Ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｏｒｓ　ａｎｄ　Ｉｎｔｅｒｐｒｅｔｅｒｓ：Ａ　Ｍｅｅｔｉｎｇ　ｏｆ　Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓ.docVIP

Ｔｒａｎｓｌａｔｏｒｓ　ａｎｄ　Ｉｎｔｅｒｐｒｅｔｅｒｓ：Ａ　Ｍｅｅｔｉｎｇ　ｏｆ　Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓ 　　 　　Between August the 2nd and the 7th, on the eve of the Beijing Olympic Games, hundreds of translators from around the world, as well as people from research and business circles, will gather in Shanghai for the XVIII World Congress of the International Federation of Translators (FIT). Jointly hosted by the FIT and the Translators Association of China (TAC), the Congress will explore the theme of linking translation and cultural diversity in a bid to promote mutual understanding and avoid war. The following is a message from Mr. Koiuml;chiro Matsuura, the general secretary of UNESCO, to the Congress of the International Federation of Translators. 　　 　　UNESCO hails the holding of the XVIII World Congress of the International Federation of Translators, bringing together in the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai hundreds of professional translators from all countries of the world, all backgrounds, and all cultures. 　　Almost 60 years ago, UNESCO supported the creation of the International Federation of Translators, which it saw as a strategic resource for the free movement of ideas and dialogue between cultures. 　　Since then, relations between UNESCO and the FIT have strengthened into an exemplary cooperation in several respects. Indeed, each FIT Congress has set a milestone toward achieving UNESCO goals. 　　The Berne Convention in 1972, the Recommendation on the Protection of Translators adopted by the Nairobi General Conference in 1976, and the birth of the review, Babel, a publication which UNESCO always supported, were all major steps along this path. The history of this cooperation was marked by many other episodes, probably more low-key, but just as important, whoselong-term effect has had an impact on the daily lives of tens of thousands of men and women directly or indirectly concerned by translation, a pivotal instrument of cultural exchange. 　　Throughout our shared history, this adventure bore the stamp of