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The Last Word: Libraries as barometers

The Last Word: Libraries as barometers 47 LOGOS LOGOS 19/1 ©2008 LOGOS Scanning the media for good news, one is occa- sionally rewarded. A recent report from Abu Dhabi reveals that the government there has commissioned translation of one hundred books into Arabic, and will commission one hundred more annually. In case this news does not seem seismic, it should be related to the number of titles translated each year for the entire Arabic-speaking world — about three hundred. So this initiative by one small Arab country is an increase of one third. The Abu Dhabi translation programme is part of an effort to increase the use of libraries there and expand Arabic-language publishing in the United Arab Emirates. The project is directed by a non- profit organization called Kalima, which is Arabic for “word” (a choice with which we feel a respectful affinity, logos being the Greek for “word”.) The total number of books translated into Arabic in all history is only about ten thousand. This is a reflection not only of low literacy, but of the fact that most reading by Arabic speakers is of religious works. As Dale Eickelman and Jon Anderson wrote in L OGOS 8/4: “Throughout the Muslim world http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Logos Brill

The Last Word: Libraries as barometers

Logos , Volume 19 (1): 47 – Jan 1, 2008

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2008 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0957-9656
eISSN
1878-4712
DOI
10.2959/logo.2008.19.1.47
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

47 LOGOS LOGOS 19/1 ©2008 LOGOS Scanning the media for good news, one is occa- sionally rewarded. A recent report from Abu Dhabi reveals that the government there has commissioned translation of one hundred books into Arabic, and will commission one hundred more annually. In case this news does not seem seismic, it should be related to the number of titles translated each year for the entire Arabic-speaking world — about three hundred. So this initiative by one small Arab country is an increase of one third. The Abu Dhabi translation programme is part of an effort to increase the use of libraries there and expand Arabic-language publishing in the United Arab Emirates. The project is directed by a non- profit organization called Kalima, which is Arabic for “word” (a choice with which we feel a respectful affinity, logos being the Greek for “word”.) The total number of books translated into Arabic in all history is only about ten thousand. This is a reflection not only of low literacy, but of the fact that most reading by Arabic speakers is of religious works. As Dale Eickelman and Jon Anderson wrote in L OGOS 8/4: “Throughout the Muslim world

Journal

LogosBrill

Published: Jan 1, 2008

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