UN meeting to discuss Kalima project

Abu Dhabi: The Kalima, a translation project, will be discussed by the international language conference to be held this week in the United Nations in New York.

The conference titled "Language issues in a globalisation age" will conclude the international language year organised by the general information department in the UN and Unesco.

A thousand officials, including specialists, UN and Unesco representatives will discuss on Wednesday the use of worldwide regional languages to encourage using all languages specifically those dying out.

Initiative

The non-profit initiative Kalima was funded by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) which has expressed its dedication to funding the translation, publication and distribution of high quality works of classic and contemporary writing from other languages into Arabic.

Kalima has signed partner publisher agreements with more than 20 publishers, and put together a candidate database of 100 works to be translated into Arabic.

Nine titles have already been translated and published throughout the Arabic-speaking world.

Every year 100 classic and contemporary titles from around the world will be selected by Kalima to be translated into Arabic.

Dr Ali Bin Tamim, project manager will present a paper on Kalima's aims and its achievements in the conference.

Tamim told Gulf News: "Taking part in the conference is very important as language is the main topic for many initiates launched by Adach.

"Kalima is another channel to add more information to the Arabic knowledge and to provide local culture with others culture through translation; which gives life to language and support its development."

Rachel Roca, programming specialist in the culture and heritage department in UN said in a press statement "Kalima is a pioneering example to translate contemporary world literature in to Arabic that helps to open knowledge and information channels and enable the spread of understanding, respect and development."

The UN is concerned about losing local languages that are used mostly by natives. Earlier Ban Ki Moon, UN secretary general called countries and the UN to take immediate action to protect dying out languages in the world.