Why is International Translation Day celebrated?

30 September is International Translation Day. The reason for this date is none other than to coincide with the celebration of its patron saint, Saint Jerome. This character, who lived in the 4th century, had a rich culture, and was one of the people in charge of translating the bible and the sacred scriptures from their original languages into Latin. Yes, Saint Jerome was the first translator and he did a job that has earned him the title of patron saint of translators.

The celebration of International Translation Day only serves to highlight the importance of this type of service in today's society. A translation agency must be sufficiently trustworthy to provide a service that is efficient and adapted to the context and needs of its clients. Whether the translation is from Spanish into English, Portuguese, Italian or German, it must always take into account the different aspects that will provide a job well done.

Translation agencies versus automated services

The advent of the Internet has only increased the number of automated translation services preferred by many people. By simply typing certain terms into Google you will find automatic translations in a matter of seconds and from many different languages. However, none of them live up to what a translation company offers in terms of quality. Firstly, automated Internet services, even those that employ artificial intelligence, never take into account the context of the translation. This leads to mistakes that in most cases can negatively affect our reputation as a company.

How many times have we seen restaurant or bar menus translated automatically, with results that are a complete joke? For this reason, using the services of a translation agency is not an expense, but a worthwhile investment that will always have a return. If we are talking about translations of business correspondence or advertising, it is all the more reason to place our trust in this type of company. It is no exaggeration to say that poorly written translations in the commercial field can ruin interesting transactions. The reason is very simple, it is a sign that the company does not take something as basic as communicating everything it has to offer to its future customers seriously. 

So, one of the pillars of International Translation Day is to give translation the importance it deserves, a more than evident fact in an increasingly globalised world. A translation agency can offer a wide range of services, particularly sworn translations, which are essential in certain fields. It is not unusual to have to ask for a sworn translation in order to apply for a job abroad. This is something that cannot be provided by the Internet at all, but only by a company with certified sworn translators who can provide this service.

In this day and age, where immediacy when requesting a service is the order of the day, it must be emphasised that translation is a job that could be described as craftsmanship. Those who require the services of a translation company know that they can count on an excellent result, and that it will not matter if it takes a little longer than with an automated translation service. Clearly, these two aspects are unrelated. For this reason, International Translation Day advocates this type of service as a way of establishing appropriate communications between different languages, giving them the relevant meaning depending on the context. Therefore, it is not worth entrusting the translation to a service you find on the Internet. There may be consequences to doing so that could leave you in a bad light.