STUDY ON TRANSLATION FROM FINNISH INTO ARABIC

© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011 0 0

Translating in the Mediterranean

TRANSLATING FROM FINNISH INTO ARABIC

In the framework of the mapping of translation in the Mediterranean, co-

produced by the Anna Lindh Foundation and Transeuropéennes in 2010

Data collection, analysis and write up

Maria Pakkala


Preamble

The following study is conducted by Transeuropéennes in partnership with the Anna Lindh

Foundation (Translating in the Mediterranean). It is a component of the first mapping of translation

in the Mediterranean, led since 2010 by Transeuropéennes and the Anna Lindh Foundation (Euro-

Mediterranean program for translation), in partnership with over fifteen organizations from all over

the Union for the Mediterranean.

Sharing a common and wider vision of translation, of the central role that it must play in Euro-

Mediterranean relationships, in the enrichment of languages, in the development of societies, in the

production and circulation of knowledge and imaginaries, the partners gathered around this project

shall use this inventory as a basis to formulate and take long term actions.

INTRODUCTION

This study is carried out by Transeuropéennes in cooperation with the Anna Lindh Foundation

and other organizations. It is part of the project of mapping the translation in the

Mediterranean, conducted since 2010 by Transeuropéennes and the Anna Lindh Foundation

(Euro-Mediterranean programme for translation), in partnership with over fifteen

organizations from the entire Union for the Mediterranean.

Sharing a common and wider vision of translation, of the central role that it must play in

Euro-Mediterranean relationships, in the enrichment of languages, in the development of

societies, in the production and circulation of knowledge and imaginaries, the partners

gathered around this project shall use this inventory as a basis to formulate and take long

term actions.

METHODOLOGICAL NOTE

This study aims at analyzing the translation flow from Finnish into Arabic in the last 25 years,

with a special attention to the last 15 years. The information on the flow of translation was

collected through researching all the databases of the different public libraries I could access

in the Arab countries, and through interviewing a number of translators, editors, writers

and culture agents.

Another valuable source of information was the cooperation projects of the Finnish Foreign

ministry and the Finnish embassies in the Middle East. I also tried to search the web for hints

or discussion forums in the Arab countries. Moreover, I traced different newspaper articles

dealing with the Arab-Finnish relationships with the aim of gathering all possible useful


information. Hence, this study covers the publications and activities related to Arabic Finnish

translation up till September 2011.

This study is carried out according to the guidelines provided by TEM. In the initial part of

this research, I collected all the Finnish-Arabic translations published in Finland1 and in the

Arab countries, the amount of which, however, did not exceed 16 entries. The graphs

provided here should make the information clearer especially that no complete data about

translating Finnish literature into Arabic is available. The data provided by the UNESCO’s

Index Translationum database for example is not complete and contains some mistakes. The

data provided by the Finnish Literature Exchange is not complete either.

Historical summary

The interest in Finland and Finnish literature in the Arab world is fairly young. The first

Finnish novels to see the light in Arabic are Mika Waltaris’s in 1955, 1956, and 1961.

However, the translations were made through English and were pirate translations. Egypt at

that time had not had signed the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic

Works yet.

Sinuhe the Egyptian is hence the first Finnish literary work to be translated into Arabic. It was

published by the National House of Printing and Publishing in Cairo. The success of the book

led to a second edition, which was soon sold out. The translation of Sinuhe was made by an

Egyptian engineer, named Hamed al-Qasabi, from an English translation. The latter was itself

a translation from Swedish. The English translator Naomi Walford had skipped a number of

pages and paragraphs. Hence, the Arabic translation is not a complete one. Taha Hussein

wrote an introduction to the Arabic translation, which gave the book an additional value in

the eyes of the Arab reader.

In addition to Sinuhe, two other novels by Waltari were translated into Arabic via English in

Egypt. Vieras mies tuli taloon in 1956 and Koiranheisipuu in 1961. Unfortunately, none of these

Arabic translations is available in bookstores today. A copy of Sinuhe’s translation is

nevertheless available at the Helsinki cosmopolitan area public library.

Translating directly from Finnish started only in the seventies with Sahban Mroueh—a young

Lebanese translator, writer, poet, and script writer. Mr. Mroueh translated and co-

translated a number of books. Among others, he translated the Kalevala, which is one of the

most important Finnish literary works.

