05 setembro 2007

This just in: Translators through History

All along history, the task accomplished by translators has acquired an extraordinary importance in the development and transmission of the Cultural Heritage of Humankind.
As creators of alphabets, of writing systems, of dictionaries, of lexical coining or of the first writing manifestations in a large number of national literatures, translators have been obliged to overcome many obstacles comprising not only the inherent features of their job, but also the misunderstanding and even the persecution by society and authorities. A summary account of the landmarks in translation history implies the making of a cartography of our civilisation, of the different phases gone through in the construction of the fundamental and democratic values, of scientific progress and humanistic knowledge. Translators, as cultural mediators, have always become essential actors in the struggle for mutual understanding and peace between nations and linguistic communities. This linguistic diversity is one of the primary sources of cultural richness in the World Cultural Heritage. UNESCO wants to render homage to the task accomplished by these men and women, many of them anonymous, with this list which is not intended to be exhaustive but representative of the significance of their work.


There is a French version, that came out at the same time, but it's nowhere to be bought :(
And then they, the French, want to fight Anglo-American imperialism...

Ah! Translated into Brazilian Portuguese in 1998.

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