Let Us Honor Translators on International Translation Day

30 September is International Translation Day (ITD), the special day to honor translators around the world. September 30 is also Saint Jerome’s feast day. He is the patron saint of Encyclopedists, librarians and translators. Saint Jerome was the one who translated a major part of the Bible into Latin (Vulgate) in the 4th century.

In this post, we explore International Translation Day and the importance of professional human translators in our digitized world.

Celebrating International Translation Day

International Translation Day was initially created by the Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT), or the International Federation of Translators (IFT) in English. The organizers established the event to pay tribute to the interpreters and translators who work hard to bridge the language gap across the globe. The special day is often celebrated with symposia, seminars and language services events.

In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly espoused a resolution making September 30th International Translation Day. It’s a result of the untiring work of the International Federation of Translators, member associations and the American Translators Association.

The International Federation of Translators

The International Federation of Translators is a worldwide federation of professional terminologists, interpreters and translators, which was established in 1953. It has over 100 affiliate organizations that represent more than 80,000 translators located in 56 countries across the globe.

The aim of International Translation Day is to honor translators for their dedication as language professionals in bringing nations and people together through cooperation and understanding, making dialogue easier and helping to develop and strengthen security and world peace.

Importance of Language Professionals

Translation involves the transposition of various written work from a source language to a target language. In professional translation, terminology, and interpretation work, it is the task of the linguists to preserve and maintain clarity, productiveness and positive climate in interpersonal communication and international public discussions.

It is this important role of language services and language professionals that made the United Nations General Assembly create the Resolution 71/288, establishing September 30 as International Translation Day. It is to honor translators for their valuable work in fostering understanding, development and peace and in connecting nations.

Human vs.  Machine Translation

When it comes to translation, there is always a debate about whether human translation is better than machine translation. Right now, there should be no debate at all because machine translation is not capable of accurate translation. Machines are able to translate words, phrases and short sentences that are already in their databases. Machine translation is not capable of picking up the nuances of the language and specific linguistic typology.

If you need thorough translation, it requires the human touch, so it is better to work with professional translators than commit errors in the translation, which could prove costly.

What are the Benefits of Working with Human Translators?

Translators have been serving people and nations for ages, and while some are touting the merits of machine translation, it still has a long way to go before it can replace human translators.

Professional translators will always be needed as long as international communication is needed. Human translators have to learn new skills and adapt to new trends in the global digital era, but the need for professional translators is not going to slow down. In reality, the increase in the demand for language services continues to rise due to content revolution and globalization.

Here’s a look at some of the perks of working with professional human translators:

Increased Productivity

The professional translators today do more work than their predecessors. For their translation projects, they have to do research, check terminology, review and apply style guide. In some cases, translators also do quality checks on their work aside from using new language and translation tools, especially those who work from home. Most of them are also required to have knowledge and expertise in specific subject matters, such as healthcare, engineering, information technology, law or finance.

Subject Matter Expertise

Human translators have the capability to work with industry-specific documents. They may have been actively practicing their chosen profession prior to being a translator, thus they have a deep knowledge of the terminology required for a particular subject. They are required to be fluent in the source language and native speaker of the target language, which helps them to navigate the different nuances and contexts of the language pair.

High Quality Translations

You will have better quality translation when you work with a professional translation company. The company can assign your project to the most suitable translator. Depending on the content, call on a subject matter expert to handle your translation request. Better quality assures you that the translation is accurate. There is usually a team that works on each translation project. Teams generally comprise of a project manager, the translator, an editor and a proofreader. Only after the translation passes the quality control process will it be submitted to the client.

Cultural Competence

Every culture has its own set of norms and values, which is ingrained into their language. Translating for international audiences requires the translator to be knowledgeable and sensitive to the target culture. This is more evident when the translator is tasked to do localization. For whatever type of translation work you require, the translator has to know the specifics of the target audience, in order to properly adapt the translation to the values, norms and even the level of understanding of the target culture. The aim of translation is to facilitate communication. This is why it is essential that no one will be offended by the translated work.

Cheers to Translators Around the World!

Day Translations, Inc. joins our fellow language services professionals around the world in celebrating the International Translation Day. As professional translators and interpreters, let us applaud one another. We always aim to provide the best linguistic service we can offer our clients, whether we are working on small or big projects!