Kalima: The World in Arabic Words

Could be due to political or religious reasons, but Arabic readers do not have access to major works of global literature, philosophy, science and history in their mother language. It is estimated that more books (about 10,000) are translated into Spanish every year than were translated into Arabic over the past millennium. Greece, with a population of 11 million, translates five times more books each year than the Arab world which has a population of over 300 million. These figures are quite astonishing taking into consideration that Arabic is spoken by more than 280 million people as a first language. The fact is that, in most Arabic countries, masterpieces of literature and other disciplines are only available in their original language, restricting access to these books to a select group of society.

It wasn’t always like that. Towards the end of the first millennium, Arab scholars were the world leaders in translating texts about science, philosophy and arts. Translators were so highly prized in this 'Golden Age' that, according to the legend, they were paid the weight of the books they translated in gold.

Kalima (word in Arabic) wants to revive that Golden Age. This organization, funded by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, attempts to make great works of literature and knowledge accessible to Arabic readers. Every year, they select 100 candidate titles of classic, contemporary and modern titles from around the world to be translated into Arabic. Kalima’s translators and linguists are very passionate about their role because they believe that "knowledge and books inspire intellectual and economic development, enrich people's lives, stimulate debate and help to bridge cultural gaps".

One Kalima’s founder, Mr Nagy, explains that the selection is based on the quality of the books. "We have no political or religious agenda".- he said. In spite of the noble cause, the project has suffered political pressure. Many times, the translated books have been banned from Book Fairs. He acknowledges the fact that Kalima faces two types of censorship in many Arab states: official and informal.

Despite the obstacles, the organization is determined to continue supporting and promoting the Arabic book industry on the international stage. Thanks to Kalima, Arabic readers have now access to the Arabic translation of many classics including "Logic" by Hegel, "The Films in My Life" by Truffaut, "On the Meaning of Relativity" by Einstein and many others.
Kalima highlights that book translation services have a great role in our understanding of the world.