Scholars and writers examined how research and translation shape the world’s understanding of Arab culture at the 35th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), in a panel discussion marking the 20th anniversary of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (SZBA).
Moderated by Saeed Saeed, features writer at The National, the session was titled ‘Arab Culture in Other Languages: Two Decades of Cross-Cultural Dialogue’ and featured Prof. Dr Muhsin Al Musawi, Professor of Arabic Studies at Columbia University; Dr Nadia El Cheikh, Professor of History at the American University of Beirut and a member of the Award’s Scientific Committee; and Stefan Weidner, a German researcher and translator. Al Musawi and Weidner received the Award in the Arab Culture in Other Languages category in 2022 and 2026, respectively.
The discussion emphasised translation as a tool offering more than a transfer of words between languages: it conveys cultural context, history, and ways of thinking to readers with little prior familiarity with the world the original text comes from. This places a significant responsibility on translators to facilitate that encounter.
Dr Muhsin Al Musawi reflected on Arabic literature within the global landscape and the ways Arab writing reaches readers beyond the region. His remarks pointed to the importance of moving beyond viewing Arabic literature as confined to an Arab or Middle Eastern context. Translation can instead facilitate a wider literary conversation, bringing Arab intellectual and creative traditions into direct engagement with other cultures, he added.
The discussion then turned to the ways Arab culture has been represented and interpreted abroad. The panellists observed that translation, scholarship, and literary exchange can challenge inherited assumptions by enabling readers to engage with Arab writing directly, rather than through external representations of Arab societies.
Dr Nadia El Cheikh traced this shift through the history of Arab and Middle Eastern studies in Western academia, from Orientalist frameworks to approaches that treat Arab culture as a partner in intellectual exchange rather than an object of study. She emphasised the SZBA’s role in connecting scholars working across different languages.
“Each linguistic tradition brings its own questions, intellectual traditions, and context,” Dr El Cheikh said. “The Sheikh Zayed Book Award makes scholars aware of one another’s writing and creates an international community focused on heritage. This exchange enriches our knowledge of Arab culture across all its dimensions.”
For his part, Stefan Weidner, who won the Award in the 2026 edition for ‘Der arabische Diwan: Die schönsten Gedichte aus vorislamischer Zeit’ (The Arab Diwan: The Most Beautiful Poems from the Pre-Islamic Era and Beyond) – one of the most extensive collections of early Arabic poetry published in German since the 19th century – reflected on the response to his translations of pre-Islamic poetry. “I shared the translations with readers to see whether the poems would appeal beyond an academic audience, and they did,” he said. “Nineteenth-century translations reflected a different poetic approach and often romanticised the texts. Translating them again allows us to highlight aspects that speak more directly to contemporary readers.”
The discussion then examined how Arabic works reach readers in other languages. Translators, publishers, universities, cultural institutions, and literary prizes all influence which works gain international visibility. The speakers noted that a narrow selection can influence how Arab culture is perceived abroad, underscoring the importance of ongoing translation and cultural exchange.
Since its establishment in 2006, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award has supported the global dissemination and study of Arab culture, including through its Arab Culture in Other Languages category and its Translation Grant programme.
