The five winners of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz International Award for Translation will be announced Saturday. Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz will declare the winners at the award ceremony to be held at King Abdul Aziz Public Library. The translation prizes were established in 2006 but this is the first year of the awards. “This award was established upon request by King Abdullah to promote high standards of translation, contribute to the transfer of knowledge from and into Arabic, promote translation into Arabic in the various fields of science, and enrich the Arab archives by publishing distinguished works of translations,” said Faisal Bin Abdurahman Bin Muammar, secretary general of King Abdulaziz Public Library. The award also aims to recognize the achievements of institutions that make outstanding contributions in the field of translations of scientific works from and into Arabic. It seeks to establish standards of excellence in translation in regards originality, scientific value and text quality. The awards' scientific committee received 186 applicants from 30 different countries, who submitted works in 16 languages. “The field of translation has been going through a stagnant period in the Arab world,” said Bin Muammar. “The truth of the matter is that the Arab world has not learned from history, in which translations have been linked directly to the rise of civilizations.” According to UNESCO, the small nation of Greece translates double that of the entire Arab world, and Spain does even better – five times more. “The International Award for Translation has come at a vital time when Arabic translations are at their weakest,” said Bin Muammar. We are hoping that through the award, Arabic translation to and from other languages is encouraged, supported and revived to its prior glory,” The holistic goal of the awards is not only to increase the number of translations in the Arab world but also to strengthen their quality. Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, who will announce the winners, is advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and member of the executive board at King Abdulaziz Public Library. The five translation award categories are as follows: In the humanities from Arabic into other languages In the humanities from other languages into Arabic In natural sciences from Arabic into other languages In natural sciences from other languages into Arabic for institutions.“Translation is vital for the rise of any civilization and it bridges cultures together,” said Bin Muammar. “This award attempts to extend cultural-communication bridges between nations and knowledge-based communication between civilizations.” A reception ceremony will be scheduled in a month's time for the winners to receive their award of SR500,000 each. __
