The 30th of September was marked in red in the agendas and calendars of the translators, since it is the day of San Jerónimo, the day of the translator’s patron. St. Jerome had so far translated the Bible into Latin, which could only be read in Greek and Hebrew. It is the official translation of the Bible known as the Vulgate. He worked there for 23 years, from 382 to 405. The expression “Non verbum e verbo, sed sensum exprimere

de sensu” – not literally, if not substituting meanings – is also St. Jerome’s. San Jerónimo Legetxe spent countless hours translating Basque translators into Basque to bring copies of the Universal Literature collection. The Universal Literature collection celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and the round table organized by EIZIE (Association of Translators, Proofreaders and Interpreters of the Basque Country), among others, distributed the General Catalogue of the collection. In the introduction to the catalogue, Lourdes Auzmendi, Deputy Minister for Linguistic Policy, said: “The flourishing of all literature, of course, did not come spontaneously, but suddenly, by looking at and learning from others, by widening the boundaries of an uncultivated and grassy language, based on what is supposed to be written in better and richer languages, to become omnipresent.

For great writers and writings to appear in the face of the flourishing of all literature, great translators and translations are indispensable in reverse; for translation is not a clumsy proclamation in the revitalization of a language, but a midwife and a nurse. It is a translation that brings us the most valuable productions of all languages; and a carrier that also brings news of our best literature to the square of all other languages.”

Trying to expand the collection

With the Episcopal Truth as a stimulant, experts such as Iratxe Retolaza, Xabier Olarra and Lourdes Otaegi dedicated themselves to the collection.

At the round table, Retolaza said that the greatest effort has been made in the field of translation to enrich the literary language, but that although they have quality and have been influential, it seems that the copies of the Universal Literature collection have not influenced the new generation of Basque literary creators in the same way that works translated into other languages have influenced their writers. He also praised his work in the reflection group for the Universal Literature collection, which he does not have and which he sees, for example, in the community of the Basque literary system.

Olarra spoke legally as a translator, recognizing that the translator of Universal Literature also puts a piece of heart, praising that the translator of Universal Literature does not act as a mercenary.

It is said that the gap of Universal Literature lies in social inclusion, and it is necessary to analyze what happens in order not to reach the reader. Where do you learn to read Universal Literature? Professor Lourdes Otaegi reflected as a teacher of middle education. It is said that when students are given to read copies of Universal Literature, they reveal deeper emotions, but the fact is that mediators must make an effort to know the works of Universal Literature and make appropriate choices. Otaegi also recalled a beautiful episode in the history of Basque literary translation, in which Orix gave the story of the blind boy Tormesko a part invented, and how the incident was justified by the translator himself and his former critics. Orix said that in addition to filtering the language of the text, he had made a “moral filtering” in favor of the reader’s integrity, which, according to the critics, responded to the mentality of the time.

Those who came to the table also spoke. In it were translators, writers, students of translation... and at the end, the Episcopal Truth gathered the visions of all: It will be necessary to reconsider the criteria for the selection of the translations for the future of the Universal Literature collection, so that the translations are not, above all, the works of white male writers according to Western canons. The reason for the lack of readers does not lie in translation or literature, it seems that the Basque literary reading language is affected by psychosocial problems. The mediators will have to make attempts to change the uses, in which the school was mentioned as being of vital importance. Universal Literature will have to make an attempt to adapt to the new molds and be available to any reader, so that it can be downloaded free of charge from the network, for that matter. In our country, moreover, there is no method to analyze all the issues mentioned on Translator’s Day, since there is no academic critique of translation.

More questions than answers on Translator’s Day. But that's very healthy.