Saint Jérôme honoured at the International Day of Translation

9858 Views 2 Liked Posted on: 29 September 2021

Today is the 30th of September and it is time to celebrate! Like every year, on the day of Saint Jérôme, we celebrate the International Day of Translation. But who was Saint Jérôme, the famous patron saint of translators and what are the origins behind this worldwide celebration? Here are a few details that should answer all of your questions.

About Saint-Jérôme...

Jérôme de Stridon was born 347 AD in what is now known as Croatia. An unwavering disciple of Christianity, Jérôme was a monk before becoming the secretary of the Pope, a role which afforded him his vast intellect and rich culture. Jérôme was a man with a strong character, and had brought many enemies, however, he chose to devote his heart to the Bible. He dedicated more than 30 years of his life to translating the Bible into Latin, which was a core part of his “magnum opus”: the Vulgate. His Bible translation, despite being challenged somewhat during the 5th and 6th centuries, his translation served as the Catholic Church’s reference for years to come, until it became the official translation of the Bible during the Council of Trent (16th Century).

Saint Jérôme, who is considered today as one of the four fathers of the Roman Catholic Church, went on to posthumously inherit the title of Patron Saint of Translators, but don’t worry, translators today aren’t all polemicists nor as vindictive as he was!

...at the International Day of Translation

Every year on the 30th of September, the International Federation of Translators (IFT), celebrates this Day of Translation since its creation in 1953. A day in honour of those who work tirelessly to ensure international communication, but it wasn’t until 1991 that the idea of an official celebration was proposed. Since 2013, the IFT organises a poster competition each year with a different theme each year, the winning poster is then shared in order to promote the International Day of Translation. 2021’s theme is “United in translation”. You might be wondering... But why the 30th of September? Simply because this day marks the anniversary of Saint Jérôme’s death, he died on the 30th September in the year 420 AD. The United Nations have also recognised the 30th of September as the International Day of Translation during a General Assembly in 2017. After having adopted this resolution during its 71st session, the General Assembly of the United Nations also highlighted the importance of the crucial role that language specialists play, such as translators, interpreters or even terminologists, in being the bridges between nations, and maintaining the peace, as well as improving understanding and development.

Translators play a key role in the development of businesses, commerce, science, medicine, literature and all other fields that produces written material. So, this September, let’s celebrate the values that represent translation across the world such as cultural diversity and let’s be friendly instead of cranky, isn’t that right Saint Jérôme?

By Cyril and Charline, for ACSTraduction

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