International Translation Day is closely associated with St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is regarded as the patron saint of translators.
In 2017, the United Nations officially declared September 30 as International Translation Day. Each year, we globally celebrate this day and remember how translators work to create a united world in solidarity across nations.
These are well-known facts. A lesser-known fact is that the UN draft was first signed by Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, Qatar, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, and Vietnam. These were the first nations to accept the importance of translation for the world. This is a moment of honor for Türkiye.
What is often forgotten is that St. Jerome lived and died in Bethlehem, where he translated and edited the Bible, in Bethlehem of Palaestina Prima, the land we now call Palestine. Today, the place where civilians are living in fear and hunger, under fire, and being forced to leave their homes.
It is unbelievable that the Holy Lands that witnessed the birth of a translation to create harmony among nations today have been witnessing an unending war against the people of Palestine for many years. Translation must be created for good, not for evil. Translation is indispensable for sustainable peace. International Translation Day should be celebrated in solidarity by all translators worldwide, particularly those from Palestine and Israel; through translations that honor a shared world, technical translations that highlight peaceful business interactions, and literary translations that express the joys and hopes of both peoples.
We, at the Department of English Translation and Interpreting, Üsküdar University, believe that today, International Translation Day, must be a day of solidarity with the Palestinian people, and we dedicate this day to all the translators who have worked to build peace and to help people find shelter, food, and protection from inhumane conditions. This will help to glorify the humane profession, the translation work that translator St. Jerome did in Bethlehem, and carry it to future generations with honor