All the translators included in this study are native Arabic speakers. They all translate only

from Finnish but not into it except Mr. Mroueh. The latter has translated literary texts from

and into Finnish especially for the Finnish national radio and TV.

1 I mention this because some Finnish-Arabic translations were published in Finland.


The Arab-Finnish connection has been limited to the modest cultural activities of the

embassies. Finnish ambassadors in the Middle East usually give translated books as gifts. An

example is Pictures from the Arabian Peninsula, a book translated and published in Beirut in

1991, which is a selection of texts from the Orientalist G.A. Wallin’s diary. Mahmoud Mahdi

Abdallah’s Finnish Arabic General Dictionary was also given as a gift by different embassies and

institutes. This is how the embassies, the Finnish foreign ministry, and the different institutes

contribute in promoting the Finnish culture in the Middle East.

HISTORIC VIEW OF TRANSLATION FROM FINNISH INTO ARABIC

The translation into Arabic is very scarce. No more than sixteen Finnish literary titles were

translated since 1955. The following charts show the flow of translation of Finnish literature

into Arabic in the Arabic countries in the last 25 and the last 15 years respectively:

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

1955 1956 1961 1982 1991 2004 2005 2006 2008 2010 2011

Translation from Finnish into Arabic (1955-2011)


TRANSLATION FROM FINNISH INTO ARABIC (1986-2011)

The flow of translation from Finnish into Arabic has been very limited. FILI’s grants changed

this situation in 2010. It would be fair to say that without the Finnish Literature Exchange

(FILI), the translations in 2010 and 2011 would not have seen the light.

FILI

FILI promotes interest in Finnish literature abroad by supporting its translation and

publication. FILI was founded in 1977 and is part of the Finnish Literature Society, which has

operated since 1831. FILI awards annually translation and publication grants; organizes a

translator-in-residence programme at Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) in Helsinki; organizes

translator seminars; runs an internship scheme for young translators; offers a virtual

community for translators of Finnish literature; provides literary institutions, festivals,

universities and publishers subsidies towards the travel costs of authors taking part in

literary programmes or promotional activities in connection with translated works;

cooperates with foreign publishers, book fairs and literary institutes in organizing occasional

major literary events abroad presenting Finnish authors and their work; invites foreign

publishers to Finland to introduce them to the literary scene; maintains a unique database of

translations of Finnish literature; publishes the online literary journal Books from Finland,

which was established since 1967 and has been online since 20092.

FILI awards translators travel grants to cover the costs of a work or study trips. As far as

foreign publishers are concerned, FILI awards them grants for translation and printing. They

may apply for a grant for the translation of Finnish, Finland-Swedish and Sámi literature into

2 www.booksfromfinland.fi last visited 10.11.2011

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

4,5

1986 1991 2004 2005 2006 2008 2010 2011

Translation from Finnish into Arabic (1986-2011)

http://www.booksfromfinland.fi/


other languages. Funding is awarded primarily for the translation of Finnish literature, though

a number of grants are awarded for the translation of works of non-fiction dealing with

aspects of Finnish culture3.

Publishers may apply for grants to cover translation expenses for works which have been

published in Finland and translated directly from Finnish, Swedish or Sámi into other

languages. Translation grants are not applicable to scientific or academic publications,

dissertations, textbooks or dictionaries. The grants are awarded with the stipulation that

the translator has professional experience and is a native of the target language.

The annual deadlines for grant applications are 1st April and 1st November each year. The

application must be accompanied by a copy of the signed contract between the foreign

publisher and the Finnish copyright holder and a copy of the signed contract between the

foreign publisher and the translator.

Translation grants are paid when the publisher has delivered five copies of the finished

publication to FILI. Furthermore, the translated book must include mention of the grant

awarded by FILI.

LANGUAGE COURSES

Finnish is not taught in any Arabic speaking country. Hence, all the translators who work

directly from Finnish into Arabic have learnt Finnish in Finland. Arabic, on the other hand, is

taught at the University of Helsinki.

Even if the department of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Helsinki offers

some classes in translation (Arabic-Finnish translation, ECTS-credits and Finnish-Arabic

translation, 5 ECTS-credits), there are no Arabic translation degree programs in Finland.

However, the department started an opportunity to study Finnish for translators in 2010.

The module is 25 ECTS-credits in the Finnish language. The courses in this module are

syntax, and morphology. Native Finnish students graduating from the department cannot

translate into Arabic.

