By Guillaume Deneufbourg
(FIT President)
Every year, International Translation Day prompts us to reflect on the vital role that language professions play in our societies. This year, FIT has chosen ‘Language diversity and language rights: the power of being understood’ as its theme. It is a poignant reminder that, above and beyond languages, it is people and their ability to participate fully in society that are at stake.
The figures highlight the scale of the challenge. According to the UNESCO World Atlas of Languages, some 7,000 languages, spoken or signed, are in use in the world today. Yet only 351 are used as a medium of instruction. It is also estimated that, on average, one language dies out every two weeks. As a result, beneath humankind’s extraordinary linguistic diversity lies a more concerning reality: not all languages have the same capacity to be passed on, taught, and, increasingly, to survive in the digital realm.
This diversity is therefore more than a cultural asset to be preserved. It has a direct impact on fundamental rights. What good is the right to a fair trial if you cannot understand the language used in court? What does access to healthcare mean when a patient is unable to accurately describe their symptoms or understand a diagnosis? How can a person fully exercise their civil rights if key information is not available in a language they are proficient in?
International law explicitly recognises some of these realities. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights specifically guarantees that anyone charged with a criminal offence will be assisted by an interpreter free of charge if they cannot understand the language used in court. It also protects the rights of people belonging to linguistic minorities to use their own language.
Education provides another particularly telling example. According to UNESCO, 40% of the world’s population does not have access to education in a language they speak and understand fluently. This affects over 250 million learners. These figures show just how much the language of instruction can determine not only effective access to education, but also children’s ability to learn, participate and progress within the school system
These figures very clearly illustrate the role of translators, interpreters and terminologists. Their work is not simply a matter of translating words from one language to another; it enables access to justice, healthcare, education, public services, information and to community life in general. Language mediation therefore transforms rights recognised in law into rights that are accessible in practice.
There is now a new dimension to this responsibility. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and language technologies offer considerable potential for facilitating communication between peoples. But they also raise a fundamental question: which languages will actually benefit from this revolution?
There is already a considerable gap between languages for which ample data exists and those that remain underrepresented or absent online. UNESCO has made this a key issue in its own right, particularly through its Global Roadmap for Multilingualism in the Digital Era: Advancing the Role of Language Technologies. Guaranteeing linguistic diversity therefore now also means ensuring that linguistic communities can access digital spaces, create content and knowledge there, and can benefit from the technologies that will increasingly shape our societies.
That is why this year’s International Translation Day theme goes far beyond simply celebrating language diversity. It reminds us that language rights determine access to many other rights, and that language professionals help ensure these rights are upheld every day.
At a time when AI is profoundly reshaping our relationship with languages, defending their diversity is no longer simply a matter of preserving heritage handed down from the past. It also involves ensuring that all languages – and of course their speakers – have a place in the world we are building.