International Translation Day and ‘Siman di Kultura’ 2024

Why do we celebrate September 30th?

September 30th is International Translation Day. INIC celebrated this day on October 1st during ‘Siman di Kultura’ (Culture Week) with employees and guests.

• September 30th is the day of St. Jerome; the patron saint of translators, and he translated the first Bible into Latin (known as the Vulgata).
• The day is an initiative of the International Federation of Translators (FIT), which is closely linked to UNESCO.
• Translation connects different cultures. It provides an opportunity for readers to look beyond their own boundaries and cultural contexts.
• A translator opens a new and unknown world for the reader. They help create new words, bring forward ideas that may differ from the culture and language being translated, and in this way expand the reader’s cultural horizons.

During this combined celebration, Mr. Jeroen Heuvel, a Papiamentist and translator of various documents from Papiamentu into Dutch, highlighted the work of a translator and the quality of their translations.

The student as a Translator: building doors to knowledge

Mr. Heuvel gave an overview of how the transfer of knowledge through translation has provided access to important literary works, including the Bible, for different peoples worldwide, contributing to the extension of the number of literary works in different countries. The history of translation in Curaçao was highlighted, and he raised the question whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) could eventually replace the work of a translator in the near or distant future.

Jeroen paid special attention to the role of translation in education. He pointed out that in secondary education, havo 5 and vwo 6 students are required to complete a final written exam to test their reading ability in Papiamentu. In other countries, argumentative or contemplative articles at a pre-academic level, sourced from national newspapers or magazines, are regularly used for this purpose. However, in Curaçao there are no newspapers or magazines writing articles in Papiamentu at this language level. To maintain this exam requirement (inherited from the colonial final exam system for havo/vwo in Dutch), the Ministry appoints translators to find and translate texts from a foreign language into Papiamentu. Most of the time, these are texts on topics unfamiliar to students or texts that do not appeal to them. According to Jeroen, this is an “absurd, bizarre, and extremely ridiculous” use of translation. He argued that it’s time for a change, and that new standards and norms should be established for the level and quality of Papiamentu final exam texts.

Additionally, Papiamentu-speaking students translate throughout the school day. The schoolbooks are in Dutch, while the students process all that information in Papiamentu. However, when answering questions, the process is reversed—they first process the question in Papiamentu in their heads and must provide an answer in Dutch. According to INIC, when it comes to learning a foreign language like English, translation becomes even more complex. Although most students do not have sufficient translation skills, Jeroen suggested that they deserve two diplomas when they graduate: one for the subjects they passed and one for the constant translation of information throughout their school years.

The teacher as a Translator

Mrs. Hilda de Windt-Ayoubi, poet and university-level language and translation instructor, is well known for her work in literary translation, including translations of Khalil Gibran’s works into Papiamentu. Hilda shared her experiences as a translator in her talk, ‘Ku tradusí, brùg nos ta konstruí. Eksperensia den tradukshon kompartí’ (Translation builds bridges. Sharing my experiences as a translator).

Creolization: from Guene, Dutch, and English to Papiamentu

Mrs. Elia Isenia focused on old sayings and proverbs, as well as translations of Dutch or English words that originated through the creolization process.

Some examples that emerged in her presentation include: “dèdèmèntò” (dead men don’t talk), “kachimiskeilu” (kan me niet schelen), and “Te de dei bo kachi wei nato na Kòrsou grandi,” an expression in Guene, an African pre-Papiamentu dialect (No way! Stop the nonsense! Damn!) that was immortalized by Harry Zimmerman in his winning song at the Tumba Festival in 1983.

The future: a network of translators?

We aim to establish a network of translators to set up a group of professionals who can collectively enhance and professionalize their translation work.

If you are a translator and would like to continue developing professionally, please send us your information so we can include you in our network and keep you informed about future activities. Fill out the attached form, and we will reach out to you.

https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90756102/tradukshon.

A special word of thanks to DOS (Dienst Openbare Scholen) for allowing the use of their meeting room, Kas di Arte Kòrsou for the use of their cultural artifacts, Lyrick Bito for the pictures, and Communications by Bonce tv for the video of the activity.