Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Translation as a Tool for Transformation in Saudi Arabia by Abdulrahman Al Said Translation has long occupied a place within Saudi Arabia's cultural landscape. For decades, however, it remained largely peripheral and was perceived as an auxiliary service rather than a cultural force in its own right.
[00:00:22] Today, this perception is undergoing a decisive shift.
[00:00:27] Translation has moved from the margins to the center, emerging as a defining element of a broader transformation.
[00:00:34] In doing so, it reflects a change in how culture and knowledge are understood and in how the kingdom articulates its relationship with the world.
[00:00:43] This transformation is neither incidental nor temporary it cannot be reduced to a passing response to market demand or increased international exposure.
[00:00:54] Rather, it is rooted in a growing awareness embedded within Saudi Vision 2030, the government program established in 2016 that is intended to grow and diversify the country's economy.
[00:01:07] Reinforced by the kingdom's expanding global presence, there is an evolving recognition of translation as a strategic asset no less vital than other national resources that support development, influence, and knowledge exchange. When translation began to be approached through a comprehensive cultural lens, the entire framework surrounding the field was redefined. It has been repositioned as an integral component of a national cultural ecosystem and a connected value chain spanning literature, publishing, and knowledge production.
[00:01:42] Within this context, the country's Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, lptc, emerged as a key institutional pillar, channeling momentum, formalizing direction, and redefining translation's place within cultural policy.
[00:01:59] Through its efforts, translation came to be understood not merely as a technical process, but as a medium of intercultural dialogue and a means of strengthening Saudi Arabia's presence on the global cultural stage.
[00:02:13] In 2021, the LPTC launched the Tarjum Initiative, which established meaningful links between translation, publishing and the wider knowledge economy.
[00:02:24] Its ambition extended beyond increasing the number of translated works as it sought to build a sustainable pathway for translation that balances quality, diversity, and cultural impact.
[00:02:36] In the same year, the LPTC launched its International Translation Forum.
[00:02:42] What began as a local event in Riyadh has since evolved into a global platform for professional reflection addressing future oriented questions related to technology, ethics, and the changing conditions that shape contemporary translation practice.
[00:02:58] While the Saudi government was setting strategic direction, the private sector was responding at a different pace. Driven by immediacy and shaped by context, megaprojects, international events, and an unprecedented flow of economic, cultural, and tourism activity transformed translation into an operational necessity rather than a supplementary service.
[00:03:23] In this environment, translation evolved to include services that help manage multilingualism in all its complexity, simultaneous interpretation, experience, localization, audiovisual translation, creative adaptation, integration of artificial intelligence, and much more. Amid this rapid expansion, a critical need became increasingly apparent, one that could not be fully addressed by the market or government alone. This need centered on protecting the profession, defining its identity, and regulating its standards.
[00:03:59] This led to the creation of the Saudi Arabia Translation Association, a professional body representing translators and advocating for their interests.
[00:04:10] SEDA strives to cultivate an inclusive professional space dedicated to empowering practitioners, developing career pathways, promoting standards and ethical awareness, and anchoring translation practice within its cultural and human dimensions.
[00:04:26] What ultimately distinguishes the Saudi translation experience is its refusal to present itself as a finished or idealized model. There is a shared recognition that the sector remains in formation and that balance among the government, the private market, and the professional community is an ongoing process rather than a fixed outcome.
[00:04:48] Saudi Arabia sets direction and builds enabling frameworks the market tests capacity and reveals demand, and professional associations safeguard values and professional integrity. Through this convergence, translation becomes a long term cultural investment concerned not with how much we translate but with how we translate, why we translate, and for whom. In this sense, translation becomes a tool of not only intercultural communication but but also national transformation.
[00:05:22] This article was written by Abdul Rahman Al Sad. He is the CEO of the Saudi Arabia Translation Association, SATA, originally published in Multilingual Magazine, Issue 2, 48 January 2026.
