"As  the  biggest  non-profit  international  organization  for  professional translators,  interpreters  and  terminologists  working  for  the  wellbeing  of  the  international  community,  FIT  in 2012  will  continue  to  build  bridges  among  diverse  cultures  and  facilitate  intercultural  communication  that creates prosperity and cultural enrichment for all.

In his new book Language: The Cultural Tool (2012), Professor Daniel Everett argues that language is a tool to solve a common human problem – the need to communicate efficiently and effectively. Indeed, one of the most important  activities  that  help  people  of  diverse  ethnic  origins  and  different  political  and  cultural backgrounds  to communicate  is  translation,  a  distinctive  feature  of  which  is  the  crossing  of  the  boundaries between  Self    and  the  linguistic  and  cultural  Other.  In  other  words,  translation,  as  intercultural communication, is a means of transporting the ways of life, customs, attitudes, mindsets and values of one particular culture across time and space to another culture or other cultures.

Facilitated by the major changes and shifts in the global economy, culture and information technology in the last three  decades,  we  now  have  a  radically  altered  linguistic,  socio-political  and  cultural  context  for intercultural communication. If “to be or not to be ... global” is hardly a question for people and nations in the contemporary era, then “to live or not to live … in  translation” is no longer an option but a reality of our everyday life.

As  brokers  of  peace  and  mutual  understanding,  FIT  members  will,  in  various  ways  and  through different channels, celebrate International Translation Day (ITD) 2012  with the  theme of  “Translation as Intercultural Communication”."

Read the full text of the press release:  International Federation of Translators (ITD) 2012 Press Release