ADACH works to translate UAE literature into Korean

Jumaa Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of ADACH for the National Library, and Dr Ali bin Tamim, Director of Kalima, ADACH's translation project, met with Dr. Kim Yoon-Jin, Deputy Director of the Korea Literature Translation Institute (LTI Korea), following an invitation from the Institute.

A number of issues were discussed, including the participation of the Institute in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the translation of classic and contemporary Korean literature into Arabic, and the translation of UAE literature into Korean.

LTI Korea was established in order to translate Korean literature into other languages. The establishment of cultural workshops for Korean writers, along with the participation of writers from other cultures, forms a large part of the work of the Institute. The Institute is the single most important body in the field of literary translation in Asia.

Qubaisi gave a lecture at the Institute which comprised of an overview of ADACH's achievements over the past few years. It focused particularly on the impact of ADACH on the book industry, and how its work has affected projects like the National Library and the Kalima translation project. Qubaisi also examined the remarkable growth and levels of global recognition that have been achieved by the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, and discussed the successful launch of ADACH's Kitab and Qalam projects.

The two sides agreed on a mutual collaboration, with Kalima agreeing to translate ten books of Korean literature into the Arabic language, and the LTI Korea agreeing to translate a number of UAE literary works, published by ADACH's Qalam project, into Korean.

ADACH's delegation also made an official visit to the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. This is one of the top universities in Asia, largely due to its importance in the areas of literary translation and interpretation. The delegation was received by Dr Lee In-Seop, the Dean of the University and a Professor of Arabic Grammar.
Qubaisi and bin Tamim met Korean experts in the Arabic language, as well as a number of department heads. Qubaisi also gave a talk to Korean students on ADACH's strategy and its various projects.

There are over 180 Korean students at the University who are studying Arabic at BA, MA and PhD levels. Translations between Korean and Arabic are rare, but their importance is being increasingly acknowledged.

The Korean professors expressed their desire to translate UAE literature into the Korean language, especially in light of their whole-hearted support of the diplomatic relations between the UAE and South Korea that were initiated thirty years ago.