The International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) challenges students to apply logic and reasoning skills to solve complex language puzzles in unfamiliar languages. Students from 30 countries are engaging in code breaking challenges, which they are tackling individually and in teams. Examples include the requirement to decipher hieroglyphics, deduce logical patterns of Swahili, and interpret Sanskrit poetry.

Representing Ireland in Beijing:

Luke Gardiner, Gonzaga College, Dublin

Luke Gardiner of Gonzaga College, Dublin, Matthew Nixon of Aquinas Grammar School, Co. Antrim, Jane D’Altuin of Gaelcholaiste Chiarraí, Co. Kerry, and Daniel Herlihy of Douglas Community School, Cork. The four finished ahead of 2,600 opponents in this year’s All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) to book their places in the final.

AILO is run by the CNGL Centre for Global Intelligent Content, a Science Foundation Ireland-funded research centre led by Trinity and co-hosted in Dublin City University. Competitors require no prior knowledge of a second language because even the hardest problems require only reasoning skills, logic and patience. AILO is now the largest of the Irish scientific Olympiads.

Matthew Nixon, Aquinas Grammar School, Co. Antrim,

Competitor Matthew Nixon is looking forward to seeing how far his code-breaking skills can take him against the world’s best this week. He said: “Taking part in AILO was my first experience of Linguistics and I have really enjoyed putting my language and logic skills to the test as well as learning new problem-solving techniques. It is a fantastic opportunity to travel to Beijing as part of the Ireland team to compete against the top linguists from all over the world.”

Daniel Herlihy, Douglas Community School, Co. Cork

Second-time International Linguistics Olympiad competitor Daniel Herlihy added: “This competition has granted me an amazing opportunity to represent my country, and has really improved my problem-solving skills. After the International Linguistics Olympiad in Manchester last year, I spent months dreaming about Beijing and competing in this year’s contest. To get the chance to do this all over again is simply unbelievable.”

Professor in Computer Science in the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity, and Director of All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad organisers CNGL, Vincent Wade, said: “The four members of the Irish team for the International Linguistics Olympiad won the opportunity to represent Ireland by beating off stiff competition from more than 2,600 decoders at CNGL’s All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad. CNGL is delighted have a very talented team of students to represent Ireland at the International Linguistics Olympiad in Beijing and we are confident of a strong performance on the world stage.”

Jane D’Altuin of Gaelcholaiste Chiarraí, Co. Kerry

The International Linguistics Olympiad aims to inspire the next generation of multilingual technology graduates, who can combine computational thinking with advanced language skills. Many important industry sectors require graduates with this powerful combination of skills, including the multi-billion euro digital content sector in which Ireland is a world leader.

You can follow the Irish team’s progress in the competition via Facebook and Twitter

About the International Linguistics Olympiad:

The International Linguistics Olympiad has been held annually since 2003. Each year, teams of talented young decoders from around the world gather and test their minds, in unfamiliar languages, against some of the world’s toughest puzzles in logic and linguistics.

• Teams from 30 countries will compete in the International Linguistics Olympiad 2014 from 21-25 July at the Beijing Language and Culture University in Beijing, China.
• Ireland has entered a team each year since 2009, and team members are selected on the basis of their performance in the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO).
• AILO is run by the CNGL Centre for Global Intelligent Content, which is funded by Science Foundation Ireland and industry partners. More than 7,500 secondary school students have competed in the Irish competition to date.

The 12th International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) is fast approaching, and this year’s Irish team; Luke Gardiner (Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin, Matthew Nixon (Aquinas Grammar School, Belfast), Jane D’Altuin (Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, Kerry) and Daniel Herlihy (Douglas Community School, Cork) are making their final preparations for their Saturday departure to Beijing for next week’s IOL competition.

The team earned their places as Ireland’s top four problem solvers from a starting Line-up of 2,600 students from 23 Counties across Ireland in the CNGL All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) competition, and in preparation for the challenging competition the Irish team are participating in a three-day CNGL hosted training camp, where they will solve puzzles and receive linguistics training covering topics such as; phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and writing systems. The team will even take Chinese lessons to help them communicate will in Beijing.

Good Luck to this year’s Irish team as they battle against top problem solvers from all over the world!

International Linguistics Training Camp Schedule

Wednesday, 16^th July 2014

Thursday, 17^th July 2014 

 Friday, 18^th July 2014 

AILO is run by CNGL Centre for Global Intelligent Content, a Science Foundation Ireland-funded research centre led by Trinity and co-hosted in Dublin City University. It challenges students to apply logic and reasoning skills to solve complex language puzzles in unfamiliar languages, with the aim of inspiring the next generation of multilingual technology graduates to possess a powerful blend of language competency and problem-solving expertise.

