A Brief History of International Translation Day

A week from today is International Translation Day and a chance for us to appreciate our fellow translators everywhere! So, What is it all about? Following is a background on the history of International Translation Day and why you might find it of interest.
 

A Brief History of International Translation day:

St. Jerome was born sometime between 30 and 347 AD in Stridon, which is located on the Italian side of the Italian-Croatian border. He was a priest, confessor, sculptor, theologian and historian. He was a consultant to popes, bishops and monks. His writings are extensive, but he is best known for his translation of the Bible from Hebrew into Latin.

A previous version (now called the Old Latin) existed, but Jerome's version far surpassed it in both scholarship and in literary quality. Like any good translator, Jerome had a flair for languages and was fluent in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He understood the importance of translating the Bible into a style of Latin that was actually spoken and written by the majority of people at the time. This kind of Latin is known as Vulgate Latin (meaning the Latin of the common people) and that is why Jerome's translation became a part of what is known as the Vulgate.

In addition to his translation of the Bible, Jerome was also a forerunner in translation theory. At the time he seemed alone in his beliefs that a translation should not always be word for word, but rather sense for sense. For example, he produced at least three translations of the psalms in his attempt to capture and illuminate these prayers of the Church. Jerome believed that a good translator should give the new language equal weight with the original and should try to make the translation equal to the original, not only in meaning but also in quality and style.

Jerome did have humility for his own work. He freely admitted ignorance and revisited some of his translations, making corrections and additions. However, he also pointed out that a translations accuracy greatly depended on the reliability of the source text.

St. Jerome died at Bethlehem from a long illness on September 30, 420. He is buried at St May Major in Rome. Every year, therefore, on the feast of St. Jerome, International Translation Day is celebrated.


Why should it be celebrated?

International Translation Day offers an opportunity to draw attention to the importance of translators and interpreters in the world. These language practitioners often remain invisible and unacknowledged, yet their work makes a huge contribution to communication and interaction in all sorts of spheres, particularly in today's world.

Without business translators, it would be impossible to conduct global business, craft foreign policy, share books or even hold the Olympics. Recent natural disasters have brought the attention of the world to one country or another, and language translation services have made it possible to provide greater help to the victims.

"Say what we may of the inadequacy of translation, yet the work is and will always be one of the weightiest and worthiest undertakings in the general concerns of the world." J. W. Goethe.


So, for September 30th 2011, we at Truly Translate would like to wish you a happy International Translation Day and give a big thank-you to our fellow translators and interpretors everywhere!



----------------------------------------------------------------------

Truly Translate offer professional translation services for English to Italian and vice-versa. Your satisfaction is guaranteed or your money back. We welcome you to have a look around our website, where you can get a free instant quote, or find out more about how we work and the services we offer. We look forward to your visit.

www.trulytranslate.co.uk