The day is celebrated every year on September 30 on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators. The celebrations have been promoted by FIT (the 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 (not necessarily only in Christian ones). This is an opportunity to display pride in a profession that is becoming increasingly essential in the era of progressing globalization.
The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on May 24, 2017 declaring September 30 as International Translation Day, an act to recognize the role of professional translation in connecting nations. [1]. 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. Also several organizations have been advocating for this resolution to be adopted: AIIC, CLI, FIT, IAPTI, Red T, WASLI.
The Kalima Translation Project at Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism hosted a range of cultural activities for adults and children at Dalma Mall as part of the International Translation Day celebrations.
Organized in cooperation with Dalma Mall and presented by the Children's Center from the National Library Sector of the Department of Culture and Tourism, the events included sessions for children to read a collection of translated Kalima publications, a handicrafts workshop as well as a one-word translation contest, photography sessions and quizzes where winners received Kalima books as prizes. There were also 1,000 books given away to the audience at the event.
This event highlights the vision of the Department of Culture and Tourism which seeks to encourage younger generations to read more and to spread happiness and positive energy throughout UAE society.
Kalima is one of the key initiatives of Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism. It was launched in 2007 under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, with the aim of reviving the translation movement in the Arab world and promoting cultural dialogue.
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