All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad 2014 Winner, Luke Gardiner

Individual Contest Winner

Luke Gardiner of Gonzaga College (Dublin) was the overall winner of the individual competition. He will be joined in Beijing by fellow ‘Team Ireland’ members Matthew Nixon of Aquinas Grammar School, Co. Antrim, Jane D’Altuin of Gaelcholaiste Chiarraí, Co. Kerry, and Daniel Herlihy of Douglas Community School (Cork). Matthew, Jane and Daniel finished second, third and fourth respectively in the individual competition.

Starting Line-up of 2,600 Students from 23 Counties

From a starting line-up of 2,600 students that spanned 23 counties, the top 100 sleuths battled it out during individual and team contests at AILO. Competitors engaged in ‘code-breaking’ challenges to unlock information in unfamiliar languages. Students could have been asked to decipher ancient hieroglyphics, translate Sanskrit poetry, or decrypt Armenian railway maps. No prior knowledge of a second language was required because even the hardest problems required only reasoning skills, logic and patience. This year’s individual contest included puzzles in Cameroonian Pidgin English, the Navajo Native American language, and the Ilokano language of the Philippines.

Luke Gardiner, overall winner of the individual competition, is looking forward to pitting his wits against students from over 30 countries during a week packed with puzzles and cultural experiences in China in July. He said:

“I’ve hugely enjoyed my experience of the Linguistics Olympiad, particularly the team section. It’s great to work things out by bouncing ideas off other people. I look forward to the International Olympiad in Beijing, which is a wonderful and exciting opportunity.”

Matthew Nixon, runner-up in the individual competition, which won him his place in ‘Team Ireland’, added:

“I am so glad that I have taken part in the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad. It was my first experience of Linguistics and I have really enjoyed putting my problem solving skills to the test.It will be such a fantastic opportunity to travel to Beijing as part of the Ireland team this summer and compete against linguists from all over the world.”

Fellow ‘Team Ireland’ member, Jane D’Altuin, who gained her place by finishing third in the individual competition, added:

“I’ve been having a great time doing the Linguistics Olympiad, both working individually on questions and combining efforts in the team round. I greatly look forward to going to China and hope to make friends with members of international teams as well as the members of my own.”

Daniel O’Herlihy of Douglas Community School, Cork added:

“I love the puzzles in this competition, it really opens your eyes to different languages and different ways of thinking. I feel my problem-solving skills have truly improved since doing this competition too. Of course, I can’t wait for the opportunity to go to China and represent my school, my county and my country.”

Winners of the AILO 2014 team contest: Jane D’Altuin, Conor Kelleher, Luke Gardiner, Turlough Hannon

Team Contest Winners

In addition to the individual competition that put together the team heading to Beijing, there was also a team challenge at AILO. The winning team was made up of students from Gonzaga College (Dublin), Good Counsel College, Co. Wexford, and Gaelcholaiste Chiarraí, Co. Kerry.

Individual competition winners Luke Gardiner and Jane D’Altuin (Gonzaga College and Gaelcholaiste Chiarraí) were part of this winning team, along with Conor Kelleher (Good Counsel College) and Turlough Hannon (Gonzaga College).The teams in this section of the competition tackled problems in Swahili, musical code, and the Australian language Yidiny.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Multilingual Technology Graduates

Ireland is currently experiencing significant demand for multilingual technology graduates across diverse industries, including the multi-billion euro digital content sector.

Professor in Computer Science at Trinity, and Director of AILO organisers CNGL, Vincent Wade, said:

“The All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad hones students’ problem solving, lateral thinking and language skills, which are all key requirements in today’s global business world. By combining computational thinking and linguistics in a fun way, the contest is inspiring students to pursue third level studies at the intersection of computing, linguistics and language.”

In preparation for the AILO final, competitors received tuition from experts at CNGL, a €61 million academia-industry research centre that adapts and personalises digital content, products and services to the needs of global customers. They will receive further tuition before they jet off to represent their country in the Finals in Beijing later this year.

The Results

Individual Contest
1st Place: Luke Gardiner (Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin)
2nd Place: Matthew Nixon (Aquinas Grammar School, Belfast)
3rd Place: Jane D’Altuin (Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, Kerry)
4th Place: Daniel Herlihy (Douglas Community School, Cork)

Team Contest

Luke Gardiner (Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin), Turlough Hannon (Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin), Jane D’Altuin (Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, Kerry), Conor Kelleher (Good Counsel College, Wexford)

For more on AILO 2014, see www.cngl.ie/ailo or Follow us on Facebook

View the AILO 2014 Photo Stream

Test your mind against the languages of the world with the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad!

