Celebrate International Translation Day on 9/30!

We all know the standard holidays; Christmas, New Year’s Day, Ramadan, Purim, Kwanza. The list of holidays celebrated around the world are endless. Some are celebrated for religious purposes, some for secular, and some are simply celebrated by region such as April Fools and Groundhog Day. One of the days that we love to celebrate at ITC is National Translation Day. Yes, it’s really a celebrated day in the U.S. and Europe. It takes place on September 30 every year and it’s celebrated in different ways in different regions.

How It Began

International Translation Day is a celebration to honor the professional people around the world who keep communication open and expanding.

International Translation Day began in 1953, and was established by the International Federation of Translators. It was designed as a way to thank those who make the world a closer place through translation. September 30^th was appropriately chosen as it the feast day of St. Jerome, “who was the first person to translate the Bible into Latin” (Days of the Year). International Translation Day is a celebration to honor the professional people around the world who keep communication open and expanding. It is only through good communication that we can achieve anything. As we learn from other cultures, we can teach everyone multiple levels of law, politics, technology, and medicine that can lead to global unity in many ways.

Why It’s So Important

Though many people are unaware of International Translation Day, it stands to reason how important it is. Without those to translate words from one language to another, we would be a closed off and lonely world.

Celebrations vary from place to place. For example, International Translation Day in 2016, was celebrated in the U.K. at The British Library, who hosted a day-long event. It included seminars on subjects such as writers in translation, translation in high education, alternate routes to publication, and translation games.

The annual celebration at FIT in the U.S. included workshops, seminars, and conferences that revolved around a chosen theme: Translation and Interpreting: Connecting Worlds. The statement provided by FIT is a great example of how important translation has become in the world, “As the world becomes more integrated, fostering understanding between the multitudes of speakers is more critical than ever. Whether it is in writing or in speech. Interpreters and translators are at the junction point that impacts development.”

How To Celebrate This Year

Some ways that your company can celebrate International Translation Day this year include:

• Hand out awards, certificates, or prizes for people who work with translation
• Offer special training courses, seminars, or workshops that teach basic translation
• Have a party complete with hats, balloons, and cake
• Take an afternoon to do something special, from a catered lunch to an outing
• Tell your translators how much you appreciate them by saying Thank You

At ITC, we know how very important our translators are. Without them, we wouldn’t have a 100% satisfaction rating with our clients! Our translators can boost your business by helping you expand and communicate with customers worldwide. And after all, that’s what international translation is all about!