Translation Project
The “Dimasheq” Project for Translating Arabic Literature into European and Asian Languages
Arabic literary and intellectual creativity faces a crisis due to the absence of institutions regulating its translation into global languages, hindering opportunities for readers in the West and East to access and appreciate this rich output, and thus to recognize the creative moment it has reached.
Although a significant number of European and Asian translators have taken on this noble task individually over the past few decades, striving in their own ways to convince publishing houses and cultural institutions worldwide to adopt the translation of this book or that, their efforts remain limited in covering the deficit in conveying Arabic production, which undoubtedly reflects the cultural peculiarities and mentalities of the Arab world in our time and its ongoing transformations.
As part of its non-profit programs for 2024/2025, the “Dimasheq” Foundation for Culture, Studies, and Development is launching a project for the translation of Arabic literature, in collaboration with a select group of translators from various generations. This initiative aims to provide Arab authors with the opportunity to present their works to a global readership, while simultaneously infusing new energy into the translation process from Arabic.
An expert committee from the advisory board of “Dimasheq,” in collaboration with its governing council, will oversee the selection of books slated for translation. This committee will also accept submissions from authors or translators, as well as recommendations from publishing houses.
The committee will study the proposed works and select those deemed suitable, thus facilitating the translation process in coordination with the rights holders of the material and moral rights of those works.
“Dimasheq” supports authors, translators, and publishing houses in translating books in the following fields:
- Fiction and storytelling
- Travel literature and diaries
- Poetry
- Critical thought and philosophy
“Dimasheq” encourages authors and translators to support this project and to take advantage of its role as a cultural bridge that significantly streamlines the passage of books into the world’s cultural markets without delay or obstacles.
