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Prize-winning music producer awarded the McGill Associates Prize in Translation

Published: 27 June 2017

What range of skills contribute to making a successful translator? According to Jean Massicotte, his understanding of linguistics, science, writing techniques and project management paved the way to success. Massicotte is the 2017 recipient of the McGill Associates Prize in Translation (English-French). He received this distinction at the spring graduation ceremony when he was awarded a Certificate in Translation in the English to French option.

Jean Massicotte has been producing music for some fifteen years. In addition to using both English and French in his professional life, he has acquired experience not only in recording techniques, communications, and human resource management, but also in writing. This interest in writing led to his desire to become a translator.

His intellectual flexibility is rooted in his early studies in piano at l’Université Laval. Subsequently he earned a joint B.Sc. in Physics and Mathematics followed by a masters in Physics at l’Université de Montréal.

In 1997, Massicotte co-founded the Maisonnette music recording studio in Montreal.  He has since amassed a number of prestigious prizes including three Juno Awards in 1997, 2001 and 2015 as well as several Prix Félix in 1997, 1998, 2004 and 2015 for his work as a sound engineer, producer and arranger. And if that were not enough, he won the Victoire de la musique award in France in 2008.

“Music, the exact sciences and translation have a great deal in common. This explains in great part the powerful mix of competencies that Mr. Massicotte brings to Canada’s language industry.”  said James Archibald, Director of McGill’s Translation and Written Communication unit.

 McGill’s undergraduate certificate in translation meets the needs of aspiring translators interested in serving the extremely varied translation needs of this fast-growing industry. 

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