Nashwa Nasreldin on why Arabic literature translators are needed now more than ever

Editor and author translated Sheikh Zayed Book Award winner Abdelrashid Mahmoudi's After Coffee, among other works

'We need more translations to drown out the voices of those who try to rewrite our stories,' says Nashwa Nasreldin. Photo: Talar Kalajian

Nashwa Nasreldin believes the work of translators in literature is now more urgent than ever.

"The opportunity now lies in uplifting the work and voices of translators based in the Middle East, who have less access to the support networks than we do living in the West," says the translator, editor and author with a mission.

Born in Kuwait to Egyptian parents, Nasreldin, who currently lives in Suffolk in the UK, continues: “Recently, we held our inaugural workshop for emerging translators in Gaza, run by the ArabLit platform, with each session led by experienced professional literary translators - some of the best in the field of Arabic/English literary translation.

"We need more translations to drown out the voices of those who try to rewrite our stories," she tells The National. "There has been an outpouring of literature from and about Gaza and Palestinians more broadly since October 7, 2023. This shows a recognition in the important role literature plays in recording, reporting, archiving and legacy-making."

Nasreldin's translated many works into English, including After Coffee by Egyptian author and academic Abdelrashid Mahmoudi, who won the Sheikh Zayed Book Award in 2014.

The cover of award-winning book After Coffee by Abdelrashid Mahmoudi, which Nashwa Nasreldin translated into English. Photo: Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Being tasked to translate Mahmoudi's book was a big moment for her as her first solo book project, she says.

“I really enjoyed Mahmoudi’s book when I read it in Arabic. For me, literary quality is an important factor when I come to choose a project given that you have to inhabit the book's world so intensely in the process of translating it."

Her work has since take her around the world, including to the Jaipur Literature Festival in February – where she spoke about her struggles and the importance of translators.

Nasreldin's career as a translator began when she studied Moroccan writer Mohammed Bennis’s work as a part of her master's course work at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in the US.

Nashwa Nasreldin at an event for translators in Manchester. Photo: John Greenwood

“I studied Bennis and produced an in-depth study of his writings on translation. At this time, I also met writer and translation-advocate Maureen Freely, who was a guest lecturer, and who introduced me to the British Centre for Literary Translation and their emerging translator mentorship. When I moved to the UK in 2013, I applied and was awarded the mentorship, which then propelled my career.”

Nasreldin is currently translating two short books that she says she's very passionate about.

A Brawl in Jahannam is a novella by award-winning Libyan author Mohammed Alnaas, whose debut novel, Bread on Uncle Milad's Table, won the 2022 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. It’s a satiric retelling of events that the narrator claims took place in the 1990s in a small Libyan village named Jahannam, which literally translates to hell.

The other book is Side Entrance to the House by Omani writer Amal Alsaeedi, in which the author’s ancestral house serves as a vehicle to unearth memories and images of childhood and youth, triggering philosophical reflections on her troubled relationships with her husband, parents and siblings.

"These books represent a new generation taking bold literary risks, reinterpreting classical Arabic styles," says Nasreldin.

But making a living as a translator is not easy, and many in the field are forced to find several sources of income, she adds.

"I split my time working as a writer, an editor and a translator," she says. "Like most emerging translators, initially the challenges lay in making a name for oneself in a very competitive industry – and this was back when there were fewer Arabic literary translators than there are now. At the time, it was also difficult to compete with translators who didn't have an Arab-sounding name, as publishers would often assume we were less proficient in English."

That became less of an issue in recent years, thanks to a demand for diversity that has helped tip the scales more towards equity, she adds.

"But the disparity still exists, especially amongst Arab publishers and authors who still believe that a so-called 'native English speaker' would have a stronger grasp in English than a translator who was raised bilingual, as I was.

"In the field of Arabic literature in translation, we only have a handful of prizes including the renowned Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation and the newer Bait AlGhasham DarArab Translation Prize. Also, the ArabLit Short Story Prize is particularly impactful as it supports writers who may not have had the opportunity to publish book-length work.”

The importance of translators is slowly being recognised, says Nashwa Nasreldin. Photo: Tom Gowanlock

But the publishing industry as a whole is changing, albeit slowly.

"The work of translators are increasingly recognised, thanks to social media campaigns like the #namethetranslator, which seeks to ensure that translators are named alongside their work," Nasreldin says.

"There are dozens of excellent Arabic translators working in the field today. A group of us communicate regularly on mailing lists, where we discuss translation quandaries, share opportunities, celebrate successes and band together when there is a need to address a threat to our rights as creators – especially with the unregulated rise of mechanical translation, having a supportive community matters.

"I think, we will see a rise in translations of Arabic literature from the Middle East and North Africa region as more translators are trained and gain confidence in an industry that had been relatively opaque previously," she adds.