Today, September 30, is International Translation Day

New York, Sept 30: Today, September 30, is the International Translation Day. This day is meant to pay tribute to the work of language professionals which plays a key role in bridging gaps between nations, facilitating talks and understanding their cooperation and ultimately, contributing towards making the world a better place for peace and security.

"Transposition of a literary or scientific work, including technical work, from one language into another language, professional translation, including translation proper, interpretation and terminology, is indispensable to preserving clarity, a positive climate and productiveness in international public discourse and interpersonal communication," says the United Nations on its website.

It was on May 24, 2017, that the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the role that language professionals play in connecting nations and promote peace among them as well as development. It was then declared that September 30 will be henceforth be observed as the International Translation Day.

Why September 30 is the chosen date?

This date celebrates the feast of St Jerome, the translator of the Bible and considered the patron saint of translators who died on this date in 420. A priest who hailed from north-eastern Italy, Jerome was known mainly for his effort to translate the most of Bible into Latin from Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. He is also known to have translated parts of the Hebrew Gospel into Greek.

Since 2005, the UN has been inviting staff members, accredited permanent missions staff and students from select partner universities to compete in the UN St, Jerome Translation Contest which rewards the best translation works in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and also German that aim to promote multilingualism and highlight the importance of translators in multilateral diplomatic efforts.