Today we celebrate International Translation Day – a profession that often remains in the shadows, yet is of immense importance to our world.
Can we imagine a world in which we live separated from one another, where spoken words never reach us? Of course, that’s hard. Driven by the curiosity to understand, to listen, to see others, to dive into the unknown and rediscover it, we inevitably choose to be transmitted across bridges built by those who see beyond words – translators.
They connect us with cultures, languages, and people. They give voice to stories we would otherwise never hear. Thanks to them, we read our favorite books, watch films and series, learn from scientific discoveries, work with colleagues around the globe, and engage with ideas born thousands of kilometers away.
If we look back to the distant 4th century, when St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin. Beyond the act of translation, Jerome also undertook the careful task of editing, revising, and standardizing the text. In doing so, perhaps without fully realizing it, he established principles that defined a new intellectual craft. Translation, in his hands, was no longer the mechanical substitution of one word for another; it was interpretation, negotiation between languages, and the conscious shaping of meaning. In this sense, Jerome did more than render the Bible into Latin. He inaugurated translation as a profession, one that carries cultural, spiritual, and political weight far beyond the surface of words.
A translator is not just someone who translates words.
They are an interpreter, a cultural mediator, someone who understands nuance, emotion, and context.
Every good translation is an act of creativity, understanding, and attention to detail.
Today is a moment to thank all translators – for their patience, their love of language, and their dedication to making the world more accessible and more connected.
