In Celebration of International Translation Day…
In celebration of International Translation Day (ITD), 30 September, MultiCorpora is bringing awareness to the history of this special day. This article is to share the story on the importance of translators, and how their work is essential to globalization, allowing us to come together and maintain crucial international relationships.
This year's ITD theme is Translation: Bridging Cultures. Translators, interpreters and terminologists build the bridges of communication, allowing us to enrich cultures and be a part of the global community.
History of International Translation Day:
.jpg)
International Translation Day coincides with the feast of St Jerome, as the saint was known for translating the Bible from Hebrew. Because of this, St Jerome is also known as the patron saint of translators - St Jerome knew Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Chaldaic.
In 1953, when the International Federation of Translators (FIT) was established, the association began celebrating St Jerome's Day and every 30th of September as a sign of the industry's solidarity, we bring attention to this day by promoting the translation profession.
In 1991, FIT officially launched the idea of International Translation Day. They encouraged members to hold events and activities to celebrate this day, and bring awareness of the increasing significance of the translation/interpretation profession to the media and public.
However, it wasn't until 2 years later that the idea of creating an annual theme came about. Some past ITD themes include:
- Translators as agents of social change
- Translation, underpinning multilingualism and cultural diversity
- Translation – Transition
- Terminology – Words matter
- Technology serving the needs of translation
- And more...
.jpg)
International Translation Day Today:
Today, industry associations, members, grassroots organizations and even Universities celebrate International Translation Day in many ways, with varying events and activities. Some celebrations include award ceremonies, seminars, webinars, conferences, competitions and much more. These celebrations are not slowing down, and will continue to promote and acknowledge the important role a translator/interpreter/terminologist plays.
