UAE | Heritage and Culture
Kalima to 'fill gaps in Arabic library'
With the mission of bridging the gap between global works of literature and Arab readers, a major translation initiative called Kalima was launched on Wednesday.
- By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:10 November 22, 2007
- Mohammad Khalaf Al Mazroui, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage with Karim Nagy, the CEO of Kalima, at the launch of Kalima.
- Image Credit: Supplied Picture
Abu Dhabi: With the mission of bridging the gap between global works of literature and Arab readers, a major translation initiative called Kalima was launched on Wednesday.
Kalima would fund the translation, publication, and distribution of high-quality works of classic and contemporary writing from other languages into Arabic. One hundred titles have been selected to begin with, this year.
Over the past decades there has been very limited translations of foreign writing into Arabic, making the initiative important in linking different cultures and communities to the Arab world.
Kalima, meaning word in Arabic, is a non-profit translation initiative that would make available many more choices to Arab readers.
Access to knowledge
Speaking to Gulf News, Karim Nagy, the CEO of Kalima, said that the Kalima was born out of a recognition that there exists a wide gap between the Arab world and the rest of the world in terms of access to knowledge, combined with the fact that the majority of Arab readers prefer to read in Arabic.
"Currently in most Arabic countries, 'great works' of world literature or academia are only available in their original language, making them inaccessible for most readers.
"For so many years, Arabic readers have been cut off from great works of world literature and academia - we think it's time to change that. It's time to fill the gaps in the Arabic library."
"We need to put up a serious effort and commitment into translation of books published earlier ... there is a lot of catching up to do and then we need to keep up with every new book that comes out."
Detailing the title selection process, Nagy said, "Title selection is something that we spent a long time on. It was a challenge to select 100 books from a database of over 25,000 books.
"We followed a scientific and rigorous process going from 25,000 books to 2,000 to 200 and finally shortlisting 100 titles."
Share this article
More from UAE Heritage & Culture
More from UAE
Popular in UAE
-
Have your say
Living in untidy homes
Do you think that people who live in untidy homes have bad character?
Latest news
- Emirati students in US set to rise
- No friends of mother Earth
- Tussle on for tertiary students
- Faded parking lines pose a problem
- UAE to announce H1N1 vaccination campaign
- Focus on best methods of crime investigation
- Benefits of pill-sized camera displayed
- Prosecutions need to adopt new technologies
- Big decline in robberies in Dubai
- Ministry to shut down typing centres
- Car stickers to identify new drivers on road
- So what will it take to float Gulf News' boat?
- Desalination faces 'severe' challenges
- Arab world's future is with solar energy
- Compulsory fitness test for new drivers
Community Reports
-
Faded parking lines pose a problem
Motorists could be fined for parking incorrectly even though they can hardly see the boundaries in the designated areas
-
School buses block residential parking
Commercial vehicles taking up free parking facilities in Al Wuheida, inconveniencing residents in surrounding villas
-
Community report: Doing their bit for poor children
A group of students takes concrete action to raise funds for Dubai Cares
-
Surprising truth of 'abandoned cars'
An Abu Dhabi resident believes that some mechanics are using parking spaces as rent-free workshops
