As part of International Translation Day events and initiatives organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism, UAE University marked the occasion yesterday with public lectures on translation and international cultural dialogue.

Three lectures took place discussing translation in the modern age, highlighting the role of the Kalima initiatives in terms of furthering translation, the ways in which Arab universities are addressing translation in their curriculum, and the challenges to translation and interpretation today.

Also discussed was the role of translation in the transfer of knowledge and nuances of culture, the role of translators and creativity, the challenges of translating via Internet tools, and the importance of translation from other languages into Arabic.

"We were delighted to partner with UAE University to initiate dialogue surrounding translation in our efforts to increase visibility on the importance of translation and to begin discussions on how to face the challenges translators face every day," said Saeed Hamdan Al-Taniji, Director of Programme Management in the National Library Sector.

The Kalima Project has donated 500 translated novels to UAE University, which have been distributed to both students and professors across the faculty.