We are celebrating because September 30th, International Translation Day, is now very near.

To mark the occasion, we dedicate this article to all our collaborators that are the bridge between languages and cultures, and who work with us every day to achieve that.

This celebration has no other purpose than to acknowledge the invisible task of translators, working from the shadows, but so necessary to achieve understanding between countries that might be neighbors but speak languages that are so different that, without knowing them, they are very difficult to understand.

Why on September 30th?

The celebration takes place each year on September 30th since it was created in 1953 by the IFT (International Federation of Translators) in order to pay homage to the theologian and linguist Jerome of Stridon (340-420 AD), Bible translator and patron saint of translators, by commemorating his death. Saint Jerome took 27 years to translate the Bible (Old and New Testament) from Greek and Hebrew to Vulgar Latin (Vulgata Latina),common language of the Roman Empire, commissioned by Pope Damasus, and with the help of three assistants. The task was so arduous that he was on the verge of abandoning it on several occasions due to fatigue, stress, lack of resources and persecution by the Roman authorities. Therefore, he became an example for the translation community.

On May, 24th, 2017, the United Nations declared September 30th International Translation Day:

Welcoming also the cooperation of the Secretary-General with
the network of universities that have signed a memorandum of understanding with the
United Nations on the training of candidates for language competitive examinations,
and recognizing the role of this cooperation in channeling
talent towards the United Nations language services,

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;

Activities

This year several activities have been organized to commemorate this day. Below, we compile some of these so the information is available for you:

SPAIN

• Valencia (Tyris on Tap), 29th September 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
• Madrid (La Central de Callao), 30th September 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
• Tarazona (Casa del Traductor), 30th September 2017 at 11:00 a.m.
• Barcelona (Alibri bookstore), 30th September 2017 at 12:00 p.m.
• Barcelona (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, Translation Slam), 30th September 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
• Barcelona (APTIC headquarters), 30th September 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
• Salamanca (Letras Corsarias bookstore), September 30th 2017 at 7:00 p.m.

UNITED KINGDOM

• London (The British Library), 2nd October 2017 at 9:00 a.m.
• Edinburgh (Heriot-Watt University), 4th October 2017 at 5:30 p.m.

FRANCE

• Paris (Centre Paris Anim’ Tour-des-Dames), 29th September 2017 at 4:30 p.m.
• Figeac, 30th September 2017 all day.
• Clermont-Ferrand (Médiathèque de Jaude), 30th September 2017 at 2:00 p.m.
• Nice (Forum Jorge François), 30th September 2017 at 10:00 a.m.
• Montpelier (Université Paul-Valéry – Montpellier 3), 30th September 2017.
• Angers (Université Catholique de l’Ouest, Bâtiment René-Bazin), 30th September 2017 at 9:00 a.m.
• Tourouvre-au-Perche, 30th September 2017 at 9:30 a.m.

AMERICAS

• Mexico City (Zocalo Central and Histórico Central hotels, as well as the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso), 28-30th September 2017.
• New York (United Nations Headquarters), several activities throughout the month.
• Phoenix (Maricopa Integrated Health System), 30th September 2017 at 7:30 a.m.
• Ottawa (University of Ottawa), 28th September 2017 at 5:00 p.m.
• Montreal (Houston Bar & Grill), 28th September 2017 at 5:00 p.m.
• Quebec (Café Cosmos), 29th September 2017 at 5:00 p.m.
• Sherbrooke (Espace culturel de Magog), 13th October 2017 at 5:00 p.m.
• Santo Domingo, D. N., (Supreme Court of Justice, Office of the Attorney General of the Republic and Hotel Catalonia), September 29-30, 2017. To attend, please call (809) 477-2622 or (809) 221-6920.

AFRICA

• Rabat (Translation Center, of Documentation and Edition of the Institut Royal de la Culture Amazighe), 27th September 2017, at 3:00 p.m.

AUSTRALIA

• Ashfield (Polish Club), 30th September 2017 at 5:00 p.m.

INITIATIVES ON INTERNET AND INFORMATION MATERIALS

• “Discover the translator”,a challenge that invites Twitter users to discover the identity of 5 translators (an initiative by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports).
• Video “Invisible Authors: International Translation Day” (campaign by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports).
• The importance of Translation, by Basheer Zendal at TEDxSanaa.
• The hidden secrets of translation, by Nadia Garcia at TEDxYouth@Gijon
• A day in the life of an interpreter/translator
• Interpreters, 1968.
• The translator of languages (Helen Marsch)

If any initiative is missing, feel free to contact us and share it so we may add it to the list!

This post is also available in: Español (Spanish) Français (French) Nederlands (Dutch)