Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari (centre) and Professor Hanan Al Fayyad, Media Adviser for Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (right) during the event.
DOHA: The Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding has organised a seminar in collaboration with the Qatar Press Centre. The event marked the 10th anniversary of the award.
The seminar featured Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari who delivered a speech during the event.
The event was attended by Chairman of the Qatar Press Centre H E Saad bin Mohammed Al Rumaihi along with a number of academics and media professionals. The seminar was moderated by Professor Hanan Al Fayyad, Media Adviser for the award.
Al Kawari said that the event was a renewed celebration of Arab intellectual activity engaging with the human reservoir of knowledge through translation. He pointed out that the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding represents a triumph for the Arab identity, which has not despaired of dialogue with other cultures and has not hesitated to build bridges of communication.
He emphasised that the continuity of this grand project reflects the dynamism of the contemporary Arab identity and its renewal, particularly as it positions the Arabic language as a language of dialogue with the worlds languages.
He added that this award stands at the forefront of the Arab cultural project, far from the state of crisis experienced by some segments of Arab cultural elites.
Al Kawari noted that the award has expanded the range of languages translated to and from, with new languages added each cycle, covering 37 languages worldwide over the past decade. This expansion broadens the scope of cultural interaction.
He highlighted that one of the benefits of translation is its role in preserving human culture from loss, destruction, marginalisation, or exclusion. Al Kawari added that translation acts as a continuous repository, akin to a resilient memory against time and advocates of intellectual isolation. It has preserved the contributions of various peoples in thought, art, and science.
He commended the efforts of translators, explaining that the award aims to honour and recognise their pivotal role in fostering understanding among peoples, transferring knowledge between civilizations, and building channels of communication between nations.
He stressed that the Award has restored the esteemed status of translators and provided them with a creative environment that encourages them to contribute to this civilisational project. Al Kawari hailed the Award as a channel that conveys the State of Qatar’s endeavours to renew Arabic language and amplify its influence in a challenges-filled era.
The Award contributes to the renewal the Arabic language is experiencing as it conveys the literature and sciences of other nations, His Excellency said.
Highlighting the Awards interaction with the Cultural Years Initiative,
His Excellency said it fosters cultural understanding and pan-peoples rapprochement to be one of the State of Qatar’s soft diplomacy factors.
In the same context, Dr. Al Kawari stressed that Doha under the leadership of Amir
H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has now become a capital of culture, with the influence of its cultural institutions and soft diplomacy continuously growing worldwide.
Meanwhile, Media Adviser for the Award Professor Hanan Al Fayyad detailed the definition, vision, objectives and the outcomes of the award, which was launched in 2015.
Over the past 10 years, the Award covered 37 languages and it was claimed by 214 winners from 48 countries, Al Fayyad said.
Al Fayyad added that the Award has earned high credibility globally thanks to the professionalism and transparency of its committees.
