The City of Nantes entrusted a very unusual assignment to CG Traduction & Interprétation for the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery: translate the word “Freedom” into 212 languages.
Nantes is demonstrating its willingness to face up to history and come to terms with its turbulent past of being a slave-trading port in the 18th century by building a monument on the banks of the Loire river. Above all, though, Nantes wants to embrace the future with open arms and convey its commitment to fighting all forms of slavery and alienation, both present and future.
Visitors can read the word “Freedom” on huge glass plaques translated into 47 languages at the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery. Whether they originate in Africa, America, the West Indies, the Indian Ocean or Europe, these languages are spoken in several countries involved in the slave trade and colonial slavery.
CG Traduction in pursuit of the world’s languages and dialects
This assignment was a real adventure, as the CG Traduction & Interprétation team went in pursuit of languages such as Zamuco, Chimane, Kannada, Telugu and even Sotho, taking them through the Bolivian Amazon to India, Pondicherry and the lands of the Bantu-speaking people in South Africa.
CG Traduction & Interprétation: combining expertise and professionalism
For Catherine Granell, Director of CG Traduction & Interprétation, it’s something of a symbolic adventure that is in phase with her proactive stance in relation to human rights and her commitment as a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact.
If you would like to call on an expert team of translation and interpreting professionals, contact CG Traduction & Interprétation.