ACCESS TO INTELLECTUAL PRODUCTION IN FINNISH

Since Finnish is not taught in any Arabic speaking country, it is understandable that access to

Finnish books is almost non-existent. The only exception is the small library of the Finnish

institute in Damascus4.

3 For further information, see www.finlit.fi/fili/en/tuet/kaannostuet/index.html last visited 10.11.2011 4 The institute is temporarily based in Amman for the moment because of the unrests in Syria.


MAJOR TRENDS OF TRANSLATION FROM FINNISH INTO ARABIC

There are no books or anthologies entirely devoted to authors from Finnish speaking

countries in Arabic. However, there is one book about Finnish literary criticism5 translated

from English into Arabic by Saad Elfeshawy. The translation is an especially mediocre one—

most probably done through a machine translation. Saad Elfeshawy translated another book

from English into Arabic on the Finnish literature and Culture6.

Moreover, there are four books about Finland at the library of Alexandria, Egypt. One of

these books is a general introduction to Finland and the Finnish culture edited by Mr. Faruk

Abu Chakra7. The second is a book written by Mr. Abu Chakra, which gives thorough

information about Finland8. The fourth book on the shelves of the library of Alexandria

gives some basic information about the country, its people and way of life9. The fourth book

is a diary written by an Egyptian who lived in Finland for 16 months10. The book tells about

the Finnish culture and lifestyle.

The only book under the category of Northern Europe and Scandinavian countries at the

library of the Palestinian Legislative council in Ramallah is a book on the history of Finland

translated from English11 whose Finnish version has been reprinted repeatedly12.

5The History of Finnish literary criticism, Yrjö Varpio translated into Arabic by Saad Elfeshawy, The New world

Publisher 2005 6 Land of the North Star: An introduction to Finnish literature and Culture translated into Arabic by Saad Elfeshawy,

The New world Publisher ,2004 7 Finlanda bilad al-buhayrat, ed. by Faruk Abu-Chacra, Helsinki, Otava, 1983

8 1976

9 1995 10 161971

11 1989 12 Lyhyt Suomen historia, Matti Klinge, Helsinki, Otava, 1989


TRANSLATORS WHO TRANSLATE DIRECTLY & INDIRECTLY FROM FINNISH

Hamed al-

Qasabi 6%

Hilmi Murad 6%

Muhammad Badr al-din Kali

6%

Luis Gris 6%

Samir Chibli 6%

Sahban Mroueh 13%

Mahmoud Mahdi Abdallah

13%

Maria Pakkala 44%

TRANSLATORS WHO TRANSLATE DIRECTLY &INDIRECTLY FROM

FINNISH


TRANSLATORS WHO TRANSLATE DIRECTLY FROM FINNISH

The number of translators who worked directly from Finnish into Arabic is no more than

three. Mr. Sahban Mroueh is the first translator to translate directly from Finnish into Arabic.

His translation of the Kalevala is an extremely important achievement. In addition to some

translations that are no longer available in the market, the details of which, Mr. Mroueh

could not remember13, he has a number of unpublished translations as well14.

Mahmoud Mahdi Abdallah is the ex-ambassador of Egypt in Finland. He fell in love with the

Finnish language and decided to be a cultural ambassador as well. Mahmoud Mahdi Abdallah

translated two books, one called ‘Mythical tales’15 and the other called ‘Kalevalan tarinat16’,

which is a children’s book based on the Finnish Kalevala. Mahmoud Mahdi Abdallah has also

compiled a general Finnish-Arabic dictionary in cooperation with a number of Arabic

scholars and translators. The dictionary was published in 2007 and was supported by a

number of authorities17. It was thanks to his status of ambassador that these publications

were possible. This is an example where personal connections open doors to all kinds of

cultural projects.

The last to join the caravan of translators from Finnish into Arabic is Maria Pakkala. She is a

graduate of King Fahd School of Translation, Tangier and a PhD student at the department

13 A source, which preferred to remain anonymous, mentioned that Mr. Mroueh translated a book by Virpi

Hämeen-Anttila. The editor was not aware of such a translation. 14 An interview with Mr. Mroueh on 28.09.2011 15 Myytillisiä tarinoita, Lauri Simonsuuri, edit. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura 1947 16 Kalevalan tarinat, Martti Haavio and Aleksander Lindeberg, WSOY, 1985 17 Suomi-arabia-sanakirja, Mahmoud Mahdy Abdallah, Helsinki : Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2007

Sahban Mroueh

18%

Mahmoud Mahdi

Abdallah 18%

Maria Pakkala 64%

TRANSLATORS WHO TRANSLATE DIRECTLY FROM FINNISH


of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Among others, she

translated Tummien perhosten koti, Aavikon Vaeltaja, and Mare Nostrum.

