Before the day ends, I want to send a special greeting to my former students, now great professionals who help to bridge nations together and facilitate proper communication between people from different cultures. I am proud to see you all developing great professional careers.
(I loved this representation of the meaning of "translation" expressed in an old poster. Sometimes "oldies" are to be valued.)
It is always important to know the reason why we celebrate special days and this is why I visited the United Nations site. They prefer to celebrate Translation Day, but I still consider the individual professionals more important than their product. It is the translators and interpreters commitment which makes it possible to transmit information and messages from one culture to another keeping their full meaning.
Here I quote the UN explanation:
“On 24 May 2017, the General Assembly adopted resolution
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.
Why 30 September?
30 September celebrates the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible
translator, who is considered the patron saint of translators.
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. He was of Illyrian ancestry and his native tongue was
the Illyrian dialect. He learned Latin in school and was fluent in Greek and
Hebrew, which he picked up from his studies and travels. Jerome died near
Bethlehem on 30 September 420.”
I would add "working in unison to make the world a better place where everyone is respected and respects others, where collaboration can bring about the solution of most problems that threaten peace and well-being".
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