By Anita van Adelsbergen

As a Vice Chair of the Chartered Institute of Linguists and Chair of the CIOL Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, I think of World Day for Cultural Diversity as a day both to celebrate the richness of the world's cultures and the essential role of translators and interpreters in enabling intercultural dialogue towards peaceful co-existence and sustainable development. As we celebrate this day, it's crucial to highlight the importance of language study, the value of professional linguists and developing skills and sensitivity towards inclusive language, particularly for translators and language professionals.

Language is more than just a tool for communication; it's a bridge (like the ingenious 'Mathematical Bridge' below at Queens' College Cambridge) that can connect us to different cultures, traditions and ways of thinking.

In the hands of translators, interpreters and language professionals, languages open up a world of understanding, enabling them to accurately convey the nuances and subtleties of one culture to another. It's never just about translating words, but always about translating meaning and context, sentiment and subtlety.

So, on this World Day for Cultural Diversity, let's celebrate the power of language to promote understanding, respect, and common purpose. Let's celebrate the study of languages and professional language skills, not only as translators, interpreters and language professionals, but as citizens of an interconnected world.

Anita van Adelsbergen MA MCIL is a Chartered Linguist, and a sworn translator in the Netherlands. She is Chair of the CIOL Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and Vice Chair of CIOL Council.

Views expressed on CIOL Voices are those of the writer and may not represent those of the wider membership or CIOL.