PUBLISHERS TRANSLATING FINNISH INTO ARABIC

As stated earlier, the publishers’ interest in Finnish literature was driven by different

reasons. The three Egyptian publishers who published Sinuhe’s novels in the 1950s and

1960s did so most probably because of the success of Waltari’s works at that period.

However, for the Lebanese publishers, FILI’s grants were the main reason why they wanted

to publish Finnish Children’s literature. They were granted both translation and printing

grants for which they applied.

La Nef, a Tunisian publisher, chose a selection of poems because they dealt with Tunisia. In

this case too, the embassy had a share in the choice of the poet and the poems. The Finnish

ambassador in Tunisia suggested the poems to the publisher and offered some support for

the translation and publishing.

As far as ADACH (Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage) is concerned; Kalevalan

tarinat was published as a compliment to the Finnish ambassador. Mare Nostrum and Aavikon

Vaeltaja were published using the translator’s and the embassy’s personal connections.

To the best of my knowledge, until now, FILI has awarded grants to all the Arab publishers

who applied for FILI’s grants and fulfilled the due requirements18. The publishers do not

always get the sums they apply for. The sums awarded depend on the reasonability of the

application, the number of applications received, and on FILI’s budget, which changes yearly

according to the financial support FILI itself gets.

18 See page 5 above for more information about FILI’s requirements.


THE TRANSLATED GENRES

Fiction is the most translated genre followed by Children’s literature and non-fiction. There

is a growing interest in Finnish Children’s literature in the Arab world because of Finland’s

success in the field of education.

ADACH 23%

Kreidieh 11%

The National House of Printing and

Publishing 6%

Hilmi Murad 6%

Rosa Al Yousef 6%

Al-maktabah Al-asriyah

6%

Dar al-Jadid 6%

al-Majlis al-Ala li-Thaqafa

6%

Qadmus 6%

Dar al-Faisal 6%

La Nef 6%

Asala 6%

Awraq Lubnääniyya

6%

Publishers

Fiction 38%

Non fiction 25%

Children's fiction 25%

Poetry 6%

Folk poetry 6%

Genres translated


COUNTRIES WHO PUBLISH FINNISH LITERATURE

The countries who publish the most are the same countries who also translate the most.

Hence, it is clear that writing, translating, and reading is an inseparable combination.

BILINGUAL WORKS

Finnish is quite an exotic language from an Arab point of view. Hence, publishing a bilingual

work does not cross a publisher’s mind. Moreover, Finnish is not taught anywhere in the

Arab world. Hence, the possibility of attracting a reader’s attention or convincing him of the

accuracy of the translation through a bilingual work is not a reasonable option.

STATUS OF TRANSLATORS

The translators’ status differs from one Arab country to another. In Lebanon, Algeria, and

Morocco for example, translation is a respected profession—maybe because the translators

in these countries are graduates of schools of translation and hold BA or MA diplomas in

translation. This does not mean, however, that translation is not a respected profession in

the other Arab countries which do not offer BA and MA programs in translation. The

translators in these countries are usually linguists who happen to translate literature as well.

However, the translator can be a famous writer or a well known intellectual who is highly

respected as translator even if he has not had any education in the field of translation. The

name of the translator usually appears on the cover of the translated work all over the Arab

countries.

Lebanon 38%

Egypt 25%

UAE 19%

Tunisia 6%

KSA 6%

Syria 6%

Arab Countries who publish Finnish literatue


REMUNERATION OF TRANSLATION

Translators’ remuneration in the Arab countries is very law and sometimes almost non-

existent. The great interest in FILI’s translation grants is a proof about that. The translators

are offered one to two hundred dollars a book. Some new organizations, such as kalima19

and al-Maktoum foundation20, claim to pay better. According to all the publishers

interviewed, these organizations choose the publishers with whom they wish to cooperate

on ambiguous grounds. Communication with these organizations is quite difficult,

complicated and time consuming21.

GRANTS

The most important source of financial, educational and cultural support for translators is

FILI. It offers the translators grants for translations, sample translations, and travelling to the

countries where the translator’s main language is spoken. It also organizes different seminars

and helps forming and maintaining contacts with editors. FILI also organizes, together with

the ministry of Culture, the state prize of translation awarded every year.

