UOD Media; Oct. 13, 2022

On September 30, the day associated with the feast of St. Jerome, who is revered as the patron saint of translators, is observed by translators and interpreters worldwide.

The Department of Translation/College of Languages at the University of Duhok hosted a two-day symposium for the instructors and scholars in the DTRA from both the University of Duhok and Nawroz University to commemorate International Translation Day. The symposium was held in the movie theatre of the University of Duhok in the Students Center. Many people came to the ceremony, mainly academics and students from both institutions' translation programmes.

The symposium, titled "New Trends in Translation Studies," was inaugurated on October 11, 2022, with the presence of the Dean of the College of Languages, Dr. Nafeesa I. Haji, the Head of the Department of Translation, Dr. Shivan S. Toma, and instructors and students from the Translation Departments from the Universities of Duhok and Nawroz.

Four lecturers from the universities of Duhok and Nawroz participated in the symposium's activities on Day 1 and gave presentations on a variety of subjects, including the history of International Translation Day, changes in professional practises, web-based translation pedagogies, and the use of CAT tools and new technologies.

It's noteworthy that Dr. Shivan gave the keynote address to kick off the symposium on the first day, noting that "it is important to celebrate this day and pay tribute to the language professionals and translators due to their significant role in exchanging ideas and new information and also to raise the awareness of translation as it brings cultures together."

Students from the translation departments at the universities of Duhok and Nawroz participated in the symposium's second day on October 12 and spoke on the fascinating subjects of audiovisual translation, subtitling, dubbing, and voice over. The symposium was extremely instructive for the students as they worked to improve their language and translation abilities and embrace fresh approaches for their future professions. Additionally, it was an extracurricular activity that gave students the chance to put the intellectual knowledge they learn in class to use in the real world.

Every year on September 30, people throughout the world celebrate International Translation Day. However, this year's celebration fell on a Friday, and for other reasons, the Translation Department postponed the event to the 11th and 12th of October instead of the 30th of September.