International Translators Day

Albrecht Dürer : Hieronymus in the Case , 1514

The International Translation Day or International Day of translation ( fr. Journée mondiale de la traduction , English. International Translation Day ) in German-speaking countries, Hieronymustag called, is celebrated annually on 30 September, the anniversary of the death of Jerome in the year 420, a church father, who translated the Old and New Testament from Hebrew and Greek into spoken Latin , the so-called Vulgate . Figuratively speaking, Jerome is considered the patron saintthe translator .

story

The Fédération internationale des traducteurs , FIT, first launched this day in 1954 in Paris . In 1991 FIT expanded the idea into a worldwide "International Day of Translation" to show solidarity within the international translation community and to promote the translation profession in as many countries as possible - even though the day goes back to a Christian saint and therefore only reflects the tradition of part of the global translation community. Yet offers the day interpreters and translators (the proportion of women in the Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ) is 79%) an opportunity to focus on their profession into the light, the progresses in an era of globalization is gaining steadily in importance. Every year there are readings from translated works in Germany , including by the Association of German-Language Translators of Literary and Scientific Works , VdÜ. Austria, Lithuania, France and Denmark have already been involved in public events in Europe.

Worldwide distribution

The UN General Assembly unanimously put International Translation Day into effect worldwide on May 24, 2017. The General Assembly thus recognizes the role of professional translation in the networking of nations, in promoting peace , for mutual understanding and for social development.

Wherever people speak, write, read or sing something, translators are involved. The world owes it to them that the knowledge of all other people can be taken note of in their own language and that consciousness may be changed. The translation work is a prerequisite for the promotion of culture and science, but also for the development of vernacular languages . It serves the united Europe. In multilingual countries such as B. Belgium or Switzerland , translations are essential. In multilingual Canada , according to the law, all kinds of political processes must always be translated into the other main language, and if necessary also into the language of the Aborigines .

Worldwide poster for the International Translators' Day 2016

On International Translation Day, numerous public events with experts from the industry raise awareness of the importance of understandable language and make visible the people who are behind a translation through their work, from beautiful literature to specialist books, from theater to film and television , from newspapers and magazines to advertisements and technical manuals.

On the occasion of this day, the VdÜ has a ring, called the Hieronymus Ring, passed on every two years, from the previous owner to the successor he has chosen himself. This ring honors outstanding literary translators . In 2015 the ring was awarded to Miriam Mandelkow.

The mottos of the last few years

2012: "Translation: a carrier of intercultural understanding"
2013: "Beyond Linguistic Boundaries"
2014: "The right to languages: a prerequisite for every human right"
2015: "New Concepts of Translation and Interpretation"
2016: "Translation and interpreting connects worlds."
2017: "Translation and Diversity"
2018: "Translation: conveying cultural heritage in fast-moving times"
2019: "Translation and indigenous languages"
2020: "Finding the words for a world in crisis"

The International Day of Translation in German-speaking countries

In the German-speaking area, the event on International Translation Day is sponsored by the Goethe-Institut , Pro Helvetia , the Robert Bosch Foundation and the S. Fischer Foundation .

In 2017, around 30 September 2017, the venues were several Goethe-Instituts in Alexandria , Amsterdam , Cairo , Kiev , Nanjing , Beijing , Tashkent and, with various sponsors, (partly) German-speaking cities such as Aabenraa , Berlin, Flensburg, Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg, Hamburg , Jena, Cologne, Leipzig, Marburg and Zurich.

In 2018 the Weltlesebühne, with the support of the Toledo Foundation, organized “transparent translations” in Berlin, Bocholt , Brunsbüttel , Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Jena, Cologne, Leipzig and Zurich; in turn, the Goethe Institutes were active in Amsterdam, Belgrade , Budapest , Jerusalem , Cairo, Mexico , Paris , Tel Aviv and Zagreb . The VdÜ was present several times in Berlin as well as in Freiburg (with an additional exhibition), Hamburg and Radeberg around the Hieronymus Day.

literature

Transl. Annette Kolb : Valery Larbaud , Sankt Hieronymus. Patron saint of translators. (Sous l'invocation de Saint Jérôme). Kösel, Munich 1954 (63 p. German extract from the text of 405 p.)

Web links

On the story ( Memento from September 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
Actions with the Association of German-Language Translators of Literary and Scientific Works, VdÜ
International Translators Day: The distant, misunderstood brother of the writer. Why translators have to be idealists. by Michael Kleeberg , Deutschlandfunk Kultur , September 30, 2014
Transparent translators show their work. International Translators Day. Jana Slawutski, Aaron Matthiesen from the Flensburg University of Applied Sciences show their work in the Flensburg City Library .
Jerome Day 2014 : “Transparent translators” on the world reading stage. A collage with a selection from 13 events of the Weltlesebühne (Germany and Switzerland) and 17 Goethe Institutes worldwide. Quotes, photos (e.g. Friedhelm Rathjen , Marieke Heimburger ). In Cologne, the translators sat in the window of a bookstore, a total of 7 in a row. In Heidelberg, the translators worked on a boat on the Neckar (floating world reading stage).
History and meaning of the IÜT , VdÜ, 2018
International Translation Day, September 30th. UN page on the Day of Action, accessed on October 10, 2018.

