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Twenty Arab translators from across the region have successfully wrapped up the first training course under the “Turjuman” programme launched by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation end of last April to enhance the professional competencies of aspiring translators.

During the six-week course, each participant completed the translation of one book, adding a total of 20 new books in business administration to the Arabic library.

Conducted at the American University in Sharjah (AUS) over a span of 120 training hours, the interactive course updated participants on latest translation technologies and brought them up to speed on key advanced skills and industry-specific techniques.

Marking the conclusion of the course last Thursday (July 24), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation handed certificates to the translators, praising their dedication, high quality output and diligent cooperation during the training.

Ali Al Shaali, Director of Publishing, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, said: “We are glad to celebrate the graduation of the first batch of trainees under the Turjuman programme. The course is designed to further refine participants’ professional skills and help them increase their creative output.

“Translation is an integral component of the integrated knowledge transfer process, and qualified translators are the key guarantors of precision. The Foundation is keen to promote highly qualified translators to accelerate knowledge dissemination across the Arab world.”

Loubna Amer, one of the translators who attended the course, said: “I am grateful to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for granting me the opportunity to participate in the ambitious Turjuman programme. The training successfully raised the professional standards of each participant, bringing us on par with each other, and drew our attention to several new perspectives in the process of translation.”

Turjuman is the first pan Arab training programme aiming to qualify professional translators. Seeking to foster Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation’s broader strategy of enhancing Arab knowledge capabilities, the multi-tier strategy focuses on translation as a prime channel for achieving knowledge transfer to the Arab world. Through the initiative, the Foundation seeks to reverse the region’s paucity of qualified translators and subsequently increase quality translation output.

Earlier this year, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation launched ‘Tarjem’ with an ambitious target of translating 1,000 books over the next three years. The first phase of the programme mandates the translation of 365 books by the end of this year, half of which comprise management bestsellers.

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About Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation has been launched as a personal initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Announced by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East 2007 in the Dead Sea, Jordan with an endowment of US $10 billion, the Foundation targets to develop the knowledge and human capabilities of the Arab world and introduce a future generation of thought leaders in the region. It aims to achieve its strategic objectives through a wide array of pioneering projects and programs in three main strategic areas: knowledge and education, culture, and entrepreneurship.

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