Are you yearning for some interesting fun facts about translation?
Well, #1 did you know that there are at least 6.500 languages that are spoken around the world? As such, translation plays a crucial role in our society to ensure that our world remains vast and diverse. Although some languages are much more widespread than others, it does not mean that one language is more important than the other.
In order to celebrate the multicultural and multilingual world that we live in, here are 9 more interesting facts about “translation”.
#2 International Translation Day
Did you know there was such a thing? Well, International Translation Day is celebrated every year on the 30th September to promote the hard work of our translators. Read one of our previous blog posts for more information about International Translation Day.
#3 English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese and Russian are the most frequent target languages for translation.
Meanwhile, some of the most common source languages include: English, French, German, Russian and Italian.
#4 The top three most translated authors are: Agatha Christie, Jules Verne and William Shakespeare.
Despite this, the book which has been translated the most is, by far, the Bible.
#5 Translation is a Latin word.
The original meaning of the word is, ‘the carrying from one place to another’.
#6 Originally in Italian, Pinocchio was translated into over 240 different languages.
#7 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, developed by the United Nations, is currently the most translated document!
#8 One of history’s first translations was of “The Epic Of Gilgamesh”.
Originally written in Sumerian, this literary work was translated into Asiatic language around 2000 BCE.
#9 Spanish is, apparently, the easiest language to translate into English.
And finally, #10 Between 2000 and 2010, over 75% of books were translated into French and German, however, only 5% were translated into Chinese.
So, there you have it. 10 interesting fun facts about translation that will make you think! Do you have any other facts that you can add to our list?