FILI offers five different forms of funding. Foreign publishers may apply for funding for the

translation of Finnish literature into other languages. Finnish publishers are also awarded

funding for the translation into Finnish and Swedish.

In addition to this foreign publishers may apply for funding to help with the costs of printing

Finnish comics and children’s picture books in translation. Moreover, foreign translators

may apply to FILI for sample translation grants. Sample translation grants are also awarded

to foreign and Finnish publishers22. Translators of Finnish literature may also apply for travel

grants to cover the costs of a work or study trip.

The Finnish Institute in Damascus gives grants for students to study Arabic in addition to

grants for translators and researchers to carry out translations or to travel to the Middle

East.

There are other sources of financial support for translators in Finland such as the KONE

foundation23, Wihuri foundation24, the Finnish Cultural foundation25, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, and

the Finnish Educational Fund26.Another important funding body is the

19 www.kalima.ae last visited 10.11.2011 20 www.mbrfoundation.ae last visited 10.11.2011 21 The Lebanese, the Tunisian and the Egyptian editors who communicated this information to me wished not

to be mentioned in this study. 22 www.finlit.fi/fili/en/tuet/index.html last visited 10.11.2011 23 www.koneensaatio.fi last visited 10.11.2011 24 www.wihuri.fi last visited 10.11.2011 25 www.skr.fi last visited 10.11.2011

http://www.kalima.ae/

http://www.mbrfoundation.ae/

http://www.finlit.fi/fili/en/tuet/index.html

http://www.koneensaatio.fi/

http://www.wihuri.fi/

http://www.skr.fi/


Kone Foundation provides funding for Finnish non-fiction writing and translations from or into

Finnish. Non-fiction grants are intended to support non-fiction writing and translation in the

humanities, the social sciences and environmental research. The aim is to support efforts to

make research in these fields as accessible as possible to the general public. The grants are

awarded based on the importance of the titles chosen for translation. Kone Foundation

provides funding mainly for research. Hence, the number of translation grants per year is

usually limited.

Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation promotes cultural and economic development in Finland.

The Foundation fulfills its purpose by distributing grants and awards and otherwise by giving

financial aid to activities, thus furthering the cultural and economic life of the country. Like

Kone Foundation, Wihuri awards grants for translation works which the board regards

important or significant.

The Finnish Cultural Foundation (SKR) awards grants to individuals, working groups and

organizations in the arts, science and various fields of cultural life through its Central Fund

and 17 regional funds. Traditionally, SKR has awarded translation grants for important

literary works.

Alfred Kordelin Foundation primarily supports the translation of foreign language literature

into Finnish, but also provides some financial assistance for the translation of Finnish

literature into other languages.

The board of the above mentioned foundations is formed of professors, scientists, artists,

writers, and economics. Because these foundation are established to serve more general

objectives than the translation of Finnish literature, they only award a few number of

translation grants yearly.

Al-Maktoum foundation and Kalima offer some kind of financial support for translators

through publishers. Working with them is, nevertheless, not easy as mentioned above. They

usually fail to answer emails and phone calls and seem to have some unknown criteria on

the basis on which they choose copartners. An Arab publisher based in Sweden said that Al-Maktoum

foundation is no longer interested in financing Arabic translations. This information could not

be checked.

PRIZES

The only translation prize in Finland for translations of Finnish literature into the world’s

languages is the State Prize for Translation awarded by the Ministry of Education. The FILI

26 www.sivistysrahasto.com last visited 10.11.2011

http://www.sivistysrahasto.com/


Advisory Board makes a recommendation regarding the recipient of the State Prize for

Translation. The prize, worth 11,111 €, has been awarded since 197527.

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Award for Translation is an annual international award for

distinguished works of translation and prominent institutions which contributed significantly

to the field of translation from and into Arabic. The award, which is located in King

Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was established on 31 October, 200628. The

award is worth 500,000 Saudi Riyals. No Finnish translation has been awarded this prize.

The Zayed award29 is another important translation award established under the patronage

and support of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. The award aims at

promoting translation initiatives and supporting distinguished works. The award is worth

750,000 Emirati Dirhams. No Finnish translation has been awarded this prize.

