Winners announced for third Mexican literature translation contest in Egypt - City Lights - Life & Style

Al-Ahram Weekly

a day ago

Aiming to deepen cultural ties and boost Spanish-language learning in Egypt, the Mexican embassy and Egypt's National Centre for Translation honoured winners of the third Mexican Literature Translation Contest in Cairo.
The Embassy of Mexico in Egypt, in cooperation with the National Centre for Translation at the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, held the award ceremony for the third Mexican Literature Translation Contest into Arabic on 12 August.
This annual initiative seeks to support local talent among translators and interpreters, showcase Mexican literature and the Spanish language, and foster cultural ties between the two nations.
The ceremony was presided over by Leonora Rueda, Ambassador of Mexico, and Professor Karma Samy, Director of the National Centre for Translation.
Leonora Rueda, Ambassador of Mexico, delivers a speech at the award ceremony in the National Centre for Translation.
The selected work for translation was Canek, a celebrated novel by Emilio Abreu Gómez and a landmark of Mexican literature. The book recounts the life and rebellion of the Mayan leader Jacinto Canek, blending poetic prose with historical narrative.
The first prize, valued at USD 1,000, was awarded to Mohamed Gomaa Tawfik Fadel, a translator and researcher specialising in Spanish and Latin American studies. The contest, launched in January 2024 during the Cairo International Book Fair, attracted 16 finalist translations. The winning work will be published and presented at the Cairo International Book Fair in 2026.
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The jury comprised Professors Nadia Gamal El-Din (Faculty of Al-Alsun, Ain Shams University), Khaled Mohamed Abdel-Moneim (Faculty of Languages and Translation, Al-Azhar University), and Khaled Ibrahim Awad Salem (Higher Institute for Translation, Academy of Arts).
Special recognition was given to three other top entries: the first honourable mention went to Noha El-Hag Hassan Abdo; the second to Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed; and the third to Roqaya Mohamed El-Tohami.
Abdel-Rahman Essam Abdel-Gawad was named a promising young translator.
Ambassador Rueda noted: 'The competition, which began in 2021, has now been institutionalised and has become an important platform for honouring the work of Spanish-language learners and Egyptian translators. I am very glad that the interest of Egyptian youth in learning Spanish, as one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide, and in translating Mexican literature, is on the rise.'
The generous support of CEMEX Egypt made it possible to offer the main prize, reflecting the company's ongoing commitment to social responsibility and promoting young Egyptian talent and cultural exchange.
This event not only celebrates the art of literary translation but also reaffirms the value of building cultural bridges through literature, fostering mutual understanding and appreciation between Mexico and Egypt.
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