International Translation Day is observed on September 30, every year on
the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is an epitome and
known as the patron saint of the translators. The day aims to celebrate
the work of language translation professionals which facilitates
dialogue, understanding, and cooperation, contributing to the
development and strengthening of world peace and security, and raise the awareness of the importance of their work and
express solidarity with the fellow translators worldwide.
Translators play a significant role in diplomatic engagements that not
only prevent border disputes and foster peace but also help in the
growth of the economy through globalization. St. Jerome was a priest
from North-eastern Italy, who is known mostly for his endeavor of
translating most of the Bible into Latin from the Greek manuscripts of
the New Testament. He also translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into
Greek.
The International Federation of Translators (FIT) organise the day ever
since it was set up in 1953. The first official celebration of ITD was
held in 1991. In May of 2017, the United Nations General Assembly passed
a resolution and adopted 71/288 on the role of language professionals
in connecting nations and fostering peace, understanding, and
development, and declared 30 September as International Translation Day.
The theme of International Translation Day 2020 is “Finding the words
for a world in crisis”. – the
title seems well-chosen and doesn't need comment. Translators, terminologists, and interpreters
provide crucial services both on the front line and behind the news in
crisis situations, so the celebration of the day aims to contribute and
provide the general public with information about the work.
The idea behind this theme was to bring focus on the use of indigenous
languages whose existence is in danger to the extent of extinction. The
day was primarily focussed on the role and important work of
translators, interpreters, and others who are in the service of the
language industry.
The modern, digitalized and technologized world is marked by the
swift and dramatic changes of the ways we communicate. The exchange of
information has never been faster, the world has never been smaller, but
the need for professional human translators has never ceased.
On the contrary, the role of translators in the globalized world is
essential. While the communication is flowing in a heartbeat, it is the
task and the duty of translators to make sure it is flowing in the right
direction and that the precise meaning, intent and style of the message
remain intact.
The way the things work has changed and it is going to change even
more, but the essence of the translation profession remains the same –
to facilitate the exchange of ideas between different languages and
cultures in various ways and on different levels. This is exactly what
we do at all times, regardless of what it is that we translate – a poem,
a novel, a movie, an instruction manual or a website.
Translation is a essential literary endeavour, a means of access into the language, thinking and stories of other cultures, histories and experience.
This evening on International
Translation Day, a digital event will be held to celebrate the success
of the winners of the Translation Challenge 2020 competitions, Grug Muse
and Eleoma Bodammer.
This year's challenge was to translate a sequence of short poems by the poet Zafer Şenocak in German entitled 'Nahaufnahmen’.
A prize of £200 each is presented to the two winners and the winning
translations will be published on the websites of O’r Pedwar Gwynt and
Poetry Wales. The Her Gyfieithu Staff for the best translation into
Welsh is also presented to Grug sponsored by Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr
Cymru.
The competition was organised by Wales Literature Exchange, Wales PEN
Cymru and Literature Across Frontiers at the University of Wales Trinity
Saint David in collaboration with Swansea University, the Association
of Welsh Translators, O’r Pedwar Gwynt, Poetry Wales and
Goethe-Institut.
11 entries received in Her Gyfieithu, and the
Welsh competition's adjudicator Mererid Hopwood, Professor of Languages
and Welsh Curriculum at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David,
says that Grug's work was the "translation that caught my imagination
more than one of the others and best succeeded in creating the feeling
of a 'poem'."
Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones of the Wales Literature Exchange
said: “We are delighted that we have been able to hold the Translation
Challenge again this year despite the concerns and challenges of the
pandemic. The competition is going from strength to strength and this is
the twelfth / 12th year that we have held it in collaboration with a
number of partners. It is a very important time for us in Wales to
celebrate the links between ourselves and other countries, languages and
cultures. WLE’s motto is Translating Wales, Reading the World, and this
is a very suitable event for International Translation Day.”
During the event we also hear from Eluned Morgan MP, Minister for
International Relations and the Welsh Language; Menna Elfyn, President
of PEN Cymru and Professor Emerita of Creative Writing University of
Wales Trinity Saint David; Gosia Cabaj of Goethe-Institut along with
representatives from our other partners. The event is sponsored by the
Presiding Officer, Elin Jones MS.
The event will be held at 7pm
this Wednesday evening and you can register to be part of the evening
by clicking on the link below:
“In
the profession of translation, there is no such thing as an ideal,
perfect, or correct form of translation. A translator always strives to
extend his knowledge and to improve the means of expression; he always
pursues the facts and words”
“Without translation been in existence, we would be probably living in provinces bordering on silence”
"If
we are talking to a man in a language he understands, that will go to
his head. But If we talk to him in his own language, that will go to his
heart”
“As per UNESCO, about 40 percent of the 6700 languages spoken around the world are in danger of disappearing."
"Writers make national literature, while translators make universal literature "Jose Saramago
"Translating
from one language to another is the most delicate of intellectual
exercises; compared to translation, all other puzzles, from the bridge
to crosswords, seem trivial and vulgar. To take a piece of Greek and put
it in English without spilling a drop; what a nice skill! " Cyril
Connolly"
"The translator is a privileged writer who has the opportunity to rewrite masterpieces in their own language." Javier María
