Task

Tasks: Malala Yousafzai

Translate:

Translate the text found in the box below into English. Focus on staying as close to the meaning of the original text as possible while at the same time making the language as idiomatic as possible.

Translate the text into English: you choose if you want to translate the bokmål or the nynorsk version of the text.

Bokmål:

Det er bare å bøye seg i støvet for Malala.
I en alder av 17 år har hun vunnet Nobels fredspris.
Malala er en forkjemper for kvinners rett til utdannelse.
I hjemlandet Pakistan forsøkte Taliban å bringe henne til taushet ved å skyte henne.
Men Malala lot seg ikke kue.
Hun overlevde angrepet og fikk en sterkere stemme en noensinne.
I dag er hun et forbilde for både unge og voksne, menn og kvinner over hele verden.

Nynorsk:

Det er berre å bøye seg i støvet for Malala.
I ein alder av 17 år har ho vunne Nobels fredspris.
Malala kjemper for kvinner si rett til utdanning.
I heimlandet Pakistan forsøkte Taliban å få ho til å tie ved å skyte ho. Men Malala let seg ikkje kue.
Ho overlevde angrepet og fekk ei sterkare stemme enn nokon gong.
I dag er hun eit føredøme for både unge og vaksne, menn og kvinner over hele verda.

Talk about the translation:

When you have finished, compare your translation to a classmate's, before talking about the translations in class.

What was the trickiest part of the text to translate and why?
Can different translations be equally correct? Why / why not?

Discuss:

Work with a partner and read the following quotations by Malala. What does she mean by each? Do you agree or disagree with what she is saying? Give reasons for your answer.

One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.
When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.
Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow.
Life isn't just about taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide.
If one man can destroy everything, why can't one girl change it?
There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.

Research:

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded since 1901.

Pick someone who has won the Nobel Peace Prize, explain why they were given the award, and discuss whether giving them the award had a positive effect on their work for peace. You can choose any winner of the award.

Make an illustrated presentation that can be held before a group or in class.

In the box below, you will find a short list of winners you may find interesting.

Malala Yousafzai
Desmond Tutu
Dalai Lama
Martin Luther King Jr.
Henry Kissinger
The European Union
Barack H. Obama
Liu Xiaobo
Yasser Arafat
Fridtjof Nansen
Aun Sang Suu Kyi
Rigoberta Menchú

Read:

The text in the box below was written by Hinna Asefi Wardak for UNICEF's Voices of Youth. Wardak is a UNICEF youth Ambassador in Afghanistan. It was published in December 2020. Click on the arrow, read the text, then answer the questions below.

Let’s make education a reality for all - especially girls - in Afghanistan

You probably know Afghanistan for all the wrong reasons.

For 5 consecutive years, the UN has called my home country “the deadliest country on the planet for children.” As a child, I can tell you, that’s scary.

And yet, within this challenging environment, do you know the number one wish for children and young people in Afghanistan?

Education. Access to quality education for every child.

First. For too many children, especially girls, the journey to school is dangerous. So, I’m calling for more investment in Community Based Education so that girls can learn in their neighborhoods.

Second. So many of our schools still lack water and toilets, and separate toilets for boys and girls, in 2020! Are we asking too much to have water and toilets in schools? I’m calling for more investment in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities so that more girls will stay in school, and more children will stay healthy.

Third. In Afghanistan, we live in a conservative society, so we have to be practical. Having more female teachers will help parents feel comfortable and confident that their daughters are safe, and more girls would go to school and stay in school. So, I’m calling for more investment in training female high school graduates to become teachers.

Fourth. For World Children’s Day, our U-Report poll showed that nearly 70% of students don’t feel safe in school – not surprising after November’s terrible attack at Kabul University. So, I’m calling for more to be done to make our places of learning safe and secure.

And fifth. Too many parents in my country think that education is not right for a girl. They think that a girl will be married, and they will never get any benefit from her education. So many girls I know, under 18, are being married which isn't what they want. I’m calling for campaigns to help transform this way of thinking and prevent child marriage.

But in Afghanistan, 3.7 million children are out of school. That is a devastating figure and it makes me sad to think of all the girls and boys who are denied the opportunity to study and learn new skills – and denied the chance to live a full and productive life.

Education is, of course, critical for all children. But it is, I believe, it is especially important for girls and so it is heartbreaking to know that in Afghanistan around 60% of girls are out of school. I think there are five main reasons why this is the case and, on the face of it, they might seem like big challenges but they are not insurmountable.

Educated girls can help to build a stronger Afghanistan. But, right now, girls in my country are not only out of school, they’re also treated like an after-thought. It makes me so sad. And now I understand how it feels when you're not wanted, not welcomed and not heard, and when the rights that the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) promises are denied.

Despite all these challenges, I’m proud to tell you that the children and young people of Afghanistan are warriors and champions! We're living in a society where we face bomb blasts, kidnappings, and daily terror; where we don’t have good libraries or internet; and where we’re denied the support we need to thrive.

But we never give up. We never get tired of hoping for a better future. And I hope that global leaders and decision makers will do everything in their power to make that better future a reality, for every Afghan child. With their help, my friends and peers can help children blossom from this brutal landscape and grow into strong, resilient, and productive citizens -- citizens who can sow seeds of peace in our blessed country.

What is the message of the text?
What rhetorical and literary devices are used in the text, and how do they help convey the text's message?
What does the text tell you about what it was like to grow up in Afghanistan in 2020?

Write:

Below, you will find some statements. Pick one of them to discuss. Remember that in a discussion text you have to look at different sides; you cannot just argue for your own opinions.

Today, men and women have achieved full equality in Norway.
Girls everywhere should be given the same rights and opportunities as boys, regardless of their country's culture, traditions, or religion.
Gender equality should not be a goal: men and women have different strengths and weaknesses. The education system should reflect that difference.
The road to ending poverty is helping women in poor countries. When women get an education and a job, it helps a whole family. If we are able to end poverty in the future, it will happen because women are empowered.