For most people, Friday, September 30th was just a normal day. But for those of us who work at K International, it was a day that was near and dear to our hearts: International Translation Day!
International Translation Day was established by the International Federation of Translators in 1953, to coincide with the feast of St. Jerome (the patron saint of translators). Every year has a theme to guide the celebrations; this year’s was “Bridging Cultures” for the way translation allows us to build bridges between different cultures.
On its website, The International Federation of Translators reminds us that people and companies who perform translation services are “absolutely indispensable,” saying
“They are brokers of peace and mutual understanding. They open national literatures to the world. They make international assistance in disaster areas possible. They are the voice of politicians, religious and intellectual leaders, and all other people who influence our daily lives. They are gatekeepers of information. They are cultural ambassadors.”
This year, events included seminars and prizes in Lithuania and China, industry dinners and conferences in several different locations and a conference on Arab literature in the Netherlands.
But International Translation Day isn’t the only language-related holiday in September. On the 26th, the European Union also celebrated the 10th annual “European Day of Languages.” This holiday celebrates Europe’s 225 indigenous languages and encourages language learning. The European Day of Languages website notes that “There have never been more opportunities to work or study in a different European country – but lack of language competence prevents many people from taking advantage of them” and calls foreign language skills “a necessity and a right for everyone.” We couldn’t agree more!
Which language should we be teaching our children? I would argue the case fopr making wider use of Esperanto which is relatively easy to learn and use.
I think that people whio use Espreranto “are brokers of peace and mutual understanding…” and “open national literatures to the world.”
Hi Richard
I don’t know if you’re interested but the Esperanto-Asocio de Britio will have an Esperanto stand at the London Language Show at the end of October.
If you know of any Esperanto beginners there’s a taster course on Saturday afternoon as well.
Tickets to the show are free, but you need to book using this link http://www.thelanguageshow.co.uk/page.cfm/link=7
Amike salutas
Brian
thanks for the info Brian
I love learning new languages!