Round 1 of this year’s contest challenged students to decode problems in fasincating languages including:

• The ‘visible speech’ writing system to help deaf students to pronounce spoken language more accurately
• The Maori language of the indigenous people of New Zealand
• Estonian
• Turkish
• The Kairak language of Papua New Guinea

No knowledge of particular languages or linguistics is required; even the hardest problems require only logic, analytical thinking…and plenty of patience!

Try out the puzzles for yourself:

Download the Round 1 Questions [pdf]

We’ve also supplied the solutions, so you can check how well you do. The top performer in Round 1 scored 88.8%

Good luck!

Pictured at the national final of the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad 2014 are Chloe Fegan, Ayisha Din and Caroline Quinn of Rathmore Grammar School, Belfast

Language sleuths vie for place on Irish Team at International Linguistics Olympiad in Beijing

CNGL hosted the concluding stage of a nationwide search to find Ireland’s top young problem solver at the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) Finals on 25 March 2014 at Trinity College Dublin. One hundred secondary school students tested their test their minds against the world’s toughest puzzles in  linguistics, logic and language. The prize for the top four decoders is the opportunity to represent Ireland at the International Linguistics Olympiad in Beijing in July 2014.

The Olympiad, run by the Science Foundation Ireland-funded CNGL Centre for Global Intelligent Content, challenges students to apply logic and reasoning skills to solve complex language puzzles in unfamiliar languages. It aims to inspire the next generation of multilingual technology graduates, who possess a powerful blend of language competency and problem-solving expertise.

From a starting line-up of 2,600 students across 23 counties, the one hundred top sleuths battled it out during individual and team contests. Competitors engaged in ‘code-breaking’ to unlock information in unfamiliar languages – from decoding an epic creation myth in the Buginese language of Indonesia, to deciphering the indigenous Blackfoot language of North America. No prior knowledge of a second language was required; even the hardest problems required only reasoning skills, logic and patience.

The top four performers will be selected to represent Ireland at the International Linguistics Olympiad, which will be held in Beijing, China in July 2014. There, Team Ireland members will test their wits against students from over thirty countries during a week packed with puzzles and cultural experiences.

Ireland is currently experiencing significant demand for multilingual technology graduates across diverse industries, including the multi-billion euro digital content sector. Professor in Computer Science at Trinity, and Director of AILO organisers CNGL, Vincent Wade, said: “The All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad hones students’ problem solving, lateral thinking and language skills – all key requirements in today’s global business world. By combining computational thinking and linguistics in a fun way, the contest is inspiring students to pursue third level studies at the intersection of computing, linguistics and language.”

In preparation for the final, competitors have received tuition from experts at CNGL, a €61 million academia-industry research centre that adapts and personalises digital content, products and services to the needs of global customers. The winners will be announced next week.

For updates, and to try out the challenging puzzles, visit www.cngl.ie/ailo

View the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad 2014 Photostream

The finalists come from all corners of the country, and this year the top 100 problem solvers’ are representing 19 Irish counties and 46 schools. Over the last two weeks, the CNGL Centre for Global Intelligent Content organised specially trained tutors to visit the qualifying schools, and help students in their preparations for the final.

Registration on the day runs from 9.30am to 9.45am, so students should aim to arrive at the exam hall early on Tuesday to register and get settled before the contest. CNGL will provide participants with a breakfast pack, consisting of fruit, a cereal bar and water to keep them going before the contest starts.

The event kicks off at 10am with a two-hour individual contest, and students will each solve a set of puzzles in exam conditions.  At noon, there will be a break for lunch, and students can enjoy their lunch in the Trinity Dining Hall before the second part of the competition. The team event is the last of the day; students will spend another two hours working together in groups to solve even more complicated puzzles.

Congratulations and Good Luck to all the students who qualified for and are taking part in the final next Tuesday! For more interesting first round facts click here>>>

AILO 2014 National Finalists

Contact Laura lgrehan@computing.dcu.ie, if you have any questions about the All Ireland linguistics Olympiad.

View infograhic

• Visit a linguistics MOOC. (In case you don’t know, a MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course, i.e. a collection of teaching material, especially video lectures, which is freely available online.)
• Browse the collection of fascinating facts about language which are beautifully presented in David Crystal: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Your school library may already have a copy; if not, ask them to get one!
• Read (or browse in) one of the following introductory books:

1. Larry Trask: Language: The Basics (for a quick, engaging read)
2. William McGregor: Linguistics: an introduction. (a popular undergraduate textbook)
3. Victoria Fromkin and Robert Rodman: An Introduction to Language (a widely-used undergraduate textbook, with chapters on different areas of linguistics and exercises at the end which are easier than the AILO questions, but testing knowledge of language as opposed to thinking skills; plus answers at the back!)
4. Mark Baker: The Atoms of Language (aimed at non-specialists, has lots of talk of paradoxes and cracking codes, and introduces principles of linguistic analysis in the later chapters by comparing syntactic parameters to the periodic table)
5. Richard Hudson: Invitation to Linguistics (accessible, clear, and with a focus on linguistic puzzles)

Best of luck with your final preparations and we look forward to welcoming you to AILO 2014!

