Happy International Translation Day 2011!

Today is the feast of St. Jerome, patron saint of translators. And so we celebrate it as International Translation Day, as well!

This is a day to reflect not only on our day-to-day work, but also on our role in this global culture. As the world changes and technology brings us closer together, translators are becoming more, rather than less, important. The need for translation is obvious in our everyday lives. Even as non-translators take advantage of widely-available machine translation, they can see its shortcomings. There is a clear place for professional translators in our globalized world. Translators connect governments, businesses, doctors, development workers, students, … We make it possible for people with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds to work together to improve their lives and the lives of others. That is a profession I am proud to be a part of. Happy Translation Day!

In honor of our patron saint, here is a painting of St. Jerome by Jusepe de Ribera that I saw recently at the San Diego Museum of Art: