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TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK
Doha
HAMAD Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) has announced that renowned translator Saleh Almani has won the award for Translation into Arabic from Spanish, for the book 'Ashar Nissa' (Diez mujeres/ Ten Women) by Marcela Serrano.
The award was presented to Almani at an awards ceremony held at the St Regis hotel in Doha on Tuesday.
"This award is a great honour and further validates that translated publications from Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press play an integral role in the cultural exchange of information and in cultural rapprochement," says Fakhri Saleh, head of Arabic Publishing at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press.
"Almani's translations, as well as all translated works from HBKU Press, contribute to the building of cultural communication and coexistence and enhance the transfer of thought and knowledge between Arabic, Spanish and other languages."
Almani has been translating Spanish literature into Arabic since 1975 and has translated more than 38 insightful works. Among the titles translated in Arabic for HBKU Press include: 'Ashar Nissa' (Diez mujeres/ Ten Women); Roaa Lucrecia (Las visiones de Lucrecia/ The Visions of Lucrecia); Raweyat Al Aflam (La contadora de pel'edculas/ Film Storyteller); Qalam Al Najjar (O Lapis do carpinteiro/ The Carpenter's pencil); Kal Ma' lil-Shukulata (Como Agua Para Chocolate/ Like Water for Chocolate), and Thiqa (Konfidenz/ Confidence).
'Diez mujeres' was originally published in 2011 by the award-winning Latin American author, Marcela Serrano. The novel tells the heartwarming story of nine Chilean women from vastly different backgrounds who are brought together by their beloved therapist, Natasha, to talk about their lives and to help each other heal. Initially, the women find themselves strikingly different, but as they share their stories, they find themselves bonding over unlikely commonalities. Slowly, their lives begin to transform as each of the women see parts of themselves in the other. At times inspiring and lighthearted, and at times desperately sad, the novel reads like a beautiful tapestry of voices from women united by the universal bonds of the female condition that transcends conflicts of race, culture, and societal norms to give women everywhere hope.
The translated Arabic text, 'Ashar Nissa' was published by Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press in 2014.
"Almani has a unique style in his translations," explains Saleh."He does not simply translate words from one language to the next; he focuses on the content and meaning of the words that convey a message and contribute to understanding the 'other'. His style is almost lyrical, and the meaning and passion of the original text is never lost; rather, it is enhanced so readers of his work can't discern it from the original text. Almani is truly deserving of such an esteemed award."
