On November 8, 2025, the UNESCO Chair in Translating Cultures at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, with the support of the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, showcased the Arabic translation of Professor Wang Ning’s (Distinguished Professor at Beijing Institute of Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University) book The Cultural Turn in Translation Studies at the 5th annual International Translation Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The International Translation Forum, a prominent event that attracts global experts in the fields of cultural and translation studies, is hosted each year by the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission (LPTC). The event provides a platform for scholars in these fields to share knowledge and to showcase their groundbreaking work. A continually expanding event, this year’s forum brought in new speakers, greater attendance, and additional platforms for public engagement, alongside the UNESCO Chair pavilion, which showcased its diverse research projects, activities, and interests.

In partnership with the LPTC, the UNESCO Chair in Translating Cultures participated in a panel titled “the Cultural Turns in Translation: A Reading of the Saudi–Chinese Experience,” which showcased the Arabic translation of The Cultural Turn in Translation Studies, an effort sponsored by the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies that includes an introduction written by UNESCO Chair Dr. Moneera Al-Ghadeer. Through discussions that involved the Arabic edition’s translator, Dr. Nagah Abdullatif of Ain Shams University, audiences learned how this volume advances the field of translation studies, as well as what the process of translating such a book into Arabic entails. The discussion touched on how Wang Ning’s book offers a nonwestern perspective on translating cultures and the ongoing cultural turn in translation studies while engaging with translation theorists such as André Lefevre, Susan Bassnett, Jacques Derrida, and Gayatri Spivak. Furthermore, the panel examined the significance of the Arabic translation of his work as a point of convergence and dialogue between Arab and Chinese scholars of translation.

A forthcoming publication from Dar Al-Faisal, the Arabic translation of The Cultural Turn in Translation Studies is one of the UNESCO Chair’s key deliverables for 2024. Highlighting the growing importance of the Chinese language in Saudi Arabia’s cultural scene, this collaboration directly supports the objectives of the Saudi-Chinese Year of Culture 2025 and aligns with the initiatives of the Chair’s 2024 themes of “Translating Sino-Arab Encounters” and “Rethinking Translating Cultures”.