Mar. 26 – “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is committed to strengthening actions related to translations. The goal is to make the most of the Italian Cultural Institutes abroad, responsible for the spread of our culture and tradition in a top-quality yet struggling industry. Through joint efforts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, I hope this initiative continue to expand, as we all remain aware of the crucial role played by translators, who, with their work, bring to life the finest foreign literary masterpieces,” comments Rossana Rummo, head of the Directorate General for Libraries and Cultural Institutions of the Ministry of Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism. Rummo was invited to speak at the conference hall of the National Central Library of Rome during the award ceremony of the 2014 National Translation Awards. The awards, whose first edition took place on February 4, 1989 thanks to an initative of the Minister of Culture and the Environment, recognize those Italian and foreign translators and editors who contributed to the spread of Italian culture abroad and to that of foreign cultures in Italy. “National Translation Awards – explained Rummo – want to reward the translators that introduced in Italy cultures that sometimes are still very distant from our own.” (Paf)