RESIDENCIES

The Finnish Institute in Damascus offers translators and

researchers a residency opportunity in Damascus. The

duration of the residency depends on the availability of

rooms at the institute and on the duration applied for.

Applicants send their applications to the institute anytime of

the year. It has been fairly easy to get this residency. It

should be noted, however, that the institute has temporarily

moved to Amman, Jordan because of the unrest in Syria.

In addition to the grants it offers, the KONE foundation30 offers a residency program, which

allows translators to retreat and work in a beautiful mansion in Western Finland. Interested

applicants can apply for 2-month stay at the residence31.

27 The prize was awarded yearly except for 1981 www.finlit.fi/fili/fi/fili/toiminta/palkinto.html last visited

10.11.2011 28 www.translationaward.org/Award.aspx last visited 10.11.2011 29 www.zayedaward.ae last visited 10.11.2011 30 www.koneensaatio.fi last visited 10.11.2011 31 www.koneensaatio.fi/en/manor/presentation/ last visited 10.11.2011

http://www.finlit.fi/fili/fi/fili/toiminta/palkinto.html

http://www.translationaward.org/Award.aspx

http://www.zayedaward.ae/

http://www.koneensaatio.fi/

http://www.koneensaatio.fi/en/manor/presentation/


ASSOCIATIONS OF TRANSLATORS

There are different translators’ associations for translators working from and into Arabic.

For example, the Belgium based Arabic Translators International32; the Arabic Translation and

Intercultural Dialog Association abbreviated as ATIDA33; the Arab Translators Network-Arab

Professional Translators Society (ATN - APTS);34 and the Arab Organization for Translation

(AOT)35.These associations work as a virtual society operating through the Internet to

facilitate interaction between Arab translators. Their websites displays information on

member translators and agencies. Members also have access to translation courses,

certification tests, a terminology knowledge base, forums, and many other services. These

associations discuss translation projects, help gifted translators get publishing possibilities

and publish informative articles on translation theories. However, they do not lobby or

defend the translators’ statuses and rights.

QUALITY AND CRITICAL RECEPTION OF TRANSLATION

The translation quality of the books included in this study is very high. However, there was

one unfortunate case, which makes the exception of the rule. It is a book on Finnish literary

criticism, which seems to have been translated through some kind of machine translation.

However, there are no verification mechanisms available to measure quality. Usually editors

judge the quality of the translation based on the quality of the Arabic text. Some editors

compare the translated work with another European translation as an attempt to verify

quality.

There are no specialized journals for literary reviews of translated works until now. Very

seldom, an article appears in the daily newspapers or online36 discussing the translated

work—as a product not as a translation37.

32 www.atinternational.org last visited 10.11.2011 33 www.atida.org last visited 10.11.2011 34 www.arabtranslators.net last visited 10.11.2011 35 www.aot.org.lb last visited 10.11.2011 36 For example, the Arabic translation of Tummien perhosten koti was discussed in most Syrian newspapers, and

in al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper among other. Discussions of Waltari’s translations were discussed in the

following forums and websites: www.ahewar.org; www.finraq.com; www.alittihad.ae; www.arabstoday.net last

visited 10.11.2011 37 Docent Haseeb Shehada for example is an active critic, who publishes online.

http://www.atinternational.org/

http://www.atida.org/

http://www.arabtranslators.net/

http://www.aot.org.lb/

http://www.ahewar.org/

http://www.finraq.com/

http://www.alittihad.ae/

http://www.arabstoday.net/


FINNISH LITERATURE WRITTEN IN SWEDISH

The Swedish language remains important in Finland even if Finnish is the primary national

language. The Finnish Swedish-language Literature has been translated into Arabic in

Sweden. The most important editor interested in Swedish-language Literature from Finland

is Dar al-Mona38, which has translated the Moomin books from Finland’s Swedish into Arabic

in cooperation with the Emirati al-Maktoum foundation.

FINNISH LITERATURE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH

Some Finnish books written in English found their way to the Arab reader. These books

have a similar story explaining how and why it made it. In some cases, a book makes it to

the Finnish reader as a result of someone’s personal efforts. Mr. Faruk Abu-Chacra, a very

active Lecturer Emeritus in Arabic has contributed a lot in introducing Finnish literature to

the Arab audience. He also translated books about Finland from English into Arabic. Mr.

Abu-Chacra has excellent connections in the Middle East, without which many books might

have remained unheard of.

AVAILABILITY OF TRANSLATIONS

The publishers interviewed for this study complained about the problem of distribution.

