Director-General/Executive Director
السيدات والسادة
الزملاء الأعزاء،
يشرفني أن أتواجد معكم اليوم لحضور الدورة السادسة عشرة من مسابقة سان جيروم للترجمة.
من الرائع أن أرى هذا الجمع المتنوع والمتميز من المشاركين والفائزين الحاضرين معنا والمتابعين عبر الأنترنت.
نجتمع اليوم معاً للاحتفال بالفن البديع الذي تجسده الترجمة التحريرية والشفوية.
Dès l’aube de la civilisation, les êtres humains ont ressenti le besoin de se comprendre entre eux et de communiquer dans différentes langues.
Que l’on pense à ceux qui ont déchiffré les inscriptions gravées dans la pierre de Rosette, révélant les secrets de l’Égypte antique, ou qui ont traduit l’Épopée de Gilgamesh du sumérien en diverses langues asiatiques, au deuxième millénaire avant notre ère.
Ou encore, au quatrième siècle de notre ère, à Saint Jérôme traduisant en latin toute la Bible, qui est ensuite devenue l’un des ouvrages les plus traduits et les plus célébrés de l’histoire.
Fast forward to the modern age, where the Internet and smartphones make it possible for millions around the world to communicate with each other in hundreds of different languages, and where the rise of artificial intelligence is raising new questions about language, communication, and how we interact in society today.
Yet, at its core, translation remains a profoundly human endeavour.
Translators do not simply convert words on a page; they breathe life into ideas, concepts, emotions, and nuances that machines simply cannot grasp, and it is my conviction that no machine can replace human beings.
Nowhere is this more apparent than within these conference rooms of the United Nations here in Vienna.
Como Directora General de la ONUV, recuerdo constantemente el papel crucial que la traducción desempeña en nuestras actividades diarias.
La misión de nuestra Organización de promover la paz, los derechos humanos y el desarrollo sostenible se fundamenta en una comunicación clara y eficaz entre sus Estados Miembros.
Nuestros expertos traductores e intérpretes son la clave de esta comunicación, ya que trasladan el significado de los textos, las resoluciones y los discursos a los seis idiomas oficiales de las Naciones Unidas y traducen millones de palabras y miles de páginas cada año.
They perform this task seamlessly, ensuring the wheels of diplomacy turn smoothly and efficiently.
And they do so behind the scenes, their efforts often going unseen and unrecognized – so today is an opportunity to express our deep gratitude to them for the work they do.
It is also an opportunity to celebrate the rich diversity of our staff – men and women who come from across the entire world, so that our work may reach a diverse, global audience.
As we celebrate the winners of this year’s St. Jerome Translation Contest, let us reflect on the enduring contributions of translators and interpreters worldwide, and cherish the value of communication and language.
In the immortal words of Nelson Mandela, “If you talk to someone in a language they understand, it goes to their head. If you talk to them in their own language, it goes to their heart.”
With that sentiment, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the winners of this year’s Contest, and to express my gratitude once again to all our translators and interpreters for their invaluable work.
Thank you.