Today is International Translation Day, and the United Nations picked the date to mark the feast of St. Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin and whose version became known as the Vulgate. Jerome is also considered by some to be the patron saint of “irascible, morbidly sensitive old curmudgeons,” which tracks. (Scholars, amirite?)
The UN General Assembly passed a resolution in 2017 affirming that professional translation “plays an important role in upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security.” The resolution also notes that translation is both a trade and an art.
Books in translation are fun to read, too. And today’s celebrations include a wide-ranging list of essays, interviews and book recommendations from the world of literary translation.
The Experts Speak
Lit Hub has gathered a series of pieces from translators and writers on the craft of literary translation. The lineup runs from Anton Hur on the myth of the finicky English reader and the future of literary translation to Michael R. Katz on translating The Brothers Karamazov into English.
Idra Novey writes about writing while translating, and Damion Searls explains why close reading is essential to the work. Kristen Renee Miller argues that every writer should learn how to translate, while Chloe Garcia Roberts offers reasons for hope in the field. Moeen Farrokhi discusses translating Infinite Jest into Farsi, and Elena Marcu speaks about translating Giovanni’s Room into Romanian.
Lawrence Venuti looks at the new and shifting role of the translator, and Emily Wilson and Leanne Ogasawara hold a conversation. Lizzie Buehler describes how translating Korean literature made her a better fiction writer, and Sasha Senderovich and Harriet Murav talk about translating Holocaust literature in times of genocide.
The Book Lists
For readers who want recommendations rather than theory, Lit Hub has several reading lists tied to translation. There is a list of the 10 Best Translated Novels of the Decade, plus a selection of 17 Great Books in Translation From University Presses.
There is also a Reading List of Collaborative Translated Literature, a collection of titles from Bookselling Without Borders, and a list of novels that blend folktales and horror. The final list celebrates Ukraine with ten titles in translation.
Jerome and the Curmudgeon Line
The joke about Jerome being a curmudgeon sets a light tone for the rest of the day’s offerings. The story opens with a laugh about a saint who fits a certain stereotype, then moves directly into serious scholarship and practical advice.
The comparison to “irascible, morbidly sensitive old curmudgeons” is a jokey aside, but it is also a way of saying that translators are often solitary, careful workers who take their craft seriously. Jerome spent years on the Vulgate, and the patience required for that kind of work can breed a particular temperament. That temperament is one reason the curmudgeon line lands so well — it captures the solitary, careful nature of the translator’s job.
The 2017 Resolution
The resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in 2017 is worth reading in full. It affirms that translation brings nations together, facilitates dialogue and cooperation, and contributes to development and world peace and security.
The resolution also notes that translation is both a trade and an art.
Why Every Writer Should Learn How to Translate
Kristen Renee Miller’s argument that every writer should learn how to translate is one of the central claims of the day. Translation is a skill that teaches precision, attention to meaning and the limits of language. It forces a writer to think carefully about how words mean what they mean, and that discipline carries over into any writing.
Close Reading as a Craft
Damion Searls argues that close reading is an essential part of literary translation. His essay makes the case that the slow, careful study of a text is not just a scholarly exercise but a practical tool for the translator.
Close reading involves looking at a text closely, paying attention to individual words, phrases and sentences. It is a method that has roots in literary criticism, but Searls applies it to the work of translation itself. A translator who reads closely is better equipped to capture the nuances of the original, and those nuances are what make a translation feel like the real thing.
Translating Holocaust Literature
Sasha Senderovich and Harriet Murav talk about translating Holocaust literature in times of genocide. Their conversation addresses the particular challenges of rendering difficult material across languages, and it speaks to the responsibility translators carry when working with texts of such gravity.
The Future of Literary Translation
Anton Hur writes about the myth of the finicky English reader and the future of literary translation. His piece takes on the idea that English-language audiences are particularly picky about foreign literature, and he considers what that means for the field going forward.
What the Lists Offer
The book lists provide a range of entry points for readers interested in translated literature. The 10 Best Translated Novels of the Decade is a straightforward recommendation list, while the University Presses list highlights work from university presses.
The collaborative translated literature list is a curated collection of works produced by multiple translators working together. The Bookselling Without Borders list comes from booksellers, and the folktales and horror list blends folktales and horror. The Ukraine list celebrates a specific national tradition.
A Day for the Trade
International Translation Day is a chance to celebrate the work of translators and the books they bring into English. The Lit Hub collection offers a mix of practical advice, theoretical reflection and pure recommendation.
The day is about more than just the saint. It is about the people who spend their days turning one language into another, often without recognition. A translator’s work is invisible to most readers, but it shapes the books we read.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Feast of St. Jerome | Today |
| UN General Assembly resolution | 2017 |
| International Translation Day | Today |
The day carries a political weight. Translation is a tool of diplomacy and development, and the UN has long used it as part of its mission. In a world of multiple languages, translation is one of the few ways that ideas can cross borders.
The curmudgeon line is a joke, but it is also a truth about the work. Translators are often solitary, careful and irascible, and that temperament shows up in the books they produce. The best translations carry the voice of the original, and that voice often belongs to a curmudgeon.
So today, as we celebrate the day, we should remember what the translators do. They take the words of others and make them our own. They bridge languages and cultures, and they deserve the thanks we give them today.
“Professional translation, as a trade and an art, plays an important role in upholding the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding and cooperation, contributing to development and strengthening world peace and security.”
Source material: “Happy International Translation Day!,” Literary Hub.
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