Read the Arabic-Finnish study - Maria PAKKALA - Transeuropéennes

Translating in the MediterraneanTRANSLATING FROM ARABIC INTO FINNISHData collection, analysis and write upMaria Pakkala© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

PreambleThe following study is conducted by Transeuropéennes in partnership with the AnnaLindh Foundation (Translating in the Mediterranean). It is a component of the first mappingof translation in the Mediterranean, led since 2010 by Transeuropéennes and the AnnaLindh Foundation (Euro-Mediterranean program for translation), in partnership with overfifteen organizations from all over the Union for the Mediterranean.Sharing a common and wider vision of translation, of the central role that it must play inEuro-Mediterranean relationships, in the enrichment of languages, in the development ofsocieties, in the production and circulation of knowledge and imaginaries, the partnersgathered around this project shall use this inventory as a basis to formulate and take longterm actions.INTRODUCTIONThis study is carried out by Transeuropéennes in cooperation with the Anna Lindh Foundationand other organizations. It is part of the project of mapping the translation in theMediterranean, conducted since 2010 by Transeuropéennes and the Anna Lindh Foundation(Euro-Mediterranean programme for translation), in partnership with over fifteenorganizations from the entire Union for the Mediterranean.Sharing a common and wider vision of translation, of the central role that it must play inEuro-Mediterranean relationships, in the enrichment of languages, in the development ofsocieties, in the production and circulation of knowledge and imaginaries, the partnersgathered around this project shall use this inventory as a basis to formulate and take longterm actions.METHODOLOGICAL NOTEThis study aims at analyzing the translation flow from Arabic into Finnish in the last 25 years,with a special attention to the last 15 years. The information on the flow of translation wascollected through research at the national Bibliography of Finland 1 , the library database of theUniversity of Helsinki 2 , the databases of Finnish city libraries 3 , FILI‘s translation database 4 ,1 https://fennica.linneanet.fi last visited 11.11.20112 http://www.helka.fi last visited 11.11.20113 www.helmet.fi, www.jkl.fi/kirjasto, www.turku.fi/kirjasto, etc. last visited 11.11.2011© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

and through interviewing a number of translators and editors. Another valuable source wasthe essays and articles published by Finnish Arabists and Orientalists on the history ofArabic and Middle Eastern studies in Finland 5 . Furthermore, the cooperation projects of theFinnish Foreign ministry and the newspaper articles on the subject helped gather furtheruseful information. Hence, this study covers the publications and activities related to FinnishArabic translation up till September 2011.This study is carried out according to the guidelines provided by TEM. In the initial part ofthis research, I collected all the translations published in Finland and abroad, the amount ofwhich, however, did not exceed 53 entries. The graphs and charts provided here are meantto make the information clearer especially that no data about translating Arabic literaturecould be found from the Finnish Center of Statistics 6 neither from the Finnish book publishersassociation or any other authority 7 . The data provided by the UNESCO‘s Index Translationumdatabase for example is incomplete and contains some mistakes. The data provided by theFinnish Literature Exchange is not complete either.HISTORICAL SUMMARYIn his ‗Arab Studies in Finland since the Seventeenth Century 8 ‘, the professor emeritus of Arabicstudies, Dr. Heikki Palva gives the impression that the tradition of Arabic studies in Finland islong but quite thin. The interest in the Arabic language and the Arab countries in Finlandgoes back to the eighteenth century. The main reason that drew the attention of Finns tothe linguistically and culturally remote Arabia was mainly theological. For Finnishtheologians, the Arabic language and the Bedouin lifestyle in the Middle-East was a means forreaching a better understanding of the ancient Israelites‘ environment and life style. StudyingArabic would help understand the Hebrew Bible and studying the Arab lifestyle would makeit easier to better understand the Biblical lifestyle.All started with two Finns: Peter Forsskål (1732-1763) and Wilhelm Ross (1718-1766).Forsskål studied Arabic at the University of Uppsala, and was offered an opportunity to4 http://dbgw.finlit.fi/kaannokset last visited 11.11.20115 Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Middle Eastern Studies in Finland, Middle East Studies AssociationBulletin, June 2004, p.41-436 www.stat.fi last visited 11.11.20117 www.kustantajat.fi last visited 11.11.20118 Palva, Heikki (2001), ‘Arab Studies in Finland since the Seventeenth Century’, Proceedings of theFinnish Institute in the Middle East 1. Vantaa: The Finnish Institute in the Middle East.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

participate in an expedition to ‗Arabia Felix‘ financed by the Danish king Frederik V in 1761.Forsskål joined the expedition as a biologist who turned out to be the most importantArabist. He died of malaria in Yemen. Forsskål’s trip was widely discussed. Hence, WilhelmRoss, then associate professor of oriental languages, got the idea of starting a pilgrimage tripto the Promised Land. Indeed, he left in April 1763 for Jerusalem but never reached hisdestination as he died in the desert near Damascus in the summer of 1766.G.A. Wallin (d. 1852) is probably the best known Finnish Orientalist and Arabist. He travelledin the Arabian Peninsula and in a number of Arab countries in the eighteenth century. Hekept a diary and wrote about the lifestyle and the language of the people of the area. Hisdiaries continue to be read nowadays in Finland and elsewhere. His importance is seen,among others, from the number of books published in Finland and abroad about him and hisexperiences in the Arab world. He is the first Orientalist explorer to come back alive fromArabia.For a bibliographical reference of studies on Arabic culture and language, see ―Arab Studies inFinland since the Seventeenth Century‖ 9 and the bibliographical note at the end of this report.The Finnish scholarship in Middle Eastern studies remains practically only at the departmentof World Cultures at the University Helsinki 10 . On the other hand, I dare say that theFinnish scholarship concentrates more on the theological and the philosophical aspects thanon the linguistic ones.LANGUAGE COURSESArabic is taught mainly at the University of Helsinki. The department of World Cultures 11 hasoffered BA and MA programs in Arabic since 1980, the year the chair of Arabic wasestablished. Before that, Arabic was taught at the department of Semitic studies. ProfessorHeikki Palva held the chair of Arabic studies from 1982 to 1998. After him, the chair‘s namewas changed into Arabic and Islamic studies, and is held by Professor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttilasince 2000.9 Heikki Palva, Arab Studies in Finland since Seventeenth Century. Ed. Aarne Toivanen. Proceedingsof the Finnish Institute in the Middle East 1/2001.10 Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Middle Eastern Studies in Finland, Middle East Studies AssociationBulletin, June 2004, p.41-43.11 Until 2010, the department’s name was ‘The institute of Asian And African Studies’.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

Despite the increasing interest in Arabic and Islam after the 11/9, there was no significantincrease in the interest in the academic programs offered by the department of Arabic andIslamic studies. However, there is a clear increase in the interest in Arabic language courses.Even if the department of Arabic and Islamic studies offers some classes in translation(Arabic-Finnish translation, 5 ECTS-credits and Finnish-Arabic translation, 5 ECTS-credits),there are no Arabic translation degree programs in Finland. However, the departmentstarted an opportunity to study Finnish for translators in 2010. The module is 25 ECTScreditsin the Finnish language. The courses in this module are syntax, and morphology. Thestudents interviewed for this research stated that the future translators would benefit morefrom a module in the Arabic language.Today, there are a number of universities and schools offering introductory courses ofArabic. However, advanced level courses are not offered anywhere.To fill this gap, the University of Helsinki started a program incooperation with the Finnish Institute in Damascus 12 and the HelsinkiSummer University. This cooperation allows students to participate inan intensive course of Syrian Arabic, part of which is held inDamascus. This 5 ECTs course, as necessary as it is, is unfortunatelynot sufficient to fill the huge gap in Arabic language education. Theproblem of diglossia makes the situation even worse for students ofArabic because, in addition to Modern Standard Arabic, they need tolearn at least one spoken version of Arabic to get a taste of the Arab culture.MAJOR TRENDS OF TRANSLATION IN FINLANDThere are no books or anthologies entirely devoted to authors from Arabic speakingcountries in Finland. However, Naguib Mahfouz and Tahar ben Jelloun are mentioned in abook named ‗Foreign contemporary writers 2‘. 13Some stories of the classic ‗One Thousand and One Night‘ found its way to the Finnish readeralready in the eightieth century. The first to translate these stories was F. Hoffmann(Söderström 1874 - 1877). However, the most famous edition was the one published by12 www.damascus.fi13 Ulkomaisia nykykertojia. 2 edit. Ritva Aarnio & Ismo Loivamaa, Helsinki: BTJ Kirjastopalvelu, 1998© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

WSOY (1956-1957) 14 . Since then, more and more editions were issued both for childrenand for adults. All these translations were made via many bridge languages. The first directtranslations are made in 2001 15 and 2010 by Professor Hämeen-Anttila.I did not include the different translations of this classic in my statistics for two reasons. Thefirst one is the lack of information about the source text in most of these cases. The secondreason is a statistical one. Had I included all the translations and editions of the ‗OneThousand and One Night‘, a wrong idea would be conveyed on the general flow oftranslation from Arabic in Finland. If the overall number of titles translated is 53, adding 33different editions of the ‗One Thousand and One Night‘ would be adding 62.26% of the data.Another success story in the Finnish market is Khalil Gibran. Many of Khalil Gibran‘s bookswere translated into Finnish, mostly via English though. ‗The Prophet‘ for example has beenpublished by three different editors. One of them issued nineteen editions of this book.The Qur‘ān was translated by two academics. The late Professor Jussi Aro translated theQur‘ān into Finnish in 1957. Five reprints were taken of his translation, the latest of which isin 2006. Professor of Arabic and Islamic studies Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila also translated theQur‘ān in 1995. A second edition was published in 1997.HISTORIC VIEW OF TRANSLATION FROM ARABIC INTO FINNISHAs the chart below shows, a good number of translations from Arabic saw the light in theeighties and the nineties even if some of them were made through English. In 1988, theEgyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize. One year later, translationsof his works started to appear in Finnish. This might have been the reason behind the startof interest in Arabic literature.14 Tuhat ja yksi yötä, Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, Otava, 2010, p.6.15 Kuka murhasi kyttyräselän? Tarinoita Tuhannesta ja yhdestä yöstä. translated by Hämeen-AnttilaJaakko, Basam Books, 2001.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

Flow of Translations from Arabic into Finnish1816141210864201920 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 20111. DIRECT AND INDIRECT TRANSLATIONS 1925-2011The following chart shows the flow of translation of Arabic literature in Finland in the last25 years:43 3 33332 22221 1 11 11 1 11 1© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

THE TRANSLATED GENRES IN FINLANDThe chart below shows the 42 books translated from Arabic into Finnish in the last 25 years.Literature plays a leading role, with about 68% of the total. Other translations are devoted to Islam,Poetry and Children‘s literature.Categories of translation from Arabic intoFinnishPoetry7%Children'sOther literatureTheatre6% 0% 4%2%Islam13%Fiction68%The most translated Arab authors are Khalil Gibran with six titles, Naguib Mahfouz with five titles,and Nawal El Saadawi with four titles. The fame of Gibran made him extremely popular in Finland.Mahfouz was translated into Finnish only after he won the Nobel Prize in 1988. El Saadawi waspublished by Kääntöpiiri, an editor promoting Feminist literature.76543210Khalil Gibran Naguib Mahfouz Nawal ElSaadawiThe most translatedauthors© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

BILINGUAL WORKSThere is only one bilingual title published in Finland. The title is edited by Faruk Abu Chakra.Souad Al-Sabah‘s ‗Alussa oli nainen‘ translated by Sari Kuustola. Abu Chakra opted for abilingual title because he wished the reader to see the original text as well—even if thereader would not know Arabic 16 . No other bilingual titles exist in the Finnish market.Publishers who do not offer bilingual editions impute their choice to the technical difficultieswith Arabic fonts.Direct vs. Indirect translation into FinnishIndirect31%Direct69%Professor Jussi Aro (d. 1983), an Assyriologist who kept alive Arabic philological studies atthe University of Helsinki, translated a number of books directly from Arabic into Finnish.Professor Heikki Palva, who held the chair of Arabic studies from 1982 to 1998, alsotranslated a book from Arabic into Finnish and edited a number of books on the Arabic andIslamic culture.Dr. Marko Juntunen, an anthropologist who spent many years in Morocco studyingimmigration, has compiled and translated a number of important books. It is thanks to Dr.Juntunen that the Finnish reader was introduced to the Moroccan writer Mohammad16 Faruk Abu Chakra, An interview by Maria Pakkala in 30.8.2011.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

