☞ From causing Hiroshima Bombing to being the Oldest Profession- Check out Amazing Facts about Translation

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Every year, 30th September is Celebrated as the International Translation Day. This day commemorates the Feast of St. Jerome who translated the Bible (Old Testament) from Hebrew into Latin.

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Fast forwarding to the 21st Century, all hail the mighty translators! The translation industry is doing an amazing job by breaking language barrier. Fortunately, the translation business is booming at a rapid rate too. While you may not know much about translation, here are some facts which will get you started:

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1. It is one of the Oldest Professions

This profession is over 2,000 years old! The Old Testament of Bible is thought to have been translated into Greek in 3rd century BC. At nearly 650 languages, the Bible is also considered as the most translated publication.

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2. A Mistranslation Lead to the Bombing of Hiroshima

As soon as World War II came to an end, the allied forces asked Japan to surrender. When the then Prime Minister of Japan replied to this demand, the word Mokusatsuwas allegedly mistranslated. The translators misinterpreted the word as an expression of disapproval which led to the doom of Hiroshima thereby costing 80,000 lives. Little did they know that Japan only needed some time to gather a more formal response.

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3. Most Translated Languages

The most targeted languages for translation are English, French, German, Italian and Russian. These languages are in high demand as far as the translation industry is concerned.

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4. The Easiest Language to Translate

If you thought that English was the easiest language to translate, think again! Experienced translators believe that Spanish is the easiest language to translate. Apparently, in Spanish, the words written are similar to the way they sound. Hence, it is easy to learn as well as translate.

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5. The most Difficult Languages to Translate

Some of the most difficult languages to translate are- Arabic, Japanese, Finnish, Icelandic, Polish and Chinese. Translators who deal with any of these languages normally take a little extra time as compared to other languages.

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Translators play a key role in providing access not only to foreign literature but also Scientific knowledge, take for instance, Émilie du Châtelet. An 18th-century philosopher, mathematician and physicist, she was the first to translate Newton's law of universal gravitation into French.

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Over 7,000 languages are spoken all over the world as of today. This number keeps changing as the languages go extinct, however, there is one industry which is keeping languages alive. The translation business is not just bridging the gap in the world but also making room for languages to co-exist.