The Last Time I Write About The Contest, I Promise

So I've been thinking more seriously about looking for work as a translator, and I figured it was time to start actually trying to translate stuff. Turns out it's HARD. Here's my first attempt: a short passage from the Victory Walker, our local mega-mall publication.

"9月8日“新声闪耀”DJ选拨赛初选在胜利广场中央大堂热闹开选, 比赛中每位选手均通过自我介绍，自备主持和现场推介音乐三个环节的基本素质比拼，并接受三位评委的热辣点评和专业指导。经过 十几天的角逐,最终有21名优秀选手成功挺进决赛.决赛中每位选手都力争将自己最具个性的语言风格展现给评委和观众,他们的娱乐气氛给现场带来了接连不断的欢乐.其中最吸引观众眼球的是一名在大连外国语言学院留学的美国籍选手了，他以流利的中文主持赢得了在场所有观众的热烈掌声.最终这名异国选手以精彩的表现获得了比赛三等名.

The preliminary round of the "Fresh Sound Sparkle" DJ tournament was held amid much excitement in the main hall of Victory Plaza on September 8th. The competition required each contestant to give a self-introduction, act as an event host, and introduce a piece of music; in the end, they faced the fiery criqitue and professional guidance of a three-judge panel. After a dozen or so days of competition, 21 outstanding contestants successfully entered the final championship round.

In the championship, each contestant struggled fiercely to show the judges and audience that they had the most style, personality, and voice, creating an atmosphere of non-stop entertainment and fun. Amongst them all, the contestant that most attracted the audience's eye was an American student from the Dalian Foreign Languages University, whose fluent Chinese hosting won him the applause of everyone in the house. In the end, this foreign contestant's splendid performance earned him third-place in the competition."