A couple of weeks ago, Paula Arturo of Translator’s Digest winked at the translation world by reminding readers of ‘5 Ways in Which Translators Rock’.
Indeed, translators and interpreters out there work hard every day to keep the global village spinning and a lot of their personal attributes are down to their everyday engagement with different languages and cultures. The translation process requires an excellent command of one or more foreign languages, solid research skills, and background knowledge. Add a pinch of discipline and sprinkle with patience and commitment and you get what a translator is made of.
Alas! It only takes a brief look at the press and book covers out there to make one wonder whether translators actually exist at all. You’d think texts are now being fed to some kind of polyglot virtual machine which propagates multilingual scripts in a jiffy. Translators’ (in)visibility is in fact one of the oldest debates in translation theory, particularly in literary translation: if it is the translators’ duty to remain invisible, how is one to acknowledge their work?
I can think of two ladies who know exactly how to stick up for them.
LOVE YOUR TRANSLATOR – Join the movement
The LOVE YOUR TRANSLATOR sticker campaign, started by professional translators Marie-Luise Groß and Anja Müller, uses sticker bombing to call attention to the important role of the profession in today’s globalized world.
The campaign aims at increasing the visibility and self-confidence of freelance translators and interpreters and raising awareness about their important role in society. Indeed, it seems that the movement is already sticking out miles and the creators’ ultimate goal is to build an online platform where language professionals can interact and network.
The LOVE YOUR TRANSLATOR stickers are free of charge, won’t stain, and can be removed easily. They are also environment-friendly as they are vegan and made of biodegradable plastics.
So what are you waiting for? Get your stickers now and help spread the love. Just don’t forget to take a snapshot for the online gallery.
Speaking of snapshots:
CEATL’s ‘Translation, Everywhere’ Photo Contest
After the enthusiastic response to last year’s ‘Spot the translator’ video contest, the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL) is back with a new photo contest for translators with a creative flair. CEATL is calling on amateur photographers to create concept shots “reflecting the existence and importance of literary translators, their challenges, and their role in literature”. Photos will be accepted as long as they relate to literary translation and there will be a prize for the winner before the International Translation Day, 30 September 2015.
What a fascinating mixture of expressive means. Grab your cameras and meet you there!
