International Translation Day


International Translation Day is an international day celebrated every year on 30 September on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators. The celebrations have been promoted by International Federation of Translators ever since it was set up in 1953. In 1991 FIT launched the idea of an officially recognized International Translation Day to show solidarity of the worldwide translation community in an effort to promote the translation profession in different countries. This is an opportunity to display pride in a profession that is becoming increasingly essential in the era of progressing globalization. In line with the celebration of 2019 as International Year of Indigenous Languages, the theme for 2019 is Translation and Indigenous Languages.

UN resolution

The United Nations General Assembly has passed on May 24, 2017, a resolution declaring September 30 as International Translation Day, an act to recognise the role of professional translation in connecting nations. Eleven countries – Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, Qatar, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam – are the signatories of Draft Resolution A/71/L.68. In addition to the International Federation of Translators, several other organisations have been advocating for this resolution to be adopted: International Association of Conference Interpreters, Critical Link International, International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters, Red T, World Association of Sign Language Interpreters.

American Translators Association

Since 2018 the American Translators Association has celebrated International Translation Day by publishing a series of social media posts intended to spread information and educate the public about the role of professional translators and interpreters. ATA's 2018 ITD celebration entailed a set of six infographics depicting information about the professions. In 2019, ATA released a video depicting 'A Day in the Life of a Translator or Interpreter'.