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The world, which even in the era of globalization is more like the Tower of Babel, cannot do without translators. It is not for nothing that Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin called the representatives of this profession “postal horses of enlightenment.” The work of a translator is subtle, but extremely important – through this work, countries and communities can share knowledge and experience, supporting and accelerating world progress.
When is the Day of the translator in Our Country and the world
Translator’s Day, established in 1991, is celebrated on September 30. In Our Country, as well as around the world, in 2022, festive and educational events for representatives of this profession will be held on this day.
history of the holiday
The need for such a professional holiday was first discussed in 1991. The initiator was the International Federation of Translators, founded in the middle of the twentieth century in France. September 30 was chosen as the date of celebration – in the Catholic tradition, this is the day of memory of St. Jerome of Spyridon. This man is known primarily for the fact that in the 400s he made a complete translation of the Hebrew texts of the Old and New Testaments into Latin. Of all the variety of ancient and medieval texts of the Bible that have come down to us, full of discrepancies, it is the translation of St. Jerome that is considered canonical. It is officially recognized by the Catholic Church as the so-called “Vulgate” – the generally accepted Bible. In Western culture, Saint Jerome is considered the patron saint of all translators.
The holiday was first celebrated in 1992 and, until recently, it was known only in narrow professional circles. Translator’s Day in Our Country has been celebrated since the early 2000s.
Every year the holiday is held under the motto that meets the current social agenda. At various times, the slogans were “Building bridges between cultures” (2011), “A united world – beyond linguistic barriers” (2013), “The right to language: the basis of all human rights” (2014), “Translation and languages of indigenous peoples” (2019 ).
In 2017, at the regular session of the UN General Assembly, the professional holiday gained weight – since that time it has been celebrated much more widely thanks to the United Nations. Her support emphasizes the importance of the profession and the benefits that professionals in this field bring to modern society. Translation promotes understanding of countries and peoples, their peaceful communication and cooperation, unification and development.
Holiday traditions
Translators, interpreters, simultaneous interpreters, indigenous and sign language specialists – this profession has many shades.
On September 30, events are held all over the world, the purpose of which, on the one hand, is to raise awareness of the profession and its role in society, and, on the other hand, to help and support specialists. Press conferences, round tables, training sessions and seminars, as well as awarding the best translators with special merit – such events are held both at the global and local levels. And, of course, colleagues and relatives participate in congratulations.
The figures
- On our planet they speak 6-7 thousand languages.
- More 300 thousands — about as many professional translators exist in the world.
- 250 words at a time On average, one specialist translates.
Interesting Facts
Translation is a subtle science. Often, a lot depends on the delicacy of the translator, and awkward and funny situations that arise due to a lack of understanding of certain features of the language often become the object of jokes both within the professional environment and among the people. Here is some of them:
1. According to legend, Khrushchev’s winged quote “I’ll show you Kuz’ka’s mother!” during the UN meeting was translated literally – “Kuzma’s mother”. Due to the fact that no one understood the meaning of this phrase, the international community decided that this was some kind of terrible threat, perhaps a hint at the new secret weapon of the USSR. Subsequently, the Soviet atomic bombs were named after the mysterious mother Kuzma in Western countries.
2. Scientists from France at one time opposed the stable phrase “black hole” – the literal translation of this phrase into French means something very obscene.
3. Conspiracy theories about an advanced Martian civilization arose in the XNUMXth century due to nuances of linguistic meanings. The Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli discovered a network of canals on the surface of Mars and called it “canali” – in Italian, this word can mean both natural and man-made structures. However, when translating his works into English, the word “canals” was used, the meaning of which is literally “artificially created channel”. The venerable public was immediately alarmed, expecting an imminent invasion of highly developed aliens, but Schiaparelli’s achievement did not pass the test of time – the channels he found turned out to be nothing more than an optical illusion that arose due to the imperfection of the telescopes of that time.
4. The familiar barrel of Diogenes and Pandora’s box are neither a barrel nor a box in fact. The Greeks used the word “pithos” to designate these items – this is a large clay vessel designed to store wine and oil, which was buried in the ground for better preservation of the contents. Therefore, Pandora’s box would be more correct to call Pandora’s cup. And Diogenes, according to legend, lived in just such a pithos – the technology for making barrels was unfamiliar to the ancient Greeks at that time.
5. Most often, large companies integrating into a foreign market face the peculiarities of local meanings.
The Coca-Cola company, opening its way to China, was forced to change its name – the phrase “ko-ka-ko-la” can literally be translated as “bite the wax tadpole.” Therefore, in the Chinese market, the company had to choose a hieroglyph with a slightly different phonetics, it turned out “ko-ku-ko-le” – “a mouthful of happiness”.
“Lada Kalina” in Finland received the forced name “Lada 119”, because “kalina” in Finnish means crackling, rattling and roaring.
American Airlines found itself in an interesting situation, which, after installing leather seats in aircraft cabins, actively used the slogan “Fly in leather!”, which means “Fly in leather”. Hispanic passengers especially appreciated it – the Spanish equivalent of this phrase literally translates as “Fly naked.”