World Translation Day

September 30th is International Translation Day, but in Japan it is called World Translation Day. Whatever you call it, it is a day of recognition for translators and other language experts around the world. There are several expats employed in translation jobs in Japan.

In recent years, there is a concern that automated translation and artificial intelligence will threaten translation jobs. But in my opinion we have a while to go yet, because automated translation is still dire in Japan. Take for example the Google translation tool. It has improved greatly over the years, but it is still not sufficiently accurate in Japanese to English translation. It is better for English to Japanese translation, in my opinion. 

This anniversary was established by the United Nations in May 2017. But the Japan Translation Federation also established the same date as  "Translation Day" to widely disseminate and promote the activities of people involved in translation.