The 2013 All-Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) was launched by Minister for Research and Innovation, Séan Sherlock last month. The competition is run by the DCU led centre for Next Generation Localisation (CNGL).
The AILO will see second level students tackle the world’s toughest puzzles in language, logic, linguistics and challenges students to decipher unfamiliar languages with no previous knowledge of the languages required.
Minister Sherlock said: “AILO is a fascinating competition that enables students to sharpen their logic and problem-solving skills in a fun way. I urge students to take the challenge and test their minds against the languages of the world.”
This is already a record breaking year for the competition, with 1,100 students already signed up to take the challenge. The top four will go on to represent Ireland at the International Linguistics Olympiad, held in Manchester this July.
Minister Sherlock continued: “Ireland needs a strong supply of talented graduates to pursue the many rewarding careers available at the intersection of computing, language and linguistics. Lateral thinking and problem-solving are at the heart of these disciplines, so the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad provides excellent preparation for further studies in these high-growth fields.”
Current DCU Computer Applications student and former AILO participant, Robert Devereux, now tutors AILO participants. He said it’s a great way to hone problem-solving skills and claimed it has helped him in the software programming part of his course.
Students who manage to reach the national finals will get the chance to be tutored by experts from CNGL, a major disciplinary academia industry research centre which is based across DCU, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and the University of Limerick.
Seán Walsh
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