Translators and researchers: Enough skin for the self .. We have something to say to the world

Translators and researchers participating in the seventh session of the «Abu Dhabi International Conference on Translation» demanded the need to stop self-skin with regard to the idea that there is no Arabic works suitable for translation into the languages ​​of the world, stressing that there is a lot of what can be translated from Arabic into other languages, and we have something to say to the world, Emphasizing the need to support national institutions and government projects specialized in the field of translation.

Abdullah Majid Al Ali, Acting Executive Director of the Book House Sector at the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, revealed a new milestone for the Kalima translation project, adding five new international languages ​​to his list of translations: Korean, Ukrainian, Finnish, Polish and Hindi. , Bringing the total to 18 languages. He stressed that there are many challenges that faced the project, and related to the translation into Arabic.

Al Ali pointed out that Kalima was able to create an environment that embraces translators and provides them with a platform for their translated literary creations, especially since translation is not a mechanical process, but a process that requires a good cultural background and the ability to deal with literary, scientific and intellectual texts. He pointed out during the opening of the seventh session of the «Abu Dhabi International Conference on Translation», which began yesterday morning, in the cultural complex, which will last two days, under the slogan «the word to the world», that the conference was able over the previous years to consolidate the role of «Kalima» Translation in the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi as a pivotal support in the transfer of knowledge from the world to the Arab reader of various interests.

A bridge of communication and tolerance

He stressed the importance of the role of the conference, which this year witnesses the participation of 41 experts and academics from 21 Arab and foreign countries, to discuss the role of translation in building bridges between civilizations and peoples, and to improve the quality of translation, highlighting the problems of literary translation, and provide an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences This makes the conference a platform for exchanging translation perspectives through shared thinking, effective dialogue, convergence and consultation, in line with the UAE's vision of tolerance and openness to the other through its culture and civilization.

Arab and foreign translators, researchers and writers stressed the importance of encouraging the opposite publication, ie from Arabic to foreign languages, to introduce the world to the intellectual output of the Arabs, whether in the field of science, literature or heritage, while stressing the need to support national institutions and governmental projects specialized in the field of translation. Because it depends on achieving a balance in its translations between the scientific and literary interest and value of the book and its commercial marketing elements.

What translates and what does not translate

Responding to the question of “what translates and what does not translate from Arabic”, the participants in the first session of the conference, which was moderated by Dr. Suhail al-Zubaidi, sought to set standards for books that should be translated. Foreign scientific to Arabic, to enrich the Arab scientific content, and enhance the presence of Arabic in education. On the other hand, Bazei called for stopping the skin of the self, stressing that there is a lot of what can be translated from Arabic to other languages ​​«We have old and modern fiction works important and worthy to know the world, as well as many of the Arab heritage is still absent globally». He pointed out that what is translated from Arabic and Chinese represents only 1% of what is produced.

He pointed out that there are two sources of translation in the Arab world, the first is the publishing houses, which rely mostly on the translation of commercially popular, and national institutions that balance the premium content on the one hand and marketability on the other, and therefore must be supported by these institutions. Considering that the factor of confidence in the translator is an important criterion in the quality of translation, and in every knowledge product as well. He pointed out the importance of the role of the auditor for translations as well.

The story is worth a life

For his part, the German writer, David Wagner, set several standards for what he writes, which are also standards for what he thinks worthy of translation, including the content of fiction, pointing out that the most prominent content he offers in his books is life in all its forms and representations, such as love, attention and human relations, adding "I have learned from the Thousand and One Nights book that as long as I have a story to tell, I will continue to tell this story, just like Shahrazad." He also expressed his gratitude to the translators who worked to translate his work into Arabic, and their translations won awards, which allowed him to go out to the world and visit places he had not visited before.

• 5 new international languages ​​added by «Kalima».

Questioned

Frederic Lagrange, professor of Arabic literature at the Sorbonne University, gave a presentation on the status of translation in the Arab world, asking several questions about translated works about Arabic, and is it better to translate them through the role of translation or publishing Arabic or foreign, as well as the criteria for the selection of these works, especially when you do translation role A Western publication, which must follow the hierarchy recognized in the Arab literary scene based on the importance of its authors, or are you looking for new names and experiences distinct and have not yet taken their right, or rely on the criterion of strangeness, such as the translation of the novel «Girls of Riyadh», the Saudi writer Rajaa al-Sanea , And their material gain did not live Kaha science fiction another. He also pointed to the need for linguistic dictionaries for Arabic dialects, after writing in the vernacular dialects imposed themselves on the scene.

Abdullah Al Ali:

• «(Kalima) create an environment that adopts translators and provides a platform for their creations».

Saad Al-Bazai:

• "We have old and new fiction works that the world should know."

David Wagner:

“As long as I have a story to tell, I will continue to tell it.”