Choukri‘s ‗Plain Bread’ and ‗The Time of Mistakes‘. Dr. Juntunen also translated a number ofmanuscripts for two Iraqi writers who reside in Finland.Until now, one of these Iraqi writers, Jusif Abu Al Fawz, is exclusively translated into Finnish.The collection of short stories of the second Iraqi writer Hassan Blasim finally found its wayto the Finnish editor OTAVA. This collection of short stories was never published in Arabicbut was translated into English by Jonathan Wright as ―The Madman of Freedom Square‖ 17 .Mr. Sampsa Peltonen, an excellent translator, AV translator, and interpreter, translated AlaAl-Aswani‘s ‗Chicago’ and ‗Yaacobian building 18 ‘ in addition to Rajaa al-Sanea‘s ‗The girls of Riyad‘.All of Mr. Peltonen‘s translations are a real success. In addition to the fact that these titlesare best sellers elsewhere, Mr. Peltonen‘s smooth style and deep knowledge of the Arabculture make his translations vivid and believable. The writers of these books have nevervisited Finland or appeared on the Finnish TV. However, the critics have welcomed thesetranslations and applauded them warmly 19 . Moreover, the books sold well and the lendingqueues at the public libraries were long.However, the most prolific translator who translates directly from Arabic into Finnish isProfessor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila. He has a major role in drawing the attention of a largereadership to books related to Arabic and Islamic literature. He was awarded a number ofprizes for his tremendous efforts in popularizing science, translating Middle Easter literature,and compiling tens of books on the Middle East. Professor Hämeen-Anttila is an importantpublic figure in the country and a highly respected authority.All the translators in Finland, who translate directly from Arabic, are native Finnish speakers.The only exception is Mr. Sahban Mroueh, who is a Lebanese writer and a poet. Hetranslated both from and into Finnish and has written and translated a large number of playsand documentaries for the Finnish TV.Some translators have quit Arabic translations. Mr. Pekka Suni, an important translator whotranslated five works of Naguib Mahfouz directly from Arabic into Finnish, has quit17 Hassan Blasim, Madman of Freedom Square, Comma Press, 2009, translated from Arabic byJonathan Wright. The writer told me that the Arabic book was never published because of censorshipproblems.18 A. al-Aswani,‘Imarat Yaqubian, Maktabat Madbuli, Cairo 2002; Yacoubian-talon tarinat, trans. bySampsa Peltonen, WSOY, Helsinki 2009.19 www.kepa.fi/kumppani/arkisto/2009_7-8/7199;www.hs.fi/kirjat/artikkeli/Kerrostalossa+asuu+koko+1900-luku/HS20090907SI1KU01tvi;www.kirjavinkit.fi/arvostelut/riadin-tytot; www.sivupiiri.fi/kirja-arvostelut/riadin-tyt%C3%B6t-368among others© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

translating from Arabic for economical reasons 20 . It is thanks to Mr. Suni that the Finnishreader was introduced to Mahfouz. He now translates mainly from English and makes aliving designing WebPages and translating industrial documents.THE MOST PROLIFIC TRANSLATORS WHO TRANSLATE DIRECTLY ANDINDIRECTLY FROM ARABIC INTO FINNISHThe most prolific translatorsSampsa Peltonen6%Sahban Mroueh4%Pekka Suni9%Sari Kuustola4%JaakkoHämeen-Anttila21%Jussi Aro5%Others36%Kaarina Turja et al9%Marko Juntunen6%20 A phone conversation with Mr. Pekka Suni 25.9.2011.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

THE MOST PROLIFIC TRANSLATORS WHO TRANSLATE DIRECTLY FROMARABIC INTO FINNISHThe most prolific translators who translatedirectly from ArabicSahban Mroueh7%Sari Kuustola7%Sampsa Peltonen10%Marko Juntunen10%Jussi Aro11%Pekka Suni17%Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila38%PUBLISHERS TRANSLATING ARABICThe major Finnish publishers (WSOY, OTAVA and Tammi) have published together only22% of the titles translated from Arabic into Finnish. Two small publishers lead the marketby publishing 13% (Basam Books) and 11% (Karisto) of the books translated from Arabic.Basam Books Ltd 21 is a Helsinki-based publisher. Its specialties are the oriental literature,poetry, philosophy, literary classics, religion, wisdom literature, and spiritual growth. Thispublisher started in 1993 and annually publishes about 30-40 books. The company's founderand director is Batu Samaletdin, who previously held a used-book store 22 . Basam BooksClassic Series present the best known literary works from the oriental world.The translations from Arabic published by Basam Books are made mainly in cooperationwith Professor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila who translates mainly classical works. He, however,translated two modern writers: Adonis and Hanan El-Cheikh.21 www.basambooks.com22 http://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/katharsis/teema/teema302/basam.htm© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

Mr. Faruk Abu-Chacra has used his own contacts and abilities to publish translations. Selfpublishingcan be an option for some. However, the translators interviewed for this studywould not opt for such a solution because of the load of work and responsibility involved init.Mr. Faruk Abu-Chacra helped translating al-Babtain‘s selection of poems into Finnish. He thenpublished the book in Kuwait. Although a very famous person promoting Arabic culture andliterature, al-Babtain‘s poems would have never reached the Finnish market because of itsaverage quality. It is only because of Mr. Faruk Abu-Chacra’s personal contact that this projectsaw the light.Usually, the Finnish publishers only publish very successful poets and authors or trust thejudgment of a small number of experts. The chart below shows the Finnish publishers whopublish Arabic books:Publishers translating ArabicOthers32%Basam books13%Kääntöpiire10%Karisto11%WSOY9%Tammi9%Otava4%Kirjapaja4%LIKE-Publishers8%© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

