For the past few years, the world has continued to witness an increasing demand for translators. This was made possible by scientific, technological, commercial and cultural progress. This situation has led to an extensive use of translators since nations of the world do not speak one language and even within individual nations like Nigeria, the people speak different languages.
Through the resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on May 24, 2017, every September 30 is celebrated as International Translation Day. The day is also dedicated to honouring the role of language professionals in fostering peace between linguistically distinct nations.
Today also coincides with the feast day of Saint Jerome, a priest, and scholar from North-eastern Italy who is credited with the translation of the first Bible from Hebrew into Latin, thousands of years ago. Saint Jerome is considered as the patron saint of translators for his efforts in making the Bible accessible to a wider audience.
Ever since the United Nations was created, translators have played a great role in bringing nations on the same page. The United Nations is also one of the world’s largest employers of language professionals. Several hundred language staff work in UN offices worldwide.
Translators and interpreters work in the business, education, health, media, literary, science and technical industries. The texts they translate include books, articles, published research, news bulletins, legal documents and other written documents that need translating.
Translation which is the act of reproducing information in one language, into another different language, while maintaining the meaning, beauty and idea of the original language, is a complex task that needs skilled translators who are language professionals to carry out the translation activities.
International Translation Day is an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of these language professionals, who play an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security.
Despite the importance of translators in our society, they are not getting recognized. Some people describe translators as copiers whose job can also be performed by machines like Google Translator. The fact remains that machine translation still fall short of the mark for anything more than a simple phrase, and can never fully recreate something as complex as professional translation.
Translators are like linguists, they are language engineers who research minor distinctions and handle new developments in their languages. Like writers, translators are used to working long hours on subjects that interest people and with a language that few people around them know. Like diplomats, translators have to be sensitive to the cultural and social differences which exist in their languages and be able to address these issues appropriately. And like educated amateurs, translators have to know the basics and some of the details about the subjects they deal with for a justified translation.
Going by this year’s theme – A world without barriers: the role of language professionals in building culture, understanding and lasting peace, there is a need to overcome the linguistic boundaries and maintain good communication and understanding between the peoples of the world.
The theme signifies the need for a united world for a better future. Currently, there are many misunderstandings among different nations and cultures. This can be solved only when they listen to each other through translation, which encourages them to learn other languages so that they can understand it better. Today also urges people from all over the world to break the barriers and be tolerant to the point of view of others.
DAN OKOYE
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