This is a busy time of year, as many students are thinking about their future careers. Transition Year students are going on work experience, and taking aptitude tests, while Junior and Leaving cert students are busy with their mock exams.

The students, all at different stages in their academic careers have one thing in common; they are thinking about one of the biggest decisions they have to make; what college course to choose?

Is a computing or linguistics course a good career choice?

Computing, linguistics, and language skills are important assets for many job-seeking graduates. Technology connects all parts of an organisation regardless of the profession, and Ireland is a prime location for students preparing to enter the technology industry.

The top IT career trends for 2014 show, demand for technical and computing skills will continue to grow. Especially, for those with knowledge of cloud computing, IT security and data mining and analysis such as database administrators (DBAs).

When offering advice to students about what to study, Mike Rhodin, Senior Vice President, IBM Watson Group said, “Math, analytics and statistics are becoming a critical skill.” It is not possible to deal with the increasing volumes of data available, “you have to actually look for patterns, statistical patterns and those statistical patterns become the translation.”

Linguistic or Language experience is another essential skill for today’s multilingual and multicultural workforce, the Localisation industry is growing, and combines language, culture, computing and business. Ireland is a global leader in the industry, which is worth €680 million, and employs 14,000-16,000 across a variety of companies including Amazon, Apple, Facebook, IBM, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Oracle, PayPal and Symantec.

How does AILO help students?

The competition introduces them to computing, linguistics and languages; subjects they might not have considered as possible options for study. During the AILO competition, students use analytical and deductive reasoning skills to solve complex linguistic problems. They use these ‘code-breaking’ skills to identify and translate words and sentences in minority languages, opening up the possibility of studying new cultures and languages.

This experience will guide students as to whether they might enjoy a career that combines computing, linguistics and languages.

Pictured at the launch of AILO2014 were Taks Drazewski and Emmet Bunbury from Templeogue College, and Aoife O’Connor and Katie Griffin from Loreto College Foxrock

A nationwide search for Ireland’s top young problem solvers has begun following the launch of the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad 2014. More than 2,700 secondary school students will test their minds against the world’s toughest puzzles in language, logic and linguistics during qualifying rounds of the contest in their schools. The prize for the top four sleuths is the opportunity to represent Ireland at the International Linguistics Olympiad in Beijing in July 2014.

The All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) aims to inspire the next generation of multilingual technology graduates, who possess a powerful blend of language competency and problem-solving expertise. The contest is run by the Science Foundation Ireland-funded CNGL Centre for Global Intelligent Content, which is co-hosted by Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University.

AILO challenges students to engage in ‘code-breaking’ to unlock information in unfamiliar languages – be it decrypting Swedish Metro maps, deciphering ancient Oriental scripts, or interpreting Aboriginal poetry. No prior knowledge of a second language is required; even the hardest problems require only reasoning skills, logic and patience.

Speaking at an event to mark the launch of the 2014 season at Trinity College Dublin, Mr. Wu Lijun, Counsellor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Dublin, praised the contest’s role in sharpening students’ problem-solving skills. He said: “Over 90 per cent of employers state that the capacity to think critically, communicate clearly and solve complex problems is vital in the 21st century global workforce. The All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad is an important vehicle to teach these skills in an engaging manner. China is honoured to be hosting the 2014 International Linguistics Olympiad in July. We look forward to seeing Team Ireland pit their wits against code-breakers from more than 30 countries.”

Students Emmet Bunbury, Maks Drazewski, Katie Griffin and Aoife O’Connor pictured with Mr Wu Lijun, Counsellor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Dublin, Prof Vincent Wade, Director of CNGL, and Mr Xiaochuang Wu, Education Secretary, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Dublin

Professor in Computer Science at Trinity, and Director of AILO organisers CNGL, Vincent Wade, said: “Ireland is currently experiencing significant demand for multilingual technology graduates across diverse industries, including the multi-billion euro digital content sector. Since its launch in 2007, the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad has been inspiring students to pursue third level studies combining computing and languages. We look forward to inspiring many new students this year.”

The top 100 performers in the qualifying rounds will progress to the national final, which will be held at Trinity on March 25^th, 2014. Finalists will be tutored by experts from CNGL, a €58 million academia-industry research centre that adapts and personalises digital content, products and services to the needs of global customers.

For more details on the All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad, see www.cngl.ie/ailo