Happy International Translation Day!
Today is the feast of St. Jerome, patron saint of translators, and therefore the day we celebrate International Translation Day. When I visited Florence and Rome last year, the wonderful historian Ada Palmer struck up a game of “Spot the Saint” at each museum we went to and each important monument we passed (which in those two cities is approximately every 50 feet). I wasn’t the best at the game, but I could always spot St. Jerome a mile away, because he’s the best one. (By which I mean the one I like best–he has a dashing red coat and a sweeping hat, and listening to his story as told by Ada, I felt like he and I really “got” each other.) You can see I snapped a photo of him here hanging out at the Vatican, in a painting by Pier Francesco Mola…
I think it’s great for each profession to have a day of recognition for their service, and what better day than that of a man forever associated with words, AND in my mind a fond memory of gorgeous Italian art?
So here’s to all my translator colleagues, and the ways in which we build bridges between cultures and people. And to everyone else, give a smile today for your favorite translator. We help the world share books, films, inventions, medicines, and diplomatic talks. We keep the wheels of justice turning. We save lives, or just help you have fun.
I celebrated today by attending a few webinars, doing outreach, finalizing plans to share a hotel room at this year’s American Translators Association conference, and finishing up a giant project… which actually isn’t quite finished yet, so that’s all for now!