
Arabic Translations Around the World
Arabic is the 6th most spoken language in the world, with nearly 420 million native speakers throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and many other parts of the world. With so many native Arabic speakers, it’s no wonder that high-quality Arabic translations are in high demand. That said, Arabic is a complex language that does not use the Roman alphabet like English, Spanish, and other Latin-derived languages. Producing accurate, error-free Arabic translations can be a challenge, especially with machine translations or untrained human translators.
Arabic to Portuguese Translation Award
This difficulty also means that many governments and other institutions are willing to praise and reward excellent Arabic translations. Most recently, the prestigious and highly competitive “Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding” was presented to Safa Alferd Abou Chahla Jubran. Jubran currently works as a professor of the Arabic Language in the Department of Oriental Languages at the University of São Paulo.
Jubran earned the award in the “Best Translation from Arabic to Portuguese” category. The award represented the culmination of years of hard work in the field of Arabic translations. Originally born in Lebanon, Jubran moved to Brazil in the 1980s to attend the University of São Paulo, where she eventually became a professor in the Arabic language.
The Hamad Awards offer much more than recognition, though. Since 2015, the board of trustees that manages the Hamad Awards has given away more than $2 million USD to qualifying translators. That said, not just any Arabic translator can win. The criteria are notoriously stringent, and the judges look at elements such as the significance of a translated text, the translation accuracy, and even stylistic choices by the translator.
Needless to say, Jubran was not the only Hamad Award winner this year. “English to Arabic Translations” is one of the most competitive categories, and this year the honor was shared by Ikhlāṣ al-Qanānwah and Yaḥya al-Qa`qāa. These two translators earned the award for their collaborative translation of Knowledge Triumphant, a book about Islamic civilization by Franz Rosenthal.
Breaking Down Barriers in Egypt with Arabic Translations
China has become a dominant force in global trade and politics over the past few decades. Despite its rapid growth, much of the world understands very little about the Asian powerhouse, including many citizens in Egypt. To help break down these cultural barriers and facilitate stronger international relations in the future, Egypt’s National Center for Translation (NCT) has begun translating Chinese books into the Arabic language. In the past, Egyptians learned about Chinese culture and politics by reading books that had been translated from Chinese to an intermediary language, like English. Then, they were translated from English to Arabic. However, some of the original meaning, tone, and style of the translated text is inherently lost when it goes through more than one language translation.
Now, Arabic speakers in Egypt will have greater access to texts translated directly from Mandarin Chinese to Arabic. The NCT hopes that this will help strengthen Egypt’s relationship with China and ultimately bring the two disparate populations closer together. Since its creation in 2006, the NCT has translated more than 30 books into the Arabic language. NCT director Anwar Mogheith hopes that the non-profit organization will be able to translate many more books in the future.
Arabic Translation Services with ITC
Here at the International Translating Company, we implement a tried-and-true approach to document and web content translation to ensure that businesses and organizations have access to the language translations they need. Rather than searching for translators at the last minute or worse, using a machine translation, we employ hundreds of dual-native linguists who are certified in their field and ready to provide top-quality human translations.
What exactly does this mean? It means that if you need Arabic to English translations, English to Arabic translations, or just about any other language combination, we have a certified linguist who is a native speaker of both languages to handle the job. With in-house translation training and the knowledge of a dual-native speaker, our Arabic-English translators are well-equipped to provide the best translations to our clients, with zero translation mistakes.
With our Arabic translation service, the process doesn’t just stop there. Every speech translation project has a dedicated team to double-check the quality of the translated text and comb-through every last word or phrase. At the International Translation Company, we leave no stone unturned.
You may be asking yourself: what about the cost? And how long will the language translation process take? Thankfully, we offer competitive prices and speedy turnarounds. Additionally, our interpreters and translators are fluent in localized Arabic dialects, so we can handle even the most specific requirements.
While the rate and length of the translation process will vary by project, we always make sure that the client comes first. Providing high-quality translations for just about any budget and timeframe is our guarantee! Do you need a professional Arabic to English translation or English to Arabic translation by dual-native linguists? Contact us to get a quote today!