NUMBER OF TITLES PUBLISHED YEARLY (1925-2011)YEAR PUBLICATIONS YEAR PUBLICATIONS YEAR PUBLICATIONS1925 1 1988 1 2001 21950 1 1989 3 2003 11957 1 1990 3 2004 11974 1 1992 3 2005 11978 2 1993 2 2006 21979 1 1995 2 2007 41982 1 1996 3 2008 31983 1 1997 1 2009 11986 1 1998 1 2010 11987 1 1999 3 2011 2There was only a slight change in the number of translations from Arabic published yearly inFinland as the chart above shows 23 . Note that yearly publication started only from 2003onwards.PERCENTAGE OF ARABIC TRANSLATION COMPARED TO OTHER LANGUAGESThe center of statistics contacted during the collection of data for the present research saysthat no statistics are available. Hence, it is difficult to give a precise percentage.STATUS OF TRANSLATORSAll the translators related to this study have more than one profession. Those who translatefor a living translate from several languages or translate also different documents. Until thenineties, most translations were made via a bridge language. Most of the direct translationsfrom Arabic into Finnish are made by academic people 24 for whom the translation is more ofa passion than a source of economical income. However, this poorly paid profession makesit difficult for professional translators not to give it up. Many translators interviewed for this23 Both direct and indirect translations are included in this chart.24 Prof. Jussi Aro, Prof. Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, and Marko Juntunen.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

esearch agreed that they gave up translation work completely or refused some titlesbecause of economical reasons.However, translators are respected in Finland and are encouraged almost the same way asresearchers. This is seen through the different seminars, events and grants designed to helpthe translators carry out their work.In Finland, the translator‘s name is usually written inside the book—not on its cover. Someof Professor Hämeen-Anttila‘s translations are an exception to this practice.REMUNERATION OF TRANSLATIONThe remuneration of translators in Finland varies depending on the work, the reputation ofthe translator, and the publisher‘s financial means. The translators interviewed for thisresearch spoke of wages ranging between 0.5 to 20 Euros a page. Some of them havesucceeded in obtaining translation grants from associations or organizations supportingculture—others were less lucky.GRANTSThe Finnish Literature Exchange — FILIThe most important source of financial, educational and cultural support for translators isthe Finnish Literature Exchange—FILI. FILI promotes interest in Finnish literature abroad bysupporting its translation and publication. FILI was founded in 1977 and is part of the FinnishLiterature Society, which has operated since 1831. FILI awards annually translation andpublication grants; organizes a translator-in-residence programme at Suomenlinna(Sveaborg) in Helsinki; organizes translator seminars; runs an internship scheme for youngtranslators; offers a virtual community for translators of Finnish literature; provides literaryinstitutions, festivals, universities and publishers subsidies towards the travel costs ofauthors taking part in literary programmes or promotional activities in connection withtranslated works; cooperates with foreign publishers, book fairs and literary institutes inorganizing occasional major literary events abroad presenting Finnish authors and their© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

work; invites foreign publishers to Finland to introduce them to the literary scene; maintainsa unique database of translations of Finnish literature; publishes the online literary journalBooks from Finland, which was established since 1967 and has been online since 2009 .FILI awards translators travel grants to cover the costs of work or study trips. As far asforeign publishers are concerned, FILI awards them grants for translation and printing. Theymay apply for a grant for the translation of Finnish, Finland-Swedish and Sámi literature intoother languages. Funding is awarded primarily for the translation of Finnish literature, thougha number of grants are awarded for the translation of works of non-fiction dealing withaspects of Finnish culture.Publishers may apply for grants to cover translation expenses for works which have beenpublished in Finland and translated directly from Finnish, Swedish or Sámi into otherlanguages. Translation grants are not applicable to scientific or academic publications,dissertations, textbooks or dictionaries. The grants are awarded with the stipulation thatthe translator has professional experience and is a native of the target language.The annual deadlines for grant applications are 1st April and 1st November each year. Theapplication must be accompanied by a copy of the signed contract between the foreignpublisher and the Finnish copyright holder and a copy of the signed contract between theforeign publisher and the translator.Translation grants are paid when the publisher has delivered five copies of the finishedpublication to FILI. Furthermore, the translated book must include mention of the grantawarded by FILI.FILI offers the translators grants for translations, sample translations, and travelling to thecountries where the translator‘s main language is spoken. It also organizes different seminarsand helps forming and maintaining contacts with editors. FILI also organizes, together withthe ministry of Culture, the state prize of translation awarded every year to a translationfrom Finnish into one of the world‘s languages.FILI offers five different forms of funding. Foreign publishers may apply for funding for thetranslation of Finnish literature into other languages. Finnish publishers are awarded fundingfor the translation into Finnish and Swedish. In addition to this, foreign publishers may applyfor funding to help with the costs of printing Finnish comics and children‘s picture books intranslation. Moreover, foreign translators may apply to FILI for sample translation grants.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

