Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre marks milestone at Frankfurt Book Fair with landmark translation partnerships
The Centre celebrates the first anniversary of its 'Kalima to the World' initiative by announcing 14 new publishing collaborations aimed at bringing Emirati and Arab literature to readers across Europe, Asia and Latin America.
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, operating under the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, is making a substantial mark at the 78th Frankfurt Book Fair this October, presenting an ambitious programme designed to elevate the global standing of Emirati and Arab literature whilst fostering international intellectual partnerships.
At the heart of the Centre’s participation lies the inaugural celebration of its ‘Kalima to the World’ initiative, which has catalysed unprecedented collaboration between Emirati cultural institutions and their counterparts worldwide. To commemorate this milestone, the Centre will host a reception announcing 14 new translation and co-publishing partnerships developed in conjunction with ten leading publishing houses and cultural establishments from across Europe, Asia and Latin America.
These strategic collaborations promise to substantially expand the availability of Emirati and Arab literary works – encompassing novels, children’s literature, historical and heritage texts – across seven languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Portuguese, Spanish, Greek and Macedonian. Partner institutions from Greece, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Pakistan, India, North Macedonia and the UAE will facilitate this distribution across three continents.
The Centre’s programming extends to substantive intellectual discourse. An international discussion titled ‘Translations: Open Windows onto the Worlds of Others’ will examine the transformative role of translation in broadening literary reach, whilst considering artificial intelligence’s implications for the translation profession. Meanwhile, sessions featuring Stefan Weidner, winner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s 2026 ‘Arab Culture in Other Languages’ category, and novelist Ashraf Elashmawy, laureate in the Literature category, will be delivered with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, English and German.
The Centre’s translation support mechanisms have proven instrumental in advancing Arab literature internationally. Since its establishment in 2018, the Translation Grant has funded the translation of more than 50 books into 12 languages, substantially increasing the volume of Arabic-language works reaching international audiences. Books winning or shortlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award have been prioritised for this support.
Beyond the Frankfurt platform, the Centre is pursuing strategic expansion across Asia, participating in the Korean Pavilion’s professional networking day and organising business matchmaking between Arab and Filipino publishers through a cooperation with the Philippines’ National Book Development Board. These initiatives exemplify the Centre’s commitment to forging enduring partnerships across diverse cultural regions.
Complementing its literary initiatives, the Centre will explore contemporary trends in library development and digital transformation, attending specialised sessions on artificial intelligence, knowledge management and digital content creation. Field visits to Frankfurt’s advanced library institutions and innovation platforms specialising in digital publishing solutions will inform strategic acquisition and service development decisions.
The Centre’s extensive engagement schedule encompasses more than 50 individual meetings with international publishers, alongside presentations of opportunities offered by both the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre and the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. A special event will introduce ‘Vision, Change and Excellence: The United Arab Emirates Between Tradition and Innovation’, a German-language publication exemplifying German-Emirati cultural cooperation.
Source: WAM