Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) is organising two cultural sessions to mark International Translation Day, which falls on September 30, in collaboration with Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) - Al Ain.
Overseen by the ALC’s Kalima Project for Translation, the sessions aim to shed light on the role of translation in building bridges between cultures and enhancing the presence of the Arabic language in the global knowledge sector. The panel discussions will look back on the Kalima Project for Translation and its journey, and the Centre’s support young Emirati translators working on translating children’s books, while celebrating their efforts in developing this vital sector and enriching the Arabic library.
Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC, said: “Celebrating International Translation Day reflects the international community’s appreciation for the notable role that translation plays in strengthening inter-civilisational communication and promoting values of understanding and tolerance among peoples.
“Translation is a fundamental pillar for the prosperity of the publishing and cultural industries. The UAE has long been a pioneer in supporting translators and national talents, in line with its strategic vision rooted in investing in knowledge.”
Al Tunaiji noted that the ALC supports translation to and from Arabic through a wide and diverse range of initiatives and awards, most notably the Translation category in the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA) and the Kanz Al Jeel Award, in addition to publishing translations of international works that have won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
This contributes to enriching the Arabic library with the most prominent human achievements, he explained, adding that it also serves to expand the horizons of cultural dialogue, and reaffirms the Arabic language’s role as a vessel for human knowledge and a leading source of innovation and creativity.
Since its launch in 2007, the Kalima Project for Translation has cemented its position as one of the most prominent translation projects in the region and the Arab world. To date, it has published 1,397 translated books from 23 languages, including English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean, in addition to other European and Eastern languages, such as Czech and Slovak.
This extensive output covers various fields of knowledge; the Project has published 393 titles in literature, 111 in science, 156 in history, and 64 in philosophy, in addition to 368 books for children and young adults, thus affirming its role in nurturing generations of avid readers and strengthening the Arabic book industry.
The Kalima Reading Club at the ALC will be overseeing the organisation of the two sessions as part of the role it has played since its establishment in 2018, which aims to promote a culture of reading in Arabic and highlight the latest publications of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).
The club also organises discussion sessions at local, Arab, and international book fairs, further strengthening the UAE’s position as a civilisational and cultural bridge connecting nations and reflecting its forward-looking vision to invest in young talents and expand the scope of cultural dialogue.
