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International Translation Day

30 september 2021

Initiated by Slemani City of Literature, the UNESCO Cities of Literature celebrate International Translation Day on September 30 with a collaborative project to translate ‘From the Start’ by W.S. Merwin into languages spoken in their cities across the globe. Utrecht based translator Roos van de Wardt translated the poem into Dutch for Utrecht UNESCO City of Literature.

International Translation Day is meant as an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of language professionals, which plays an important role in bringing nations together, facilitating dialogue, understanding, and cooperation, contributing to the development, and strengthening world peace and security – all things at the heart of the Cities of Literature network.

Languages, with their complex implications for identity, communication, social integration, education, and development, are of strategic importance for people and the planet. The Cities of Literature are passionate about the preservation and celebration of language and translation to bring us all closer together.

The translations will be released via social media throughout the day under the hashtags #COLTranslates and #ITD.