The Board of Trustees and Steering Committee of Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (SHATIU) announced yesterday the launching its 8th edition for 2022, as it will be receiving the nominated works starting from February until mid-August.
Dr. Hanan Al-Fayyad, the official spokesperson and media advisor for the SHATIU, said the launch of the eighth edition of SHATIU 2022 came after a journey that included seven seasons in which seven main languages and twenty-four sub-categories of languages were included since its establishment in 2015.
Al-Fayyad noted that the expansion of the award globally and in terms of coverage increased in 2017 with the addition of a third category, the Award of Achievement, which is concerned with five sub-languages chosen each year.
Dr. Hanan Al-Fayyad explained in a statement issued yesterday that the 8th edition of the Award for this season includes in its first category of translation of books, and it’s divided into four sub-categories: translation from Arabic to English, translation from English to Arabic, translation from Arabic to Turkish and translation from Turkish to Arabic.
Each prize is worth $200,000, as the first place winner will receive $100,000, while the second-place winner will receive $60,000 and the third-place winner will receive $40,000.
The second category includes the Achievement prizes in the other languages, as it is awarded to several translated works from the selected languages to Arabic, and from Arabic to the selected languages (Bahasa Indonesia, Kazakh, Romanian, Swahili, and Vietnamese).
The third category also includes the Achievement prize for the two main languages (English and Turkish), and this award is worth $200,000.
The Turkish language has been selected in the award's first edition, followed by Spanish, French, German, Russian, Persian, and Chinese in its seventh edition, she pointed out, adding that in continuation to enhance communication between the Arab culture and the different cultures of the world, the award has once again selected Turkish as the main language of its 8th edition for 2022.
The award, which has been established by the State of Qatar in 2015, aims to honor translators and express appreciation for their role in strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the world's nations and bridging the gap between peoples, as well as encourages creativity, spreads diversity, pluralism and openness, develops international understanding and enhances the role of translation in spreading peace and knowledge, and the role of translators in bringing cultures together.
Al Fayyad stressed that since its first edition, the award has taken upon itself to encourage translating from and to the Arabic language, adopting an international language every year in addition to the English language.
It is worth mentioning that the total value of SHATIU is $2m, divided into three categories: Translation awards in the two main languages (single books): $800,000. The award for achievement in two major languages: $200,000. Achievement awards in selected languages: $1 million.
