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Language is one of the most elaborate forms of communication that humanity has developed over the centuries. Each language has its own cultural nuances that make proper intercultural communication nearly impossible without the assistance of language specialists – translators.
1. International Translation Day is celebrated annually on September 30 and is also a feast day for Saint Jerome, who is a translator in the history of Christianity. He translated the Old Testament into Latin directly from the original Hebrew. September 30 marks the day of his death.
2. The most targeted languages for translation are English, French, German, Italian, and Russian.
3. In the first decade of the 21st century, over 75% of books between 2000 and 2010 were translated into French or German and only 5% into Chinese, which is surprising, as Chinese is the most spoken language in the world.
4. A professional translator can translate about 250 words in an hour. A full-time translator can translate approximately 520,000 words per year.
5. The most spoken languages are Chinese, Spanish, English and Hindi.
6. The profession of translator is more than 2,000 years old. It is believed that the Old Testament was translated into Greek in the third century BC, which would make it the oldest recorded translation.
7. The first 3 authors who are the most translated are Agatha Christie, Jules Verne and William Shakespeare.
8. According to a survey, there are over 300,000 certified translators.
9. According to most translators with years of experience, Spanish is the easiest language to translate. It is due to the fact that, in Spanish, the written words are identical to the way they sound, making it the most accessible language to be learned and translated.
If you want to find out about the types and areas of translation, check out our article on this topic: Types and areas of translation.
[Photo from Pixabay]
