For a brief moment, imagine what the world would be like without translators and translation: trade would come to a standstill; science and innovation would grind to a halt; and communication, diplomatic and social, would be, at the very least, greatly minimised.
In our societies, where everyone plays a unique part, everybody deserves recognition for the work they do. In this respect, the field of international linguistic translation is no different and, in many cases, is vital to our advancement, which is why September 30th has been designated as the International Translation Day.
This celebration of translation is a product of the FIT (Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs, or International Federation of Translators, in English), which has, since its founding in 1953, sought to grow, advance, and improve the standards of translators and the field of translation overall. Currently, the organisation, working in cooperation with UNESCO, represents over 100 professional associations, accounting for 80,000 translators in 55 countries. As for the day itself, the idea to first celebrate this day was put forth in 1991.
If you are wondering about the significance of September 30th, this is the feast day of St. Jerome, the patron saint of translators. Living in the 4th and early 5th centuries, St. Jerome is best known for translating the Bible into Latin and for his commentaries on Scripture. In addition to his translation works, St. Jerome’s willingness to immerse himself in the study of the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Bible as well as the painstaking attention to detail with which he articulated the translations offer a strong guiding principle which the translation industry seeks to uphold.
We, at EVS Translations, see the annual celebration as an opportunity to commend the hard work of all our teams of translators, interpreters and linguists around the Globe.
