Translation is not a matter of words only: it is a matter of making intelligible a whole culture. – Anthony Burgess
Whether it is a website, book or document, translated works have always functioned to bring different countries, cultures, and inhabitants of the world closer. Professional translation and interpretation services have played a major role here, and they also have some great achievements which are worth mentioning.
The most translated book of the world
Do you know the name of the most translated book in the world? It is none other than the Bible. The entire book has been translated in around 554 languages, more than any other book in the world. More impressive part is parts of the Bible have been translated into 2,932 languages.
It is not a co-incident that International Translation Day is celebrated every year on September 30th, the feast day of St. Jerome, the Bible’s first translator.
The most translated website in the world
There are millions of websites out there, and many of them have been translated into several languages. However, when it comes to the most translated website of the world, the champion is Jehovah’s Witnesses website. It has been translated into a whooping more than 780 languages and dialects! There are even dedication translations who have translated this website in sign language, making it accessible for deaf people.
The most translated poem
According to The Guinness Book of World Records, a 6-line poem called ‘Be Like a Child’ is the most translated poem. The author of this poem is Sri Chinmoy, an Indian poet. This poem was recited in 203 languages by the members of Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace run at Dag Hammerskjöld Plaza, New York, USA, on 10 April 2014.
The most translated short story
Though it is difficult to track the most translated short story, anyone stories of Andersen’s Fairy Tale, written by Hans Christian will win. The collection has been translated into 153 different languages till date. However, if we do not count fairy tales, the winner will be ‘The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright”, written by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o.
Conclusion – Undoubtedly, the credit of all these achievements go to diligent translators who performed the tough job of translation so well. It is why, thanking to translators, Italo Calvino, an Italian journalist, and writer, once said, “Without translation, I would be limited to the borders of my own country. The translator is my most important ally. He introduced me to the world.”