As part of the ongoing collaboration between the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Dar Al-Ma’moun for Translation and Publishing, Senior Chief Translator Sameera Ibrahim Abdulrahman, a translator at the Center, delivered a scholarly lecture titled “The Role of Translation in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.” The event was held at the headquarters of Dar Al-Ma’moun and focused on the critical role of translation as an enabler of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted in 2015 and comprise 17 global objectives.
At the beginning of her lecture, Sameera Abdulrahman emphasized that sustainable development is a path aimed at meeting the needs of the present without compromising the rights of future generations. She highlighted the SDGs’ core aims, including ending poverty and hunger, promoting decent work, achieving gender equality, enhancing transparency and accountability, and empowering marginalized communities.
The lecture presented real-world examples illustrating how translation supports these objectives. These included the translation of COVID-19 prevention guidelines into over 100 languages to ensure accessible health information for all, and the “Healthcare Information for All” initiative, which provided translated medical booklets to help rural communities understand diseases and treatment methods.
She also discussed the role of translation in fostering democratic participation—for instance, through the translation of election materials in multilingual countries such as Canada. Furthermore, she pointed to the essential function of translation in supporting refugees’ access to basic services, referencing international organizations that have translated health and social service documents into more than 300 languages.
In the realm of human rights, the lecture underscored the importance of translation in disseminating Amnesty International reports in multiple languages to raise awareness of human rights violations worldwide.
The session concluded with several key recommendations: the need to integrate translation into national development policies, establish specialized training centers focused on sustainable development, and leverage artificial intelligence to support translation efforts during crises.
At the close of the event, Dar Al-Ma’moun presented Sameera Abdulrahman with a certificate of appreciation in recognition of her valuable contributions and impactful insights.
