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On behalf of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, His Excellency Vice Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Qatar Museums Sheikh Thani bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani presented the awards to the winners of the 11th Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding. The ceremony was attended by a number of Their Excellencies sheikhs, ministers, senior officials, and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the State of Qatar.The 11th edition of the award witnessed wide international participation from 32 countries, with five languages included in this year’s competition categories. In the German-Arabic translation category, three translators were honored. Mohammad Ahmad Abu Zaid won second place, sharing the award with Omar Al Ghoul, while Haroun Ahmad Sulaiman Ahmad won third place. The first-place prize in this category was not awarded.In the Arabic-German translation category, Larissa Bander won first place. In the Turkish-Arabic translation category, Abdul-Razzaq Barakat won third place, while the first- and second-place prizes in this category were not awarded. In the Arabic-Turkish translation category, Davut Elitas and Mehmet Yusha Ozmen shared first place, while Elif Baga and Cahit Senel shared second place. Mustafa Ismail Donmez won third place.The ceremony also honored winners of the Achievement Awards for institutions and individuals. In the English language category, the award went to Namaa Foundation. In the Turkish language category, the awards were shared by Baqa Publishing, Vahdettin İnca, and Ankara Okulu Publishing. In the German language category, the award was presented to the Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Leipzig.In the Thai language category, the achievement awards went to Amnawai Efendi Boker Ajin, the Association of Graduates of Arab Universities in Thailand, and Arun Jalaluddin. In the Albanian language category, the achievers included Muhammad Muwafaq Al Arnaout, Dar Logos-A Publishing, Viti Mehdiu, the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Pristina, and Sulejman Tomçini.At the beginning of the ceremony, an introductory film was screened highlighting the key milestones of the current edition of the award, as well as its activities and accompanying events, including field tours conducted in several countries.

The Qatar Press Centre (QPC) and the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding have signed a co-operation agreement to launch strategic partnerships in organising academic and knowledge-based events.Part of the agreement covers the hosting specialised seminars and workshops in the fields of translation and international understanding.It aims to draw on the expertise of both parties in preparing training programmes, and cultural and media publications that enhance the value of translation in developing journalistic and media content.The agreement, signed at the Abdulla bin Hussein Al-Nuaimi Hall, seeks to make the QPC a key platform for hosting the Award’s activities, which promote dialogue between cultures and open avenues for co-operation with related institutions.The agreement was signed by QPC director-general Sadiq Mohammed al-Amari and the Award’s media director Abdulrahman al-Marri.Al-Marri lauded the QPC’s leading role in developing journalistic talent and enhancing professional media work in the country, adding that the QPC has become a model of institutional and media excellence at both the local and regional levels.“Co-operation between national institutions is a national duty aimed at unifying efforts and achieving institutional integration across different sectors in a way that serves the public interest and strengthens the role of media and culture in Qatar,” he said.He emphasised the need to create a shared vision between the Award and the QPC that helps utilise translation to serve the media and journalism fields.Al-Marri noted that translation is not merely the transfer of language, but a bridge of communication between cultures and nations.He explained that benefiting from translators’ expertise contributes to improving journalistic content and enhancing the quality of media outputs, especially amid rapid developments in artificial intelligence and the challenges it poses to the accuracy and integrity of translation.Al-Amari meanwhile noted that the Award represents a national and humanistic value in spreading a culture of understanding and dialogue between different peoples.He lauded the Award’s vision and objectives in improving the image of Arabs and Muslims in other cultures, noting that this noble purpose aligns with the QPC’s mission of promoting responsible media and conveying a positive portrayal of Qatari and Arab society.“This agreement opens a new chapter of cultural and media cooperation that supports the principles of openness and dialogue, strengthens Qatar’s stature as a beacon of understanding and communication between nations, and reinforces the country’s pioneering role in supporting culture and knowledge as two essential pillars of human development,” al-Amari said.He said the translation and media are complementary wings of one mission: disseminating knowledge and building bridges between nations.Established in Qatar in 2015, the Sheikh Hamad Award is one of the world’s most prominent prizes dedicated to translation as a bridge between cultures and a tool for strengthening human dialogue.It aims to honour creative translators who contribute to transferring knowledge, literature and human thought between different languages and cultures, and to reinforce the values of mutual understanding and respect among peoples. 

A delegation from the Qatari Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding, participated in an academic symposium titled "The Reality and Challenges of the Translation Movement between Arabic and Chinese" which was held on Sept 18 at Beijing Foreign Studies University.The symposium was also attended by representatives from the Qatari embassy in China, and a group of experts and academics from several Chinese universities. Research institutions, and publishing institutions participated in the symposium, including Peking University, the University of International Business and Economics, the Beijing Language and Culture University, Guangzhou University, Ningxia University, and Beijing Foreign Studies University. The participants exchanged views and ideas on issues of cultural exchange and translation between China and the Arab world.In his opening remarks, Professor Liu Xinlu, Vice President of Beijing Foreign Studies University, noted that the university's College of Arabic Language, as the main implementing agency of the Belt and Road China-Arab Friendship Library Project launched in 2016, has completed numerous translations of classic works between Chinese and Arabic. Thus, making it an important platform for promoting cultural exchange and rapprochement between peoples. He emphasized that in light of the complexities and fluctuations of today's global situation, dialogue between civilizations has become more urgent than ever, with language as a bridge and translation as a means gaining critical importance in promoting mutual understanding between different civilizations.Abdulrahman al-Marri, representative of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding, expressed his great appreciation for the importance of this symposium. He explained that the award aims to promote the values of pluralism and openness, and to support dialogue and understanding between civilizations, and has already become the most influential award in the field of translation in the Arab world.He also expressed his hope that this symposium would provide an opportunity to deepen cooperation between Chinese and Arab researchers in the fields of translation and culture, and expressed his aspiration to enhance exchange and cooperation with the Beijing Foreign Studies University.The symposium's proceedings covered two main themes: "Translation and Introduction of Chinese and Arabic Classics" and "Translation and Chinese and Arab Civilizations." The researchers discussed the history, reality, and challenges of the mutual translation of classical literary and cultural works between the two sides from various perspectives.They also addressed the role of translation in supporting educational development, intellectual convergence, and cultural progress, by discussing issues of teaching Arabic translation, Sino-Arab cultural exchange, and the role of education support funds. The symposium witnessed the participation of more than 100 Arabic language professors and students from several universities in Beijing.It is worth noting that the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding aims to consolidate the values of pluralism and openness, encourage knowledge and dialogue, promote international understanding, and advance the level of translation between Arabic and other languages. It also honours translators, cultural institutions, and publishing houses that have made outstanding contributions to promoting friendship and co-operation between the Arab peoples and the peoples of the world. Professor Xu Qingguo (Bassam) of Beijing Foreign Studies University is the first Chinese scholar to receive this award. The award committee has announced that it will again award the prize to translators working in the field of Chinese-Arabic translation in 2026.