Encyclopedia > International Federation of Translators
The International Federation of Translators (FIT) is a worldwide organization, composed of the national translation organizations from over 60 countries. It represents over 100,000 translators worldwide.
FIT has earned the status of an official UNESCO consultative agency (NGO Category A).
The acronym FIT comes from the French-language version of the organization's name: Fédération internationale des traducteurs.
Objectives
Amongst other things, FIT aims to:
promote interaction and co-operation between translation associations
sponsor and facilitate the formation of translation associations in countries where they do not already exist
establish links with other organisations devoted to translation
inform and advise member organisations
promote training and research
promote harmonized professional standards
uphold the moral and material interests of translators world-wide
advocate and advance the recognition of the translation profession
enhance translators' status in society
promote the knowledge and appreciation of translation as both a science and an art.
The translation industry, as a group of craftsmen working with words to transform one text from one culture into another text in another cultural context, cannot exempt itself from this premise if it wishes to rise towards the level of a profession.
Individual translators may be able to claim a professional status through their behaviour and self-control, but the industry as a whole cannot.
A translator's responsibility, on the other hand, continues after the primary job is done in as much as the result remains to be read, interpreted and used by many, often totally unknown persons.
Translators and interpreters are continually at the core of communication, eternal conveyors of ideas and actions shaping the world in which we live.
Translation is thus, simultaneously, a multilingual communication vector and synonymous with opening outwards to others and opening up to democracy.
On InternationalTranslation Day, the South African Translators' Institute calls on government and industry to use the wonderful linguistic resources and heritage that we have in this country to give effect to the principles that are in place and show the world that multilingualism can work in practice.
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