News

30/09/2012: Happy International Translation Day!

To all translators!

May you keep up your great work of bringing cultures together, opening up new ways to communicate, and stripping away stereotypes!


Sunday 30th September is International Translation Day – celebrated annually on the Feast of St Jerome, the patron saint of translators. The International Federation of Translators has promoted these celebrations ever since it was founded in 1953, but in 1991 International Translation Day became officially recognised as an opportunity for the international translation community to show solidarity, commitment, pride and promote this important profession in different countries (not necessarily only in Christian ones). The Federation of Translators has announced that its theme for 2012 is "Translation as Intercultural Communication" and stated that it "will continue to build bridges among diverse cultures and facilitate intercultural communication that creates prosperity and cultural enrichment for all".

International Translation Day started early in London, on Friday evening, 28 September, at the London Review Bookshop, with Anthea Bell, the finest translator from German, in conversation with Daniel Hahn, programme director of the British Centre for Literary Translation. The Bookshop will partner the BCLT in a World Literature Series of live translation events, talks and translation workshops, starting on 26 October. For more information click here.

A day of events takes place on 5 October at King's Place, King's Cross, London, organised by the Free Word Centre, English PEN, The British Centre for Literary Translation, Literature Across Frontiers, the British Council, the London Book Fair, the Translators Association, Wales Literature Exchange & Words Without Borders. For more information on the activities, and ticket information click here.

Also on 5 October at King's Place: The announcement of the winner of the third annual Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize at a special event in Hall One. Two of this year's judges, author Tash Aw and translator Nicky Harman, are joined by cult writer Andrei Kurkov and editor Briony Everroad to discuss the art of translation with a particular slant on Chinese, the language chosen for this year’s prize. This is a free event. For more information click here.

International Translation Day will be celebrated around the world and Banipal is pleased to give readers links to some of numerous events being held by Translators Associations in different countries – in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in the US from Seattle to New York, in Capetown, South Africa, in China; also in Lebanon, and in Egypt, where the event in Cairo will be on 15th October, the birth date of Egyptian writer, scholar and translator Rifaa Rafi' al-Tahtawi (1801-1873). Meanwhile, the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) holds its annual conference 3-6 October in Rochester, NY, hosted by Rochester University's Three Percent, that keeps its finger on the pulse of translation and world literature.

In Dublin, Ireland, the Irish Translators' and Interpreters' Association is marking International Translation Day with a very special guest – the translator Frank Wynne. In Cracow and Warsaw, Poland, film screenings and lessons celebrate the occasion.

Corfu and Thessaloniki, Greece.

Johannesburg, South Africa - On Saturday 29th September the South African Translators’ Institute will hold its Triennial Conference 2012.

Austin, Texas – Food, drink and live music mark International Translation Day with Austin Area Translator & Interpreters Association.

Ottawa and Toronto, Canada.

Manila, Philippine - Ateneo de Manila Unversity's journal Kritika Kultura celebrates International Translation Day with the Philippine Society for Translation and Translation Studies.

Yaoundé, Cameroon.