QNA
DOHA
The Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding organised several cultural events in Hungary as part of a tour by the award’s media team to explore the translation landscape between Hungarian and Arabic, following Hungary’s selection as one of the target languages in the achievement track for the 10th season of the award.
The three-day tour included a visit to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Eastern studies department) in Budapest and the Eastern Library, which houses various translations into Arabic, including 306 manuscripts, 170 volumes, and books of Islamic Arab heritage. Among its notable collections are translations of the meanings of the Quran into Hungarian by the orientalist Robert Simon, along with a comprehensive Quranic interpretation, and translations of the works of Sandor Petofi, one of Hungary’s prominent poets in the 19th century, according to a statement by the award.
The delegation also visited the grand mosque of Budapest, the headquarters of the Organization of Muslims in Hungary, where they received an explanation from Dr Abdulghani Al Sabai, the director of the Organization of Muslims in Hungary, about the organisation’s issuance of more than 15 translated works into Hungarian.
Furthermore, the delegation visited the Ibn Sina Institute for Middle Eastern Studies and met its president, Prof Miklos Maroth, who is one of the leading researchers in Eastern civilizations and is known for his extensive expertise in Islamic and Eastern European studies.
On the second day of the tour, the delegation met with Dr Zoltan, the head of the Arabic language department at the Eotvos Lorand University, founded in 1635, who specialized in folklore and anthropology. Dr Zoltan discussed the translation movement in Hungary, noting that the Arabic language department at the university annually receives around 15 undergraduate students and two master’s students, with some dropping out due to the difficulties they face in learning the language.
Additionally, the delegation visited the MT Academy, which focuses on teaching Arabic to Hungarian students.
During the tour, a lecture was held at Eotvos Lorand University, where Dr Abdulghani Al Sabai spoke about Hungary and its history.
He emphasized the need to translate Hungarian civilization for the Arab world, highlighting the important role played by the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding in promoting convergence between peoples and nations.
At the end of the visit, the delegation met with Dr Rashed Daher, the founder, and director of the Contemporary Arab World Center, who highlighted his efforts in overcoming challenges to establish the center as part of the Eotvos Lorand University institutes, which include over 30 institutes teaching Arabic language.
The nomination and application process for the 10th Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding is open until the end of May.
This year, the award is divided into two tracks: the translation of individual books from and into one of the main languages (Arabic to French, French to Arabic, Arabic to English, and English to Arabic), and the achievement track in primary and secondary languages. Achievement awards for translation between Arabic and the main languages (English and French) and between Arabic and sub-languages, including Baluchi, Tatar, Hungarian, and Yoruba languages, have been allocated.