Most publishers can distribute their books only on a national level. The only way to cross

national borders is through book fairs, which some find expensive. Smaller publishers usually

participate only in some of the book fairs organized in the Arab countries.

The National Library in Abu Dhabi attracts publishers to the Abu Dhabi book fair by buying

large numbers of books from publishers. The other Arab book fairs clearly do not have the

resources to do likewise—and do not need to because they are older and bigger.

Usually, the books are found in the bookstores within the same year of their publication but

very seldom afterwards—unless the book sells exceptionally well. The absence of well

organized public libraries in many Arab countries makes it very difficult to find books, which

were published earlier.

The library of Alexandria39 and the library of Abu Dhabi40 seem to be well equipped and well

organized. They both have online databases with a large variety of books.

The Kalevala, translated and published in Lebanon is still available from the online bookstore

neelwafurat41. Tummien perhosten koti, published in Syria is available only as an electronic

book. The books published in 2010 and 2011 are still available from the Emirati bookstores.

38 www.daralmuna.com last visited 10.11.2011 39 www.bibalex.org last visited 10.11.2011 40 www.adach.ae/en/portal/national.librarysub.aspx last visited 10.11.2011

http://www.daralmuna.com/

http://www.bibalex.org/

http://www.adach.ae/en/portal/national.librarysub.aspx


It is worth mentioning that the online bookstores are a big asset for Arab publishers

because they make books fairly easy to get. Moreover, the availability of electronic books

pushes the availability of translations to a totally new level.

Even though this might sound too positive, there are already few online bookshops in the

Arab world, in Europe and in the USA. Almaktabah42, for example, has over 100 000 titles,

online; There are many other online bookstores the most important of which are Alkitab43;

jarirbooks44; and neelwafurat45 to name but a few. Not all Arab bookshops sell online but

more and more are trying to introduce this service.

TRANSLATION RELATED LITERARY MAGAZINES

I am not aware of any translations from Finnish in any cultural magazines in the Arab

countries. However, the writer of this study translated ‘Gaza’, a poem by Jaakko Hämeen-

Anttila. The poem appeared in Dansk Pen’s magazine in 2111. She also translated a selection

of poems by Eira Stenberg into Arabic for al-Mutanabbi festival held in Switzerland in 2008.

These poems are still unpublished.

CENSORSHIP AND SELF-CENSORSHIP

There are not enough translations from Finnish into Arabic to make a sound judgment.

However, it seems that both translators and publishers censor their works. I am aware,

however, of one case where a publisher tried to gather all the passages, which deal with sex

into a single article in order to attract the attention of the readers and the press. I was

contacted once by a publisher who asked me to help him find Finnish books dealing with

‘sensitive’ issues to guarantee sales. This publisher was interested in titles which deal with

sex because they would sell more in his opinion,

SALE AND REPRINTS

It is very difficult to trace the number of sales and reprints in the Arab countries. We know

that Sinuhe was reprinted once in Egypt. We also know that most Arab publishers publish

one thousand copies of each book. This is the same quantity publishers usually issue in the

Arab countries because of the low rate of book sales in general. There were no reprints

from Finnish titles except for Sinuhe.

41 www.neelwafurat.com last visited 10.11.2011 42 www.almaktabah.com last visited 10.11.2011 43 www.alkitab.com last visited 10.11.2011 44 www.jarirbooksusa.com last visited 10.11.2011 45 www.neelwafurat.com last visited 10.11.2011

http://www.neelwafurat.com/

http://www.almaktabah.com/

http://www.alkitab.com/

http://www.jarirbooksusa.com/

http://www.neelwafurat.com/


DECISION-MAKING

Publishing houses have different criteria in choosing works for translations. Some publishers

follow the international book market trends, focusing on the books, which won literary

prizes or gained success in other countries. For example, the Syrian publisher Cadmus46 was

interested in Tummien perhosten koti which was nominated for Finlandia Prize, the highest

Finnish literary prize. He had read the German translation of the book and decided to

publish it in Arabic.

For Arab publishers, Finland is a geographically and culturally remote country. Hence,

choosing to translate from Finnish usually needs some extra motivation.

The major motivation seems to be FILI’s grants. Many publishers contact FILI directly and

ask about the translation grant. Not having to pay the translator’s wages seems to be very

encouraging. FILI’s printing grants for Finnish comics and children’s picture books in

translation is especially encouraging. Three titles translated by the writer of this study were

published thanks to these grants.

