Translation and Interpretation in Europe

| 13 →

a)   Opening

| 15 →

Jolanta Zabarskaité

Welcome address

Abstract

I daresay that our community that has gathered to this conference supports the idea that every language is a fundamental factor of creative expression, individuality, uniqueness, and the creative potencies of multilingualism, which manifest themselves through translation and interpretation, bear witness not only to the distinctiveness of every language and culture, but also to the unity of the multilingual world in its diversity as well. Expressed by way of translation and interpretation, multilingualism provides grounds for anyone to use the creative powers of every language to achieve their own personal goals, be it communication, creative work, competitiveness, or expansion of democracy. Translation and interpretation allows us to identify the national landscape that exists in every European language with its historical and psychological perspective, games, powers, and fears. That is how Europe creates the narrative of its identity.

Drįstu teigti, kad mūsų bendruomenė, kuri susirinko į konferenciją, palaiko idėją, kad kiekviena kalba yra vienas svarbiausių kūrybinės raiškos, individualumo, unikalumo faktorių, o daugiakalbystės kūrybinės potencijos, pasireiškiančios per vertimą raštu ir žodžiu, teigia ne tik kiekvienos kalbos ir kultūros išskirtinumą, bet ir daugiakalbio pasaulio vienovę įvairovėje. Daugiakalbystė, kuri realizuojama per vertimą raštu ir žodžiu, sukuria prielaidas visiems kartu ir kiekvienam atskirai naudotis kiekvienos kalbos kuriamosiomis galiomis komunikacijos, kūrybos, konkurencingumo, demokratijos plėtros tikslams pasiekti. Per vertimą raštu ir žodžiu atpažįstamas kiekvienoje Europos kalboje esantis nacionalinis pasaulėvaizdis su jo istorine, socialine, psichologine perspektyva, žaidimais, galiomis ir baimėmis. Taip Europa kuria savo tapatybės naratyvą.

Dear Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, friends,

Vilnius has gathered European scholars and linguistic politicians, members of the European Federation of National Institutions for Language (EFNIL), as well as leading experts in translation, most experienced translators and interpreters, and other prominent guests, such as Member of the European Parliament Algirdas Saudargas, the European Commission’s Director General of Interpretation Marco Benedetti, representative for the European Commission’s Directorate General of Translation Rytis Martikonis, the European Commission’s Director General of Culture and Education Jan Truszczynski, Chancellor of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania Dainius Numgaudis, Head of the Lithuanian Interpretation Department at the European Parliament Gintaras Morkūnas, to discuss the significance of interpretation and translation both in Europe, and to Europe. It is symbolic that the EFNIL’s tenth conference ← 15 | 16 → and general assembly is taking place just as Lithuania is presiding over the European Council.

In our country, identity is historically interwoven with language very tightly. In association with our partners – the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language – we have presented participants at the conference with a gift, a multilingual book titled Kalbų Varžytuvės (Eng. A Game of Languages), which features greetings (Lat. gratulationes) that were invented at the Lithuanian Rulers’ Palace in the 16^th–18^th century to match different occasions. In this book, baroque poets compete to see whose speech to greet the ruler or a dignitary upon his arrival to the capital city will be the most impressive. The book contains texts in Latin, ancient Greek, Hebraic, Ruthenian, Ecclesiastical Slavic, Polish, German, Syrian, Latvian, Hungarian, Finnish, Dutch, English, Scottish, Irish, Italian, Spanish, and Czech. We, the Institute of the Lithuanian Language and the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language, are pleased to be able to greet the participants at this conference in different languages and to rejoice over the fact that, through our discussion of translation and interpretation, we will maintain the traditions of bolstering multilingualism, which in Lithuania go back to the 16^th century and even earlier times.

The EFNIL conference is taking place in the wake of the conference titled “Uniting Diversity: the Significance of Languages to Mobility, Employment, and Active Citizenship” that was held by the European Commission, the Institute of the Lithuanian Language, the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language, and Vilnius University to commemorate the European Day of Languages, and was attended by many of the EFNIL’s members. That conference addressed different aspects of strengthening multilingualism on the European and global level, with translation and interpretation as one of its key elements. Our conference will continue to focus on issues and challenges of translation and interpretation, including those of literary translation, as well as matters of training and educating translators and interpreters because solving these matters and issues successfully will help us preserve and expand the linguistic and cultural diversity in Europe, improve our linguistic industries and technologies and tools of translation, teach languages on the basis of latest methods and approaches, increase the volumes of exchange of information across European languages – in other words, develop sustained multilingualism. I would think that another exceptional quality of the conference is that it is attended by people who have, quite literately, similar minds – people who run national language institutions and foster multilingualism, for being a national language expert in or a translator is not only a way of earning one’s living – it is also a way of life.

← 16 | 17 →

I daresay that our community that has gathered to this conference supports the idea that every language is a fundamental factor of creative expression, individuality, uniqueness, and the creative potencies of multilingualism, which manifest themselves through translation and interpretation, bear witness not only to the distinctiveness of every language and culture, but also to the unity of the multilingual world in its diversity as well. Expressed by way of translation and interpretation, multilingualism provides grounds for anyone to use the creative powers of every language to achieve their own personal goals, be it communication, creative work, competitiveness, or expansion of democracy. Translation and interpretation allows us to identify the national landscape that exists in every European language with its historical and psychological perspective, games, powers, and fears. That is how Europe creates the narrative of its identity.

Speaking as the director of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language, I want to say that I find this conference very important due to its relevance to the Lithuanian language, too, since translation and interpretation is always a two-way street, nudging professionals in the field to get to know at least two languages and cultures. I am glad that thanks to our interpreters you will be able to listen to the melodious sound of the Lithuanian language, and Lithuanian speakers will have a chance to voice their ideas in their mother tongue.

I am quite positive that we are in for a conference that is both immensely interesting and rich.

I would like to thank the Executive Council, our Hungarian colleagues, the European Commission’s Directorate General of Interpretation, and all the members of the EFNIL who have lent their help to make this conference happen, as well as the joint team of the ILL and the SCLL. Thank you all. And my special thanks go to President Professor Gerhard Stickel for his ever-inspiring ideas, wisdom, and commitment to multilingualism and multiculturalism in Europe.