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King Abdulaziz Public Library Translates Over 100 Books from 12 Languages

The library has translated more than 100 books. SPA
The library has translated more than 100 books. SPA
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King Abdulaziz Public Library Translates Over 100 Books from 12 Languages

The library has translated more than 100 books. SPA
The library has translated more than 100 books. SPA

Translation from various international languages was a strategic goal of King Abdulaziz Public Library (KAPL) in Riyadh. Dozens of important books were translated into various scientific, literary, historical, and cultural fields, including children's books.

The library has translated more than 100 books, with a focus on works by Western scholars, orientalists, and travelers about Saudi Arabia and its founder King Abdulaziz Al Saud. It has also emphasized the translation of books related to history, Islamic civilization, and library science.

On International Translation Day, celebrated on September 30 each year, the library highlights the most prominent books that it has translated since the launch of its scientific publishing and translation program.

These translations have been from a range of international languages, including English, French, German, Korean, Hindi, Urdu, Czech, Turkish, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese.

The International Federation of Translators, established in 1953, has been celebrating International Translation Day since 1991 to promote collaboration among translators worldwide and to underscore the importance of translation and translators' work. The United Nations General Assembly recognized and celebrated this day for the first time on September 30, 2017.

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Culture

Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)

In his seaside workshop on the Greek island of Lesbos, Nikos Kouvdis uses ancient techniques to create pottery pieces that have recently been honored with inclusion in UNESCO's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kouvdis, 70, and his family have kept an old technique alive near the once humming pottery hub of Mandamados, just as the slow and careful methods of the past have been largely eclipsed by factory machines.

Their pottery is among the last in the Mediterranean to be produced from clay in local soil, using a traditional kiln with olive pits as fuel, with the pieces painted with natural lime.

"It's an honor for me," Kouvdis said with regard to the UNESCO recognition of his work.

He said a mechanized press can work at 10 times the speed of an individual potter. "There’s no continuity. There’s no space for (our) method to continue."

Still, he continues to produce individual pots on an outcrop of land overlooking the Aegean Sea.

"Above all, it’s a passion - trying to create something that fulfils you," he said.