The Story of St. Patrick’s Day and the Importance of Latin Translation

Celebrated by many Irish and non-Irish on March 17^th, St. Patrick’s Day is perhaps best enjoyed by visiting the nearest Irish pub, attending a parade, and enjoying festive drinks and food with friends and family. Even though St. Patrick’s Day’s not an official holiday in the U.S. and was a solely religious celebration 40 year ago, it was the American incarnation of the holiday that increased its popularity. Here are some interesting facts about St. Patrick’s Day and of the role of Irish and Latin translation services:

Who Was St. Patrick?

St. Patrick’s Day commemorates the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death in the year 461. Though many think he was Irish, he actually wasn’t. He was born in Britain and at only sixteen was kidnapped and imprisoned by Irish raiders, where he had to work as a slave for an Irish druid before he managed to escape after nearly six years of captivity. After escaping, he studied religion in Europe and returned to Ireland almost 15 years later as an ordained minister. While it is believed he was responsible for introducing Christianity to Ireland, his actual mission was to minister to Irish Christians and help non-Christians convert. He became well-known thanks to the way he connected the traditional Irish culture and rituals with his practices.

St. Patrick’s Works And Latin Translation

St. Patrick wrote two works in Latin. One was called “Confessio“, meaning “The Declaration“, which we are able to understand thanks to Latin translation. The other one was “Epistola“, which translates to “Letter to the Soldier of Coroticus“ . The most famous symbol around the world representing St. Patrick’s Day is the shamrock. It is said that St. Patrick used the shamrock’s three leaves to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish pagans (thereby adapting a theological concept for a different culture in a similar way to how localization services are used today). To this day, his gravesite is unknown, although many claim it’s most likely he’s buried at Down Cathedrale with other saints such as Columba and Brigid.

The Importance of Latin Translation

A historic figure with such great impact in spreading the message of the holy book of Christianity deserves to receive more acknowledgement. His works can be spread around the world through the help of language service providers who know the nuances of the Latin language and can make sure nothing is lost in translation. While Latin is dead as a spoken language (meaning no interpreting services are required), classics scholars help keep the language alive by translating St. Patrick and other authors from early history in order to illuminate our understanding of their lives and modes of thinking.