“On this Day, UNESCO invites everyone to celebrate cultural diversity, through which we can build the intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
On May 21st the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development was celebrated. For those who work with languages, this is not just another date on the calendar – it is something that directly shapes everyday work.
We are used to thinking of translation and interpreting as working with words: finding the right term, building a correct sentence, ensuring consistency. All true, but that is just one part of the story.
Every language carries with it a way of thinking, relating to other people, and giving meaning to the world. Some tones of voice work in one context but come across as too direct in another. Expressions that seem neutral may hold very specific cultural meanings. Silence, too, can communicate just as much as words.
Translating does not mean transferring content from A to B. It means moving it from one cultural system to another, ensuring it retains the same value, impact, and intention.
When this step is missing, the risk is not just “sounding odd.” It is being misunderstood – or worse, not understood at all. This is why interpreters and translators act as cultural mediators. They do not simply ask themselves “how do you say this?”, but “how will this be perceived?”. They adapt, calibrate, and make informed choices.
This is our starting point in Finking. We do not work on text alone, but also on context. We consider who will receive the message, the situation in which it will be used, and the objectives it needs to achieve. We analyse the audience, the sector, and the type of communication involved. Because an effective translation is not one that replicates words, but one that delivers the message in the right way.
In the end, it is a very practical matter: do you want to be translated, or do you want to be understood? Because between the two lies culture. And if you do not truly understand it, you cannot convey it. Choose professionalism and efficiency: choose Finking.
