King Abdulaziz Public Library Strengthens Translation Efforts with Rare Collections, International Award

King Abdulaziz Public Library has translated more than 100 books on the history of Saudi Arabia and Arab and Islamic culture from various international languages into Arabic, including works by Orientalists and travel writers. It has also strengthened its role in translation by acquiring 640 rare books comprising works translated from various languages, the oldest of which date back to the early 19th century.
 On the occasion of International Translation Day, observed by the United Nations on September 30 each year, a library report highlights some of its most prominent rare books in the fields of translated knowledge, science, arts, literature, and general culture.
 Over the past 10 years, the library has expanded opportunities for reciprocal translation between Arabic and Chinese, particularly following the establishment of its branch at Peking University in the People's Republic of China. A large collection of Arabic literary, fiction, and scientific works has been translated into Chinese, while Chinese works have also been translated into Arabic.
 To further strengthen its role in this vital field of knowledge, the library established the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation in 2006. The award has received submissions from more than 70 countries, with approximately 1,726 works in 45 languages submitted over its previous 11 editions. A total of 516 judges have participated in evaluating the submissions, while 132 translators, cultural bodies, and institutions have received the award.
 The library also holds a collection of 30,781 books covering translation from various perspectives, in addition to thousands of books translated into Arabic from English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, Hindi, and other languages.
 The King Abdulaziz Public Library received the Excellence Award in Publishing (Children's Books Category) at the Riyadh International Book Fair Awards 2025. The award recognized its efforts and initiatives in publishing and translating children's stories to promote cross-cultural communication and showcase children's literature globally in multiple languages as part of a distinctive cultural translation project.