Saudi Arabia Joins World In Marking International Translation Day

Jeddah, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Oct, 2024) Saudi Arabia joined the world in celebrating International Translation Day, observed annually on September 30, to enhance the translation profession and disseminate culture and knowledge among the people worldwide.

The Kingdom is marking the day through the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture.

The Arab Observatory for Translation (AOT), which was recently launched by the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission in cooperation with the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), is a qualitative leap in keeping pace with the translation movement and monitoring and analyzing its achievements from and into the Arabic language, through a unique cultural project that serves more than 350 million Arabic speakers globally, with Arabic being among the top five most spoken languages worldwide.

AOT reflects Saudi Arabia's leading role in joint Arab cultural efforts, bridging communication gaps and enriching cultural content across Arab communities.

The AOT is the first regional entity for ALECSO in the Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries since the ALECSO's establishment 54 years ago. It aims to compile and present accurate and modern statistical data on the state of translation.

The AOT contributes to the transfer and localization of knowledge within the Arab world through an innovative approach that incorporates the latest technologies. Moreover, it serves as a transparent and credible digital data reference, portraying the true cultural image of the Arab world.

By offering a bibliographic database of translated books published in the Arab world, the AOT generates annual statistical reports that provide an accurate overview of the translation landscape on both the Arab and international levels

Since the launch of its digital platform, the AOT has cataloged over 90,000 translated titles to and from Arabic and awarded 212 research grants in the field of translation.

The Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission also launched the Tarjim (translate) initiative, which supports the translation of over 1,800 books, more than 80 academic journals, and over 900 cultural articles. The translation efforts involved 800 translators from 33 countries.

Meanwhile, the International Translation Forum has achieved significant milestones, hosting 26 dialogue sessions presented by translation experts, along with 39 workshops that attracted over 4,000 attendees.

Furthermore, the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies collaborated in the launch of the UNESCO Chair in Translating Cultures.