Moreover, some publishers translate Finnish titles as a compliment to Finnish ambassadors.

Aavikon vaeltaja, which was published in Riyadh in 2008 was a compliment to the Finnish

Ambassador in Saudi Arabia. The importance of personal contacts cannot be emphasized

enough in the Arab publishing market.

Some publishers translate from Finnish for ideological or thematic reasons. For instance,

Dansk Pen’s magazine published ‘Gaza’, a poem by Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila in 2010. The

Finnish poet Eira Stenberg received an invitation to take part in al-Mutanabbi festival held in

Switzerland in 2008. A selection of poems by Eira Stenberg was translated from Finnish into

Arabic for this occasion. However, these poems are still unpublished.

Sometimes, a book is chosen simply because it is presented to the publisher. It depends

hence on what is offered. Sometimes, however, publishers choose best sellers or books that

can get grants from FILI. Some publishers choose books that have been translated to major

European languages in order to be able to check the quality of the translation.

REPRESENTATION

There are two different types of representations in the books translated from Finnish into

Arabic. One, as is the case with the Abu Dhabi based ADACH, who wishes the translated

book to look exactly the same as the original. The other is to treat the book as an

independent publication and choose a different iconography—such as what Cadmus did with

Tummien perhosten koti. The translator’s name always appears on the cover of the translated

titles.

46 www.cadmusbooks.net last visited 10.11.2011

http://www.cadmusbooks.net/


COPYRIGHT

Until the late nineties, copyrights were not respected. Publishers from countries, which have

not signed the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works would

translate and publish titles without buying their rights.

Copyright in Finland follow the EU standard: 70 years from the death of the author. Hence,

translations of classical works do not need acquisition of copyright. Otherwise, publishers

need to negotiate the rights and the rates of every title separately.

There might be some translations somewhere in the Arab countries about which we know

nothing because the publishers did not respect copyright.

TERMINOLOGICAL ISSUES

The first general Finnish Arabic dictionary was published only

recently in 2008 by the writer of this research. This means that until

then translators relied on other language combinations to look up

vocabulary. The absence of such a dictionary for all these many years

reflects the marginality of Arabic and must have affected language

learning possibilities.


CONCLUSION

One might find the scarcity of translated publications astonishing. However, one should take

into consideration the fact that "the Arab citizen’s share in published books equals 4% of the

British citizen’s share and 5% of the Spanish citizen’s."47 The total number of books translated

into Arabic during the 1,000 years since the age of Caliph Al-Mamoun to this day is less than

those translated in Spain in one year.

There are many organizations, who aim at enhancing the situation of both translation and

publication throughout the Arab world. However, the results seem still very thin.

Translating directly from Finnish into Arabic depends, naturally, on the availability of native

Arabic speaking translators able to translate directly from Finnish. This means educating

native Arabic speaking translators. The department of Arabic at the University of Helsinki

does not provide such training—nor does any other department. Moreover, the fact that

Finnish is not taught anywhere in the Arab world makes this kind of training impossible. The

other option would be indirect translation.

From the prospective of the Arab world, Finland is a small and exotic country. Many more

efforts are needed to establish a bigger interest in Finnish literature and to build a strong

cultural bridge between Finland and the Arabic speaking countries.

47 From Arab Knowledge Report 2009 (www.mbrfoundation.ae/English/pages/AKR2009.aspx) last visited

10.11.2011

http://www.mbrfoundation.ae/English/pages/AKR2009.aspx


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yasmina JERRAISSATI, « La littérature arabe sur la scène internationale », L’Orient littéraire,

Numéro 63, 2011.

Richard Jacquemond, Les Arabes et la traduction : petite déconstruction d'une idée reçue, La

pensée de midi, 2007/2 N° 21, p. 177-184.

Franck Mermier, Guide de l’édition en sciences humaines et sociales dans le monde arabe, Le

Bief, 2006.

www.mbrfoundation.ae/English/pages/AKR2009.aspx

www.transeuropeennes.eu

www.unesco.org/xtrans/bsform.aspx?lg=0

http://www.mbrfoundation.ae/English/pages/AKR2009.aspx

http://www.transeuropeennes.eu/

http://www.unesco.org/xtrans/bsform.aspx?lg=0

STUDY ON TRANSLATION FROM FINNISH INTO ARABIC

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