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The Department of African Languages at the Faculty of Al-Alsun, Ain Shams University, in cooperation with the Faculty’s Community Service and Environmental Development Sector, organized a seminar entitled “Challenges of Translation from and into Swahili” as part of the faculty’s celebrations of Translator’s Day. The seminar was held under the patronage of Prof. Yomna Safwat, Dean of the Faculty of Al-Alsun at Ain Shams University, and Prof. Hala Sayed Metwally, Vice Dean for Education and Student Affairs, and under the supervision of Prof. Omaima Khashaba, Head of the Department of African Languages.

The seminar addressed key challenges related to translating cultural content in the digital space and translating Swahili literature and proverbs into Arabic through two main themes. The first, entitled “Swahili Culture in the Digital Space: Challenges of Translation and Conveying Meaning from Swahili into Arabic,” explored issues related to digital translation, while the second, “Challenges of the Literary Translation of Proverbs,” highlighted the importance of keeping pace with technological developments while preserving the cultural specificity of texts in translation.

Ms. Shaimaa Tarek, Teaching Assistant at the Department of African Languages specializing in Computational Linguistics, presented the first theme. She reviewed the history of International Translation Day and the reasons behind its celebration before discussing the major challenges of translation in the digital space and ways of utilizing artificial intelligence tools in content translation, particularly cultural content. She also addressed the skills translators need to keep pace with the demands of the digital age and enhance their ability to integrate into the labor market.

In the second theme, Ms. Mirna Rizk, Teaching Assistant at the Department of African Languages specializing in Literary Translation, discussed the branches and types of linguistics, the concept of translation, and its major types and techniques. She also presented practical examples of translating Swahili proverbs into Arabic, explaining how cultural meanings and connotations can be effectively conveyed into the Arabic language.

The seminar witnessed notable engagement from students across various departments of the faculty, including English, Chinese, German, Spanish, Swahili, Russian, and Italian. Participants discussed a range of issues related to the seminar’s themes and raised questions about translation challenges, the use of modern technologies in the field, and approaches to conveying the cultural specificity of texts across languages.

The seminar was organized as part of the Faculty of Al-Alsun’s celebrations of Translator’s Day and reflects its commitment to supporting specialized academic activities, developing students’ linguistic and translation skills, and connecting academic knowledge with technological developments and the requirements of the translation labor market.