International Translation Day

1. Where does it come from?

First of all, the International Federation of Translators (IFT) was created in Paris in 1953 and brought together associations of translators from all around the world. They started to celebrate and promote translation on the 30th of September every year.

This day coincides with the feast of St. Jerome, who is known as the first person to translate the Bible into Latin from the original Hebrew during the 3rd century, therefore making him the patron saint of translators. He was born around 347 AD in Stridon, an ancient Roman town which was located where Croatia is today, and died in 420 AD in Bethlehem.

At the beginning, the day was only celebrated by the IFT. It was only in 1991 that the federation launched the idea of an official International Day to be recognized worldwide as a proof of solidarity toward the translators’ community. The other idea was to further promote translation as a profession on a global scale.

The annual celebration obtained recognition on the 24th of March 2017, when the United Nations’ General Assembly passed resolution 71/288, declaring the 30th of September as an official International Day and therefore entering it into the calendar of world events. It was also praised as an act to highlight the fact that professional translation connects nations and people together.

In fact, the UN became the major actor in raising awareness of the importance of translation, as it is one of the world’s largest employers of language professionals. Several hundred language staff members work in the UN’s offices in New York, Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, or at the United Nations regional commissions in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Beirut, Geneva and Santiago. Translators are of course one type of language professional employed at the UN.

2. Who participates?

This day is celebrated by all the professional associations of translators, interpreters and terminologists within the IFT across the world. In total, it accounts for more than 130 associations with 85 000 translators from 55 countries. Every association, like the “American Translators Association” or the “Société française des traducteurs”, takes the initiative in spreading news about the International Day through blog posts, SNS publications and posters on their websites.

Though it is not mandatory to organize any physical event, the associations have different ways of celebrating the special day. The United Nations, for example, lines up seven events for the occasions, which happen around the world, such as at the UN Headquarters in New York, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The UN likewise sponsors a St. Jerome Translation Contest annually.

Many professional organizations hold their own events. Some hold reading events of popular translated books and help out at bookstores. Some provide free linguistic services to development and humanitarian agencies, or special contents such as a “Translation Marathon” in selected language pairs.

3. What is the purpose?

The main objectives are to promote translation and interpretation, and pay tribute to the work of translators who do their best to make the world a better place by breaking down language barriers. This day is celebrated with a series of events, seminars, and symposiums across the world. Translator and interpreter are two professions dedicated to ease communication between people. Both are at the junction point that impacts the development of business, science, medicine, technology, international law, politics, and numerous other areas. This will ultimately provide people with the ability to learn from one another to the benefit of society as a whole.

Therefore, International Translation Day highlights the role of translation to encourage the profession which helps in promoting an understanding of the intangible cultural heritage and mutual respect in our changing world.

4. Why is it different each year?

This day is also a great opportunity to point out current global issues and show how they relate to the world of translation. Every year, the IFT chooses a different theme and organizes a poster contest. The winning poster is then selected to be the current International Translation Day’s front page.

In 2017, the “Translation and Diversity” theme was chosen. On this International Day, the associations of translators expressed how languages can show human diversity and how translation helps us communicate even through cultural and language barriers. As Globalization brings the world together, we need translators and interpreters now more than ever to connect people. But it also brings along the risk that cultures unify and lose their precious diversity. To avoid that, jobs like localization, which are different types of translation, were highlighted during the day. Those are very important because they help promote diversity while presenting satisfying translations at the same time.

In 2020, the theme was “Finding the words in crisis”. As technology evolves rapidly to the point out that AI can provide proper translations, translators and interpreters have to adapt to new expectations and realities. Furthermore, the recent COVID 19 situation forced them into a different way to proceed in their job. This year’s theme highlighted the need of the world for access to and visibility of language professionals. The crisis brought forth the expertise of translators and interpreters in facing the pandemic. The demand for medical translation and interpreting increased, and the media has recognized the importance of the role of language professionals today.

Huynh Kévin