Tag: section-focus

Linguistic Diversity and Language Rights

Registration opens soon. Stay tuned!

Where: Online, ZOOM
When: 29 September 2026

The power of being understood

The poster is available for download under Creative Commons licence.
Share or print the poster for use in your ITD celebrations.
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The theme of the International Translation Day 2026 webinar is “Linguistic Diversity and Language Rights” –  Translation, interpreting and terminology at the heart of linguistic inclusion, with “the power of being understood” as subtitle.

It is a timely and highly relevant theme for International Translation Day (ITD) 2026, highlighting the essential role of translation, interpreting, and terminology in fostering inclusion, equity, and participation in an increasingly interconnected world.

Linguistic diversity

Linguistic diversity is a defining feature of humanity and a cornerstone of cultural identity, social cohesion, and democratic life. Yet many languages remain marginalised, under resourced, or at risk of disappearing. This theme foregrounds the need to protect linguistic plurality while recognising that language rights can only be upheld when supported by professional language services. Translation and interpreting are indispensable to ensuring that linguistic diversity is not merely acknowledged, but actively sustained.

Language rights

Language rights are fundamental human rights. They include the right to access information, justice, education, healthcare, and public services in a language one understands, as well as the right to preserve and transmit linguistic and cultural heritage. These rights, however, cannot be realised without translation and interpreting. Professional translators and interpreters transform legal recognition into practical access, enabling individuals and communities to participate fully in social, civic, and institutional life. Translation is therefore not subordinate to language rights, but their operational foundation. International Translation Day provides a unique opportunity to recognise translators, interpreters, and terminologists as key actors in promoting linguistic diversity and equality.

Human language professionals

Through their work in legal, medical, educational, diplomatic, and humanitarian contexts, language rights help prevent language-based exclusion and ensure that multilingualism in public institutions and international organisations is functional, inclusive, and effective. The theme also draws attention to persistent imbalances in the global circulation of languages, particularly in the context of technological development. While advances in artificial intelligence have expanded multilingual communication, they have also highlighted disparities between high-resource and low-resource languages.

Human language professionals remain essential in safeguarding quality, ethics, and inclusion. By adopting this theme, FIT affirms translation, interpreting, and terminology as professions central to human rights, cultural sustainability, and democratic participation. The theme underscores a simple but powerful truth: linguistic diversity can only thrive where language rights are respected. Language rights are effectively realised through translation.

Voices of Humanity

This concept presents a human-centered interpretation of the International Translation Day 2026 theme by emphasizing the people and communities whose identities, voices, and experiences are connected through language. The composition features layered human silhouettes representing cultural diversity, multilingual societies, and the inclusivity promoted through translation and interpreting services. The overlapping forms symbolize coexistence, dialogue, and the interconnected nature of global communities, reinforcing the idea that language rights belong to everyone regardless of background, nationality, or language. The gradual transitions between the figures visually communicate understanding, accessibility, and the flow of communication across linguistic boundaries. By focusing entirely on human forms rather than technological or abstract systems, the concept highlights the essential role of language professionals in preserving meaning, representation, and equitable participation in society.

The FIT blue palette strengthens institutional identity while creating a calm and unified visual atmosphere associated with trust, professionalism, and global connection. Soft gradients and luminous overlays add depth and warmth, symbolizing empathy, inclusion, and the transformative power of being understood. Overall, the concept reflects the values of diversity, human centricity, and inclusion by portraying. translation as a bridge that connects individuals, protects cultural identity, and enables voices from all communities to be seen, heard, and understood.

Panelists

– Mr. Fan Lijun, Director of the Language Division at World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Fan Lijun

– Dr. Hamdah bint Abdullah Alghamdi, Dean of the College of Languages at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hamdah Alghamdi

– Dr. Fabio Bisogni, President of the Board of Directors at the Università degli Studi Internazionali di Roma (UNINT), Italy. Fabio Bisogni

– Mr. Conrad Nied, Director of Engineering at Translation Commons and the Vice Chair for Unicode CLDR’s Digitally Disadvantaged Languages initiative. Conrad Nied

Prepared and organized by: FIT External Partnerships Standing Committee

Themes and posters of previous years

Celebrating Translation, Peace and Trust

Translation, shaping a future you can trust.

The poster is available for download under Creative Commons licence.
Share or print the poster for use in your ITD celebrations.
Hi-res (pdf) :: Hi-res (jpg) :: Lo-res (pdf) :: Lo-res (jpg) ::Email (jpg)

In turbulent times, where peace often hangs in the balance and global communications and relations are infiltrated by a lack of trust, the ITD 2025 theme highlights the important role of human trust. Specifically, the role of translators, interpreters and terminologists in ensuring trustworthy communication, building dialogue and trust between parties and providing oversight to AI-generated text and machine translation.

In its Resolution for 2025 The Year of Peace and Trust, the UN General Assembly further recognised the need to prevent and resolve conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. While the interpreters in global negotiations may not be visible, we know that such high-stakes conversations could not happen without them and could certainly not be entrusted to technology. 

The theme also echoes the 2017 UN resolution A/RES/71/288 declaring 30 September an official UN International Day to be celebrated across the entire UN global network, honouring the contribution of professional translators, interpreters and terminologists in connecting nations, and fostering peace and global development.

As it has each year, for over 35 years, FIT Council encourages members to use our annual theme as the basis for their ITD celebrations. Additionally, the FIT External Partnerships Standing Committee invites you to celebrate with FIT online at our annual ITD webinar on September 29, 2025.

International Translation Day

Each year, translators, interpreters and terminologists celebrate International Translation Day on 30 September, the feast of St. Jerome. A unifying theme is chosen each year and a competition is held to design a poster for FIT members to print and use to promote the day and join together in celebrating our professions.

In 2017 we achieved an historical milestone for all professional translators, interpreters and terminologists, with the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopting Resolution A/RES/71/288, recognising the role of professional translation in connecting nations, and fostering peace, understanding and development. In the same resolution, the United Nations General Assembly declared 30 September to be UN International Translation Day, celebrated across the entire UN network.

Themes and posters of previous years