Language is no bar to the world that needs a medium of communication. It is the feeling of getting understood through the tunnel of translation that elevates the feeling of communication.
The significant number of international days celebrated annually, specifically in September, speaks volumes about the need for awareness and appreciation of the people who work hard for any novel cause.
These days stand out on a particular date to commemorate those who suffered under such conditions and passed away without any proper help. It also helps in bringing different cultures and people from a multitude of ethnicity together for one cause.
The majority of days are reigned over by health and its awareness initiatives. Very few of them celebrate and appreciate those who help bridge the communication gap.
International Translation Day
Language and its related aspects are highly valued because they help bridge the gap between two people. A translated language, on the other hand, aids in the creation of a more versatile connection between people of different languages, cultures, origins, and ethnicity.
It is for this mode of understanding a language, through translation, that the United Nations has declared September 30th as an International Translation Day.
The day is annually celebrated in the honour of translators and interpreters who ease the passage of communication through their multilingual abilities.
The United Nations (UN) emphasizes translation initiatives by incorporating them into their organization. It is due to this ability that people from all over the world are able to communicate their messages without having to abandon their linguistic identity.
Multilingualism
The talent for communication is a blessing in its own way. But the talent of translation is the tinsel to communication.
Communication skills provide a better understanding of not only what, when, and how to say something, but also to whom. Add a sprinkle of translation skills and the entire dish produces a healthy aroma.
Being multilingual comes at its own cost. It is not an easy feat to receive positive appreciation and a healthy background to pursue a career in this field.
People working as translation professionals suffer at the hands of the information they receive from people seeking their skills and what they convey. This is based on the sole focus of the audience in question.
It is their ability to provide a strong perspective in any situation if they do not have a toned and controlled skill that might render them troubled in their fields.
For instance, being a diplomat’s translator and interpreter, one can always be under the radar for incorrect conversion of messages. They have an important role to play in world peace and prosperity.
Translation in literature
Literature is a medium of conversation that kindly conveys what others cannot profess directly. A translation of literature, be it of any genre, reflects the connectivity it carries. That is the authority of anything written.
As we have Arundhati Roy speaking about literature in her book Azadi,
“I mention this because it taught me that the place for literature is built by writers and readers. It’s a fragile place in some ways, but an indestructible one. When it’s broken, we rebuild it. Because we need shelter. I very much like the idea of literature that is needed. Literature that provides shelter. Shelter of all kinds. “
We have come to understand that literature provides something that any direct conversation might not do for many people. Moreover, when this literature, which speaks of anything and everything, gets translated into another language, it attracts more like-minded readers.
The role of readers and language enthusiasts
Translation is not only vocal, it is written as well. A fictional discourse translated into another language provides the basis for understanding the writer’s perspective.
But it is the readers and language enthusiasts who raise the literature in question to a particular standard.
No matter how acclaimed any particular piece of literature is, its reception amongst readers of other languages changes the graph of acceptance. Navigation of the concerned audience helps in publicising any book.
Culture and people
It might have started as a trend, but translation has surely helped the publishing industry. More and more readers are added to the list.
The variants of any single piece of work, when available in another language, reach a multitude of people. These people not only belong to another language but also to a different country, culture, and race.
The popularity of any piece of literature is due to these people. Many individuals are multilingual and love reading several translations of a single work.
Understanding the quality of literature and appreciating it boosts the translator’s morale. It is in this acceptance that they put their best foot forward.
People readily accept literature in their own language, irrespective of the culture, ethnicity, race, class, and colour depicted in it. It is the sense of familiarity on account of language that brings so many people together.
A World without Barriers
The theme of this year’s United Nations’ International Translation Day is “A World without Barriers.“
The theme clearly demonstrates what translators stand for. Their hard work in bringing something very precious from one language into another is accepted and appreciated beyond measure.
An act of translation is selfless in itself, as they want the world to be joined in harmony through connectivity without any language barriers.
With the progress of education across the globe, many courses are being offered by universities and colleges in translation. It is nothing but an amazing initiative to bring more multilingual individuals together and help bridge the gap between communication and conversation.
We need translators because what they do has been pointed out by Erin Morgenstein in her novel The Starless Sea:
“A book is made of paper, but a story is a tree.”
And the translators are the cultivators of such trees in the gardens across the world.
