The Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) organised a panel discussed themed ‘Preserving Cultural in the Age of Translation and Publishing’, as part of ongoing Moscow International Book Fair (MIBF) 2019, which honours Sharjah as a Guest City.

Moderated by Mariam Al Obaidli, Corporate Communications manager at EPA, the panel hosted Saleha Ghabesh, Founder of Sadiqat Publishing and Distribution; Abdullah Al Kaabi, Founder of Dragon Publishing and Distribution; and Tamer Saeed, Managing Director of Kalimat Group (KG), in the presence of a host of publishers, authors and delegates to the fair.

The participants shared their personal experience of finding publishing houses. They shed light on the progress of cultural projects in the UAE, in view of the official support and openness to all cultures, underscoring that cultural achievement required special efforts.

Answering a question on preserving the text and its ideas in translation, Saleha Ghabesh remarked that the publisher should be dedicated to preserving the original idea without any editing. However, the text is subject to discussion, modification and editing to align with the culture, ethics and beliefs of society, in consultation with the publishing house and the author.

“Most publishing houses around the world collaborate to avoid the issues of translation, and very few will refuse to make any changes and adapt the text or illustrations, if required,” said Ghabesh.

“During our participation at international events as part of Sharjah’s cultural delegations, we have met many international publishers and established a connection with many of them for future collaboration. To sum up those experiences, we have found that dedication to quality texts and valuable ideas ensures the success and progress of the publishing sector. This not only maintains the local cultural specificity, but also nurtures it with positive aspects of other cultures,” she added.

For his part, Abdullah Al Kaabi, said: “We thank the emirate of Sharjah for helping us gain an international reputation. Today, as we present ourselves to the international cultural community as the emirate’s representatives, we realise how much the world respects and appreciates Sharjah’s cultural stance.”

On translation mechanisms and preserving the idea, text and specificity of culture, Al Kaabi said: “It is difficult to translate texts literally, the language must be spontaneous and coherent. However, the translator has a duty to retain the original idea without tampering with it.”

“After translation, the book undergoes many processes, including editing and reviewing by the publishing house that has published it. These processes should be supervised by experts who speak both languages, the original language of the book as well as one it is being translated into. Without this partnership, the book will lose its value and aesthetics,” he added.

Tamer Saeed stressed that successful translation starts with reading the text, identifying the ideas and understanding the value they add to readers’ awareness. He underscored the importance of communication with the author to get a better understanding of ideas that can be vague, unclear or subject to multiple interpretations. Once they agree on the idea, they start discussing the text to ensure that it aligns with the specificity of the local culture.

Saeed emphasised the importance of recruiting experts who speak the book’s original language as well as the local language, to get spontaneous texts that have great cultural value. “An original young-adult book was so beautiful and spontaneous, but when it was translated, it lost its beauty. That is why it is important to have skilled and expert translators who are dedicated to the key idea behind the text,” he added.

“We need local partners who can give us insight into the literary landscape in their countries and understand our needs in view of the specificity of our culture. Being part of Sharjah’s delegations to international book fairs has given us the opportunity to forge partnerships, enhance our expertise, learn more about the latest international publications and eventually choose what meets our needs. Those partnerships have enabled us to translate 75 percent of our publications into different languages in 12 countries,” he remarked.

On factors that bolster constructive cultural exchange to keep pace with the age of openness and globalisation, Saeed stressed that more headway could be made with committed investment in the Arab publishing sector to boost expertise. He added: “Mutually beneficial cultural exchange requires strong publishing sectors in both countries. This will ensure equal and bilateral exchange.”