I believe many of you don’t know that translators actually have their own special day to celebrate: September 30th of each year.

Back in 1991 the International Federation of Translators (FIT) launched the idea of an officially recognised International Translation Day to show solidarity of the worldwide translation community in an effort to promote the translation profession in different countries. The significance of the date (September 30th) is that it’s the feast day of St. Jerome (347-420 AD), the Bible translator who is considered as the patron saint of translators, interpreters and librarians.

And each year there’s a special theme. This year’s theme celebrates the professional translators, interpreters and terminologists represented by FIT member associations that build bridges between cultures and facilitate communication that creates prosperity and cultural enrichment. As the Federation note in their press release for International Translation Day 2011:
“Thanks to translators, interpreters and terminologists, peoples around the world can preserve their cultural heritage while being active participants in the “global village”. Cultural diversity makes our world a better place, but we have to understand each other in order to avoid international conflicts and to help each other in times of need. We have to understand each other to appreciate our cultural differences.” Read ‘Translation: Bridging Cultures’ in full…

I personally knew about the International Translation Day only 3 years ago, believe it or not, and I frankly never celebrated it before… until this year that is, when I got a sweet greeting message from a thoughtful friend wishing me a “happy International Translation Day”.

So to celebrate this day with you, I’m sharing some of my favourite translation-related videos , wishing all fellow translators a Happy International Translation Day, whatever language you speak.

Learn a foreign language.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you speak English?

Berlitz: Improve your English.