International Translation Day: Translation Unveils the Many Faces of Humanity

September 30, 2023 — International Translation Day. This year's theme: "Translation unveils the many faces of humanity".

In a year profoundly changed by large language models, the theme carries extra meaning. Machines can generate fluent translations, but translation was never mere language conversion: it is the translator's deep understanding of two cultures, a thousand trade-offs between fidelity and clarity, the effort to make one people's stories intelligible to another. The "human face" behind a translation is precisely the most precious part of this profession.

This year, everyone in the industry has been rethinking the relationship between human and machine. The Day's theme offers a simple answer: technology changes how translation is produced, not its humanistic essence. AI can process language, but only humans understand humanity.

Salute to every translator holding fast to professionalism amid change. Happy International Translation Day.