International Translation Day: A World without Barriers

September 30, 2022 — International Translation Day arrives as scheduled, with this year's theme "A World without Barriers".

In a 2022 marked by intensifying geopolitical conflict and obstructed international exchange, the theme carries special weight. This year, translators stood at the humanitarian front of the Ukraine crisis, on the multilateral stage of climate negotiations, and between every globalizing company and its overseas users. What translation removes has never been only language barriers — but barriers of information, of trust, of understanding.

International Translation Day was initiated by the International Federation of Translators (FIT) in honor of St. Jerome, translator of the Bible. Across two millennia, translation has evolved from copying on parchment to human-machine collaboration in the cloud, but the mission is unchanged: letting people who speak different languages understand one another.

May every linguist's professionalism and perseverance be seen. Happy International Translation Day.