It is said that Gabriel García Marquez liked the English translation of his book 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' more than his original Spanish version, and that King Edward III gave Geoffrey Chaucer a gallon of wine a day for the rest of his life as an award for his literary works and translations (that's more than 3.5 liters a day!) Historically, women would not sign their translations with their names , but used pseudonyms to avoid rejection of their work, while 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' by Carlo Collodi would become the most translated piece of all times (leaving aside religious books). No matter what period in history we check for facts, translation is always there --or better still: it's there, but most people are not aware of it.
September 30th: St. Jerome and the UN resolution
St. Jerome was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian from North-eastern Italy known as "the Bible translator" --now 'the patron saint of translators'. He translated manuscripts of the New Testament from Greek into Latin, and parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek. He died on September 30th, the date proposed by the UN to celebrate International Translation Day and raise awareness of the importance of the profession.
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General Assembly The General Assembly, Welcoming the holding of the annual Saint Jerome Translation Contest to 1. Affirms that professional translation, as a trade and an art, plays an important role in upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security; 2. Decides to declare 30 September International Translation Day; 3. Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations and individuals, to observe International Translation Day, in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national priorities, in order to raise awareness of the importance of professional translation, and stresses that the cost of such activities should be met from voluntary contributions;[...] |
Raising awareness
International Translation Day is a day to celebrate the work of language professionals, but also to bring translation to the attention of those who may otherwise not know about its important role. Translation is absolutely necessary. Let everyone know that without translation the world, individuals and businesses, would be surrounded by barriers. In a world with over 7,000 spoken languages, translation is as important today as it was in its early stages.
ProZ.com and the community
ProZ.com would like to take this opportunity to thank language professionals who make the site possible. Your presence in this community matters. Enjoy the day!