Sample translation grants are also awarded to foreign and Finnish publishers 25 . Translators ofFinnish literature may also apply for travel grants to cover the costs of a work or study trip.The Finnish Institute in DamascusThe Finnish Institute in Damascus gives grants for students to study Arabic in addition togrants for translators and researchers to carry out translations or to travel to the MiddleEast. These grants are awarded yearly but they are usually quite modest.There are other sources of financial support for translators in Finland such as the KONEfoundation 26 , Wihuri foundation 27 , the Finnish Cultural foundation 28 , Alfred Kordelin Foundation, andthe Finnish Educational Fund 29 .Kone Foundation provides funding for Finnish non-fiction writing and translations from or intoFinnish. Non-fiction grants are intended to support non-fiction writing and translation in thehumanities, the social sciences and environmental research. The aim is to support efforts tomake research in these fields as accessible as possible to the general public. The grants areawarded based on the importance of the titles chosen for translation. Kone Foundationprovides funding mainly for research. Hence, the number of translation grants per year isusually limited.Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation promotes cultural and economic development in Finland.The Foundation fulfills its purpose by distributing grants and awards and otherwise by givingfinancial aid to activities, thus furthering the cultural and economic life of the country. LikeKone Foundation, Wihuri awards grants for translation works which the board regardsimportant or significant.The Finnish Cultural Foundation (SKR) awards grants to individuals, working groups andorganizations in the arts, science and various fields of cultural life through its Central Fundand 17 regional funds. Traditionally, SKR has awarded translation grants for importantliterary works.25 www.finlit.fi/fili/en/tuet/index.html last visited 11.11.201126www.koneensaatio.fi last visited 10.11.201127www.wihuri.fi last visited 10.11.201128www.skr.fi last visited 10.11.201129www.sivistysrahasto.com last visited 10.11.2011© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

Alfred Kordelin Foundation primarily supports the translation of foreign language literatureinto Finnish, but also provides some financial assistance for the translation of Finnishliterature into other languages.The board of the above mentioned foundations is formed of professors, scientists, artists,writers, and economics. Because these foundation are established to serve more generalobjectives than the translation of Finnish literature, they only award a few number oftranslation grants yearly.RESIDENCIESThe Finnish Institute in Damascus offers translators and researchers a residency opportunityin Damascus. The duration of the residency depends on the availability of rooms at theinstitute and on the duration applied for. Applicants send their applications to the instituteanytime of the year. It has been fairly easy to get this residency. It should be noted,however, that the institute has temporarily moved to Amman, Jordan because of the unrestin Syria 30 .In addition to the grants it offers, the KONE foundation 31 offers a residency program, whichallows researchers—but sometimes also translators to retreat and work in a beautifulmansion in Western Finland. Interested applicants can apply for a 2-month stay at theresidence 32 .PRIZESAbout 50% of the books published in Finland are translations.Translation is a very important and respected activity. Likewise, thetranslators are appreciated as seen through the different translationprizes in the country:30 The institute moved to Amman, Jordan. The institute would probably resume the residencyprogram once the situation is settled down.31 www.koneensaatio.fi 11.11.201132 www.koneensaatio.fi/en/manor/presentation/ 11.11.2011© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

Mikael Agricola PrizeThe prize, worth 5 050 Euros, has been awarded yearly since 1958 by the FinnishAssociation of Translators and Interpreters (SKTL). It is awarded simultaneously with the J.A.Hollo Prize. No translation from Arabic has been awarded this prize.J.A. HOLLO PrizeThe prize, worth 5 050 Euros, has been awarded yearly since 1991 by the FinnishAssociation of Translators and Interpreters (SKTL). It is awarded simultaneously with theMikael Agricola Prize. No translation from Arabic has been awarded this prize.KÄÄNTÄJÄPALKINTO (The Translator Award)The prize, worth 2.000 to 5.000 Euros, is awarded by the Kalevi and Irene Sorsa Fund onceevery three years. No translation from Arabic has been awarded this prize.KÄÄNTÄJÄKARHU Prize of translationThe Finnish radio (Yleisradia) has awarded Kääntäjäkarhu-prize of translation for the bestliterary translation of the year. The prize, worth 1750 Euros, has been awarded almostyearly since 1994. No translation from Arabic has been awarded this prize.THE FINNISH ASSOCIATION OF TRANSLATORSThe Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters–known in Finland as SKTL, anabbreviation derived from the Association‘s name in Finnish, is a professional organizationfounded in 1955. The Association‘s objectives include: to advance the professional interestsof translators and interpreters; to promote national and international co-operation withinthe sector; to foster the education and training of translators and interpreters, therebycontributing to improved quality within the sector; and to promote compliance withinternational recommendations concerning translation and interpreting. 33The Association has some 1,800 members, grouped into five sections:• Literature translators33 www.sktl.fi 11.11.2011© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

