ProZ.com translation contests »
35th Translation Contest: "Once Upon a Myth"

Preparing
Submission phase  
Oct 2 – Oct 15
left
Hybrid phase  
Oct 15 – Oct 28
Finals phase  
Oct 28 – Nov 18
Finished

About the Submission phase

During the Submission phase, entries may be submitted in any language pair, per contest restrictions. Contestants are allowed to edit their entries until the end of the Submission phase.

At the end of the Submission phase, all language pairs with submitted entries will be "paused" for review by the contest administrator.

About the Hybrid phase

During the Hybrid phase, individual language pairs can be placed in any of the Submission, Qualification, or Finals phases, depending on how many entries have been submitted.
  • Pairs which received fewer than 3 entries during the Submission phase will likely be placed in an "extended submission" period. If at least 3 entries are eventually submitted, the pair will be moved forward to the Finals phase.
  • Pairs which received between 3 and 7 entries will likely be placed directly into the Finals phase, where site users who list that language pair in their profile may vote for what they feel are the best entries.
  • Pairs which received more than 7 entries will likely be placed into the Qualification phase, where site users rate and tag entries in an effort to determine a smaller pool of entries which should move forward into the Finals phase.

About the Finals phase

During the Finals phase, all language pairs which have received at least 3 entries will be open for site users to vote for what they feel are the best entries. Pairs with fewer than 3 entries will not be able to have a winner determined.

At the end of the Finals phase, votes will be tallied by site staff, and winners in each pair will be announced.
This contest is now underway. The deadline for submitting entries is Oct 15, 2026 02:00 GMT.

Note: ProZ.com membership is required to enter the competition in certain language pairs.  Details


Source texts — Jump: English, French, Spanish, Swahili — Click here to review and propose additional source texts for this contest »

The following are the source texts for this edition of the ProZ.com translation contests. Contest participants are given the opportunity to submit translations of these texts into the languages of their choice. If three or more translators translate a text into a given language, the contest is "on" in that language pair. To learn more about the source texts, see the "About the source texts" section below.
English
– "The Ark On Superstition Mountain" in Legends of America - Superstition Mountains by Charles Skinner.
The Pima Indians of Arizona say that the father of all men and animals was the butterfly, Cherwit Make (earth-maker), who fluttered down from the clouds to the Blue Cliffs[…] and from his own sweat made men. As the people multiplied, they grew selfish and quarrelsome, so Cherwit Make was disgusted with his handiwork and resolved to drown them all.[…]

There was one Hauk, a devil of the mountains, who stole their daughters and slew their sons. […] He (Cherwit Make) silently followed him into the Superstition Mountains; he drugged the cactus wine that his daughter was to serve to him; then, when he had drunk it, Suha emerged from his place of hiding and beat out the brains of the stupefied fiend. […]

So firmly do the Pimas rely on this prophecy that they will not cross the Superstition Mountains, for there sits Cherwit Make — awaiting the culmination of their wickedness to let loose on the earth a mighty sea that lies dammed behind the range.
Translations submitted (2 pairs)
French
– La Vouivre, une légende jurassienne by Charles-Emmanuel Signe.
[…] L’origine de la légende de la Vouivre en Franche-Comté se perd dans l’époque médiévale qui fut, on le sait, fort féconde en contes et légendes. C’est autour de la Loue, une rivière du Jura, et de la commune de Mouthier-Haute-Pierre, que notre histoire se passe.

Mais d’abord, parlons de la créature. Selon la description la plus commune, la Vouivre est un serpent géant pourvu de grandes ailes de chauve-souris. Rapide comme l’éclair, elle a la particularité de n’avoir qu’un œil au milieu de la tête. Et encore ne s’agit-il pas réellement d’un œil. Ce qu’elle porte sur le front est une énorme pierre rouge qu’on nomme escarboucle. C’est cette pierre qui suscite toutes les convoitises. En effet, on lui prête des pouvoirs magiques immenses. Selon certaines traditions, elle rend éternellement riche celui qui parvient à s’en emparer.[…]
Spanish
– "El Pombero" From: Mitos y Leyendas Misioneras
Allí va: moreno, velludo, de rostro barbudo, pies peludos, tocado con su gran sombrero y completamente desnudo…
Va buscando miel y tabaco… alguna moza perdida en la selva o tal vez algún caminante al que engañará con su silbido o piar de pollo… Es el Pombero; el mítico Pombero que merodea en las noches de Misiones. […] Sus hechos son terribles. Aunque a veces toma simpatía a un viajero y puede inclusive salvarlo de un peligro. Pero también saber hacer que se pierdan o lleguen a morir de terror ante su presencia.[…]

[…] recorre los caminos rojos de Misiones, buscando sus presas entre los colonos y los hacheros, y muchas veces llega a ser tan grande su osadía que hasta logra seducir a alguna niña de los barrios de extramuros de cualquier ciudad.
Tal es el Pombero, uno de los mitos populares de Misiones.
Muchos lo han sentido, pocos, muy pocos, lo han visto. Pero lo cierto es que desde hace casi 300 años habita en Misiones.
Swahili
– “Fahamu kuhusu Luanda Magere” From: Fahamu Kuhusu Luanda Magere - KBC by Luanda Magere.
[…] Sifa za gwiji huyu zilijiri nyakati zile alipoiongoza jamii yake kuwapiga na kuwanyanyasa maadui wao wa muda mrefu. Kabla ya ujio wake, Sidho waliuwawa kwa wingi na kunyanganywa mali yao.Aliposhika usukani wa jeshi la ukoo wake, walivuna ushindi mnono kwenye vita vyote walivyoshiriki dhidi Jo lang’o (Kalenjin).Hata walienda nyumbani kwa maadui hao na kuwanyanganya mali yao peupe,Jambo lililowapa furaha watu wa Sidho kwani walikuwa wameteseka kwa muda mrefu.

Hata hivyo, lililowashangaza watu wake na maadui ni jinsi alivyowauwa maadui wengi kuliko yeyote yule bila kujeruhiwa.Mishale, mikuki na silaha zingine za kivita hazikumpenya kwa vyovyote bali zake ziliwaingia maadui na kuwauwa kwa wingi. Kauli hii ilifanya maadui na watu wake kumwogopa zaidi. Ukoo wa Sidho waliona jambo hilo kuwa baraka kuu na kiboko cha Nandi. […]

About the source texts

The source texts for ProZ.com translation contests are typically selected by ProZ.com members with a goal of providing interesting and challenging material that enables top translators to show their talent.

To ensure a fair competition, efforts are made to avoid texts for which published translations exist. If you know of the existence of a published translation of any of these source texts into any language, please notify the site staff with a support request.

The views expressed in these texts should not be considered representative of the views of either ProZ.com staff members or the members of the ProZ.com community who have selected the texts.

Click here to review and propose additional source texts for this contest »