in explaining the link between Ms Rosset’s bilingualism and her sensitivity as a translator on the one hand and, on the other, her ability to help Montrealers from many different backgrounds with a variety of socioeconomic needs become fully integrated in a cohesive city. “Is Montreal so very different from Saint-Claude?” he added. Ms Rosset’s commitment to social service, coupled with her new-found expertise in language mediation, make her a valued member of the Montreal community.
Ď㽶ĘÓƵ’s School of Continuing Studies offers both a Certificate in Translation and a Graduate Diploma in Translation for budding translators interested in the language industry.