Individual evidence

↑ BDÜ is celebrating World Translation Day with events and campaigns on bdue.de
^ Membership statistics of the Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators
^ Resolution The role of professional translation in connecting nations and promoting peace, understanding and development. ; with the same signature in French Le rôle de la traduction professionnelle dans le rapprochement des nations et la promotion de la paix, de la compréhension du et développement , Russian Роль профессионального перевода в сближении народов, укреплении мира и содействии взаимопониманию и развитию , Spanish La función de la traducción profesional en el establecimiento de vínculos entre las naciones y la promoción de la paz, el entendimiento y el desarrollo , 71st meeting, agenda No. 125
↑ Two speakers commented on the submission: ... The Assembly requested that the Secretary-General continue to preserve high quality and excellence in the work of language professionals within the Organization, while affirming the important role of professional translation in upholding the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Andrei Dapkiunas ( Belarus ) presented the draft, emphasizing that its meaning and importance was much broader and deeper than simply demonstrating respect for a profession closely linked to diplomacy and international affairs. It was not about institutions or bodies; rather, it was first and foremost about people, the invisible workers and unsung heroes of the linguistic profession. Language played an underappreciated role in human society, despite the fact that deeper respect for culture and language could help to forge greater unity and build bridges among civilizations and cultures, he said. Gustavo Meza-Cuadra ( Peru ), speaking for the Group of Friends of Spanish, said the Group championed multilingualism as a core United Nations value touching on all areas of the Organization's work. It influenced how the United Nations projected itself to the world. The Secretary-General's associated report, titled “Multilingualism” (document A / 71/757), detailed various activities carried out in support of multilingualism, including the proposed terms of reference for a Coordinator of Multilingualism who would be tasked with implementing multilingualism in a consistent and coherent manner across the organization. Noting that human resources work across the Organization was generally carried out in English and French, he called for human resources information brochures to be published in Spanish on Inspira. He also welcomed the launch of the United Nations iLibrary platform, expressing hope that additional languages would soon be featured on the site. Hopefully, the Department of Public Information would soon be able to provide coverage of intergovernmental meetings in all six official United Nations languages. He welcomed enhanced efforts to recruit qualified Spanish-language translators and interpreters, as well as other professionals.
↑ On the work of literary translators: You have to be able to hear the tone of a work , interview with Claudia Dathe, Robert Bosch Stiftung, on the occasion of the IÜT 2009.
↑ Details
^ VdÜ dates

[1] BDÜ is celebrating World Translation Day with events and campaigns on bdue.de

[2] Membership statistics of the Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators

[3] Resolution The role of professional translation in connecting nations and promoting peace, understanding and development. ; with the same signature in French Le rôle de la traduction professionnelle dans le rapprochement des nations et la promotion de la paix, de la compréhension du et développement , Russian Роль профессионального перевода в сближении народов, укреплении мира и содействии взаимопониманию и развитию , Spanish La función de la traducción profesional en el establecimiento de vínculos entre las naciones y la promoción de la paz, el entendimiento y el desarrollo , 71st meeting, agenda No. 125

[4] Two speakers commented on the submission: ... The Assembly requested that the Secretary-General continue to preserve high quality and excellence in the work of language professionals within the Organization, while affirming the important role of professional translation in upholding the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Andrei Dapkiunas ( Belarus ) presented the draft, emphasizing that its meaning and importance was much broader and deeper than simply demonstrating respect for a profession closely linked to diplomacy and international affairs. It was not about institutions or bodies; rather, it was first and foremost about people, the invisible workers and unsung heroes of the linguistic profession. Language played an underappreciated role in human society, despite the fact that deeper respect for culture and language could help to forge greater unity and build bridges among civilizations and cultures, he said. Gustavo Meza-Cuadra ( Peru ), speaking for the Group of Friends of Spanish, said the Group championed multilingualism as a core United Nations value touching on all areas of the Organization's work. It influenced how the United Nations projected itself to the world. The Secretary-General's associated report, titled “Multilingualism” (document A / 71/757), detailed various activities carried out in support of multilingualism, including the proposed terms of reference for a Coordinator of Multilingualism who would be tasked with implementing multilingualism in a consistent and coherent manner across the organization. Noting that human resources work across the Organization was generally carried out in English and French, he called for human resources information brochures to be published in Spanish on Inspira. He also welcomed the launch of the United Nations iLibrary platform, expressing hope that additional languages would soon be featured on the site. Hopefully, the Department of Public Information would soon be able to provide coverage of intergovernmental meetings in all six official United Nations languages. He welcomed enhanced efforts to recruit qualified Spanish-language translators and interpreters, as well as other professionals.

[5] On the work of literary translators: You have to be able to hear the tone of a work , interview with Claudia Dathe, Robert Bosch Stiftung, on the occasion of the IÜT 2009.

[6] Details

[7] VdÜ dates