Abu dhabi: The United Arab Emirates is reinforcing its global soft power by advancing translation as a cornerstone of knowledge development and cultural dialogue. Through strategic projects and cultural initiatives, the UAE has transformed translation into a vital tool for disseminating knowledge, promoting the Arabic language, and showcasing Arab culture to the world.
According to Emirates News Agency, the UAE stands out as a regional pioneer on the occasion of International Translation Day, observed annually on 30th September. Since its launch in 2007, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre’s ‘Kalima’ has translated more than 1,300 titles from 24 languages across 10 disciplines, in partnership with over 800 translators and leading global publishers. The project has enriched the Arabic library with Nobel Prize-winning works and established bridges between cultures with professionalism and depth.
Complementing these efforts, the National Library and Archives hosts the annual International Translation Conference, with its fifth edition held in April 2025 under the theme ‘New Contexts in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Technical Challenges and Future Prospects.’ The conference serves as a key platform for the intersection of language, technology, and knowledge, further positioning the UAE as a hub for knowledge production and localisation.
In 2017, the Mohammed bin Rashid Project for Arab eLearning launched the ‘Translation Challenge,’ aimed at translating 5,000 science and mathematics videos – over 11 million words – into Arabic, making them freely available to more than 50 million Arab students. That same year, Sharjah introduced the ‘Tarjuman’ Award, valued at AED1.4 million, to encourage literary translation and global publication of Arabic works, strengthening cultural ties between East and West.
Further initiatives include the establishment of the ‘Arab Translators Club’ by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation in 2022, designed to attract and empower translators while creating a platform for knowledge exchange.
Together, these initiatives highlight the UAE’s leadership in embedding translation within its cultural and knowledge strategies, reinforcing Arabic as a global language and showcasing Arab culture to the world.