A Gulf Archive - from the basement to the Cloud

The webinar will explore the complexities and challenges of translation for the Qatar Digital Library (QDL), a collaborative project between the British Library, Qatar Foundation and Qatar National Library. The project requires multidisciplinary efforts to ensure the full bilinguality of the QDL and employs a dedicated in-house team of Arabic translators.

Join Team Leads Julia Ihnatowicz and Ahmed Khalaf Sadik to delve into the workings of this team, how it started and evolved, and what methods, tools, and processes it uses for the different deliverables. They will highlight the importance and value of integrating rather than outsourcing translation, specifically in the context of the heritage sector, while addressing some of the linguistic, technological, cultural, and ethical challenges arising from such a complex project and source material. The presentation will also discuss some of the very specific adjustments needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and the major cyberattack on the British Library in October 2023.

Key take-aways:

• An insight into the vital role of translation in making cultural heritage more accessible

• An understanding of the issues surrounding translation related to archival material

• An appreciation of how translation can be integrated into large-scale, multidisciplinary projects

Julia Ihnatowicz is the Translation and Editorial Manager for the British Library/Qatar Foundation Partnership Programme, overseeing an in-house team of translators, editors, and writers.

Ahmed Khalaf is a Translation Specialist and Team Lead for the British Library/Qatar Foundation Partnership Programme, managing a team of translators and ensuring the quality of Arabic metadata and expert articles. He has over a decade of experience in localisation and managing complex multilingual projects for global institutions.