• Document translators• AV translators• Interpreters• Teachers and researchersThe association issues a monthly paper called Kääntäjä-översättaren. The publication has beenpublished without a break since 1970. It is currently released ten times a year, in issues eightor twelve pages long.The association awards four translation prizes. The first prize is designed to encourageliterary translation into Finnish; the second encourage non-fiction translations into Finnish;the third is related to interpretation and the fourth to the spirit of customer service.QUALITY AND CRITICAL RECEPTION OF TRANSLATIONThe translation quality in Finland is very high. However, there are no verificationmechanisms available to measure quality. Usually editors send the translated texts to aspecialist in the subject of the book when possible. Some editors compare the translatedwork with another European translation as an attempt to verify quality.There are no specialized journals for literary reviews of translated works until now.However, the daily newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat 34 , publishes articles discussing newlytranslated works—usually more as a product than as a translation.The translation of the Qur‘ān might be the only case about which there were somediscussions in different internet forums. This is mainly because some Muslims think that onlya Muslim should translate the Qur‘ān.ACCESS TO INTELLECTUAL PRODUCTION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGESIntellectual production in foreign languages has always been available in university and publiclibraries. As for Arab and Islamic studies, the only available library is located in Helsinki. The34 www.hs.fi Last visited 14.11.11© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

main range at the university library collection is devoted to classical production—classicalArabic and Islamic culture.The city library on the other hand is mainly devoted to modern and contemporary Arabicculture. Unfortunately, the books are chosen rather randomly. Some are bought based onthe request of readers, some just happen to reach the library somehow and some aretranslations into Arabic from other languages.It is fairly easy to request new acquisitions and usually the library is keen to get new andinteresting books yearly. The city library of Helsinki cosmopolitan area has 2237 books inArabic ranging from Children‘s literature to Fiction and science 35 .TRANSLATION RELATED LITERARY MAGAZINESSome cultural magazines—such as Kulttuurivihkot 36 , Hermeetikko 37 , Kääntäjä-översättaren, andStudia Orientalia publish translations from different languages. Some appear in culturalmagazines. For example, Dr. Marko Juntunen has translated a short story by the Iraqi writerHassan Blasim. The short story appeared in Finnish as Carlos Fuentesin painajaiset in theKultturivihkot magazine 38 .AVAILABILITY OF TRANSLATIONSIt is very easy to find translations from Arabic in all Finnish bookshops and libraries. City andnational libraries are very well provided. The fact that the main Arabic translators arefamous figures in the country contributes in the good circulation of their translations. Therich network of public libraries in Finland plays a vital role, firstly on the commercial side –libraries represent significant sales for publishers – but also in terms of availability of thebooks.35 An interview of the librarian Ms Eliisa Puolimatka in 1.9.2011 from the Pasila city library, Helsinki.36 www.kulttuurivihkot.fi last visited 11.11.201137 www.hermeetikko.net last visited 11.11.201138 Hassan Blasim, Carlos Fuentesin painajaiset, kulttuurivihkot, 1/2010 translated by MarkoJuntunen pp. 52-55.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

CENSORSHIP AND SELF-CENSORSHIPIt seems that translators do not censor their works, nor are they censored by publishers.SALE AND REPRINTSMany Arabic translations have been reprinted—some more than once. Reprints have beenbrought out both by minor and major publishing houses. Gibran Khalil‘s The Prophet forexample, which has been published by three different editors, was reprinted nineteen times.This makes it the most reprinted book translated from Arabic in the country—even morethan the Qur‘ān.DECISION-MAKINGPublishing houses have different criteria in choosing works for translations; the majorpublishers follow the international book market trends, focusing on the literary prizes andawards, success gained in other countries or mass media interest. Mahfouz‘s works forexample were translated only after the writer won the Nobel Prize. Likewise, al-Aswani‘s‗Yaqubian Building’ and al-Sanea‘s ‗The girls of Riyad‘ made it to the Finnish market thanks tothe success they achieved elsewhere in Europe.Some publishers choose books, which go with their political or ideological line. El Saadawi‘sbooks for instance were published by Kääntöpiiri, an editor promoting Feminist literature.No other publisher has translated El Saadawi.Moreover, Scholars play a key role in decision-making. The main criterion is the literaryquality of the works and their role in Arabic literature. Professor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila hasbeen collaborating with several publishers and his judgment is widely respected amongstpublishers. His fame as a key cultural figure makes of him a great authority in Arabic andIslamic studies. His titles have no problems in finding their way to the publishers and thereaders.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

