Taiwan wins 2 silver, 4 bronze at International Linguistics Olympiad

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's eight-member team won two silver medals, four bronze medals and four honorable mentions at the 23rd International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) in Bucharest, Romania, with every contestant receiving at least one award.

The competition, held from July 26 to Aug. 2, brought together high school students from 46 countries and regions to compete in linguistic analysis and problem-solving.

Taiwan's delegation was led by Janice Fon (馮怡蓁) and Hsieh Shu-kai (謝舒凱), professors at the Graduate Institute of Linguistics at National Taiwan University.

In the individual contest, Teng Zi-yang (鄧子洋) from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo Senior High School and Wu Bo-ting (吳柏霆) from Tung Der High School in Nantou won silver medals.

Bronze medals went to Hsu Shao-yang (徐紹崵) of Taipei Private Dongshan High School, Chang Yu-an (張佑安) of Hong Wen International School in Taichung, and Yu Ang-hsuan (于昂軒) from Ci-Xin Waldorf High School in Yilan County.

Tsai Shang-en (蔡尚恩), Shih Bing-chen (施秉辰) and Chou Yu-hsuan (周佑宣), all from Chien Kuo Senior High School, received honorable mentions.

Hsu also received the competition's "best solution" award for his outstanding performance in the individual competition.

Taiwan fielded two entries in the team competition. The "Black Bear" team, comprising Teng, Wu, Yu and Tsai, earned a bronze medal, while the "Blue Magpie" team of Hsu, Chang, Shih and Chou received an honorable mention.

Following the award ceremony, Taiwan's representative office in Slovakia, which also represents Taiwan's interests in Romania, conveyed a congratulatory message to the delegation from Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).

The IOL tests participants' linguistic analysis, logical reasoning and problem-solving skills by challenging them to identify patterns and decipher unfamiliar languages, which demands not only linguistic knowledge but also patience and judgment, according to organizers.