Doha, Qatar: The Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (SHTAIU) has announced the closure of nominations for its 11th edition in 2025, following the receipt of 287 submissions across its various categories.
In a statement yesterday, SHTAIU highlighted that the event recorded a 5 percent increase compared to 2024, with institutional participation accounting for 26 percent and female representation reaching 30 percent of the total submissions, in addition to receiving entries from 32 countries encompassing all officially designated languages for this year.
This edition marked a significant progression, as three principal languages, English, German, and Turkish, were introduced, alongside two less widely spoken languages, namely Albanian and Thai.
This expansion aligns with SHTAIU’s strategic vision of broadening its scope and celebrating linguistic and cultural diversity, the statement said.
Nominations in the Arabic-German translation category witnessed a marked increase compared to the 2018 cycle, with the German language debuting and being formally recognized by SHTAIU.
Overall, submissions from German into Arabic rose by 52 percent, while entries from Arabic into German surged fivefold. As for the Turkish language, although designated a principal language only three years ago, it maintained the same level of engagement recorded in the 2022 cycle. These figures reflect SHTAIU’s concrete impact in revitalizing and advancing the momentum of translation activity.
To mark this occasion, the Official Spokesperson of SHTAIU, Abdulrahman Al Muraikhi, emphasized that these outcomes highlight the award’s stature as the foremost and greatest prize between the Arabic language and languages around the globe.
He confirmed that since its inception, the award has significantly succeeded in deepening its role as a global platform for cultural enrichment and forging people-to-people connections.
As it enters its second decade, SHTAIU continues to consolidate its global standing as the most prominent, expansive, and consequential prize in the field of translation between Arabic and the world’s languages, affirming its position as a pioneering initiative in building bridges of dialogue and mutual understanding among peoples.
As part of promoting this cycle, SHTAIU has traversed several pre-eminent cities and think tanks, particularly in nations corresponding to the officially designated languages for this year.
By and large, the award’s outreach efforts have extended to key international destinations, chief among them Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Gottingen in Germany, as well as Balkan countries such as Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia, in addition to the Kingdom of Thailand.
During these trips, delegations representing SHTAIU engaged with several universities, research institutions, and translation experts to foster dialogue and raise awareness about the award and its objectives.
The delegations explored avenues for cooperation and partnership and employed AI-powered technologies to expand the cycle of engaging entities specializing in translation from and into the accredited languages, whether in Arab nations or beyond, thereby enabling outreach to new segments of those interested in translation.
