We have no way of knowing exactly when translation came into formal practice, but if we think of translation as the sharing of culture by way of language, it stands to reason that translation has existed as long as different cultures have encountered each other. The stronger the gravitas of a culture—or the greater the desire of a community to spread its culture—the greater the importance of translation.

As such, though translation was already a known practice, the rise of religion really made translation an important cultural factor on a broad scale. Translations exist for the Mesopotamian story of Gilgamesh, originally written around 2000 BCE, and subsequent Indian, Chinese, Arabic, and Greek translations scatter the next couple millennia. But the convergence of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in predominantly Muslim Spain in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries paved the way for the first School of Translators in Toledo and a cultural revolution that would come to be known as The Renaissance.

Spain, a bonafide melting pot at the time, played host for many reasons, including its geography, as it is situated neatly between Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Northern Africa. Also, it was a relatively open and liberal country, not partaking in The Condemnations going on in nearby Paris. Latin-, Arabic-, and Hebrew-speaking philosophers, scientists, and theologians could intermingle and freely trade ideas, which required translation and even the creation of local pidgins and vernaculars.

This free flow of information between cultures and languages augmented the role of translation in society, as both the frequency and importance of translation grew by leaps and bounds.

This almost 1,000-year-old thirst for knowledge and cultural curiosity has only grown, and with it the ease of information transfer, thanks to constantly evolving technology.

First came the increasing ease of physical transportation, with people being able to cross oceans by boat, traverse on land via horse, carriage, then car, and finally the ability to fly. As people encountered new places, they also encountered new peoples and new cultures and sought to learn from and share with these new communities.

Then came information sharing, through people visiting foreign locations as discussed above, through letters and mail, and now through the internet via computers and smartphones. The information being shared varies, from cultural histories, scientific breakthroughs, and philosophic conundrums to fictional tales, anecdotes, and simple discussions.

From the mundane to the lifesaving, from attacks to budding friendships, communication connects the world—a world with diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.