In some cases, a book makes it to the Finnish reader as a result of someone‘s personalefforts. Mr. Faruk Abu-Chacra, a very active Lecturer Emeritus in Arabic has contributed a lotin introducing Finnish literature to the Arab audience. Mr. Abu-Chacra does not translatehimself into Finnish but it is thanks to him that Souad Al-sabah‘s 39 and al-Babtain‘s 40 poemswere translated. He also translated books about Finland from English into Arabic. Mr. Abu-Chacra has excellent connections in the Middle East, without which many books might haveremained unpublished. Mr. Abu-Chacra‘s books are available only at the Alexandria library,Egypt.REPRESENTATIONThe books translated from Arabic and those dealing with the Middle East in general are verywell presented in Finland. The fact that most translators are famous people or even keyfigures in the Finnish society adds to the position of their products.The clearest tendency in iconography is the use of Orientalist imagery except for a case ortwo.39 ( ) Fi al-bad'i kānati al-unthā was translated into Finnish as ‘Alussa oli nainen’.40 Selected poems from ( ) and ( ) were translated into Finnish as ‘Runotvalikoitu kokoelmista Bawh l-Bawadi ja Musafir fi l-Qifar’.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

COPYRIGHTCopyrights of the Arab titles translated into Finnish were bought from their respectiveowners. Finnish publishers have negotiated the rights and the rates of every case separately.On the other hand, translations of classical works do not need acquisition of copyright.TERMINOLOGICAL ISSUESThe first Arabic Finnish dictionary was published only recently in 2008 by the writer of thisresearch. This means that until then translators relied on other language combinations tolook up vocabulary. The absence of such a dictionary for all these many years reflects themarginality of Arabic and must have affected language learning possibilities.CONCLUSIONThere is a clear Finnish interest in the Middle East and its literature. However, and despitethe improvement in both the quality and the quantity of the translations, the books translatedfrom Arabic into Finnish remain scarce. Even titles, which succeeded elsewhere in Europeremain absent from the Finnish market. For example, Edward W. Said‘s book ‗Orientalism’was translated into Finnish only this year 41 . The country‘s biggest newspaper issued anarticle about its arrival to the Finnish market saying, ―Understanding the East started from thisbook: Edward W. Said’s book Orientalism is published in Finnish with over three decades ofdelay‖ 42 .Best sellers such as Khaled al Khamissi‘s Taxi (Cairo 2007), Ghada Abdel Aal‘s Ayza Atgawwiz(Cairo 2007) have not reached the Finnish reader yet. Likewise, many major Arab authorslike Youssef Idris, Tayeb Salih, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, Abdel-Wahab al-Bayati, Mohamed Arkoun,41 Orientalismi, Edward W. Said, translated by Kati Pitkänen, Helsinki : Gaudeamus University Press,2011.42 www.hs.fi/kirjat/artikkeli/T%C3%A4st%C3%A4+kirjasta+alkoi++id%C3%A4n+ymm%C3%A4rt%C3%A4minen/HS20110608SI1KU01y08 last visited 11.11.2011© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

Gamal al-Ghitany and poets such as Mahmoud Darwish, remain un-translated into Finnishalthough they have been translated to many European languages.The Arab theatre is totally absent from the Finnish market. Even Tawfiq al-Hakim’s worksare still not translated. ‗Bethlehem‘, an unknown play written by an unknown writer wasmiraculously translated into Finnish—and exclusively into Finnish. However, Mr. SahbanMroueh wrote and translated a large number of plays for the Finnish national radio and TV inthe 1970s and 1980s. These plays, which were then presented as radio plays, remain nowonly in the archive of the national radio.There is one translation forthcoming this year. Hassan Blasim’s collection of short storiesfinally found its way to the Finnish editor OTAVA after his great success in Britain. SampsaPeltonen is translating Hassan Blasim‘s collection of short stories, ―Madman of FreedomSquare‖ 43 from Arabic at the moment. 44The major challenge in Finland is the Orientalist way of looking at the Arabic culture. Manymore efforts should be