The City of Longmont is located halfway between Fort Collins and Boulder, Colorado. In that community the Longmont Museum hosts the largest Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in Colorado, an annual exhibition and celebration for which TransLingua has been asked to translate exhibition text, marketing collateral and event signage for the past two years.
The holiday is celebrated throughout Central America, particularly in Mexico where its origins have been traced back to indigenous observances and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took place at the beginning of summer. Gradually it was associated with November 1 and November 2, which coincides with the Western Christian celebrations of All Saint’s Day and All Souls’ Day. Today it has become a public holiday in Mexico, but is also widely celebrated in some parts of the United States.
The “Dia de los Muertos” exhibition at the Longmont Museum is a celebration of life and death that lasts for an entire month, featuring community built altars or ofrendas, local artworks, interactive classes, educational activities, live theatrical performances, and a big celebration where young and old can learn about the traditions and history of this Central American holiday. TransLingua was excited to be part of this important cultural event by contributing our professional expertise.
Our Spanish translation team made sure all translations were culturally appropriate and thoughtful in honor of this treasured holiday and celebrated event: “Translating this piece was a moving experience. The whole idea of the Longmont Museum bringing the community together and embracing the Hispanic tradition of El Día de los Muertos, celebrating the life of the loved ones that died, was inspiring. I connected with the testimonies and descriptions that I translated for the different altars and tried to choose each word carefully to convey the delicate and sensitive message they carried. The process made me think of the loved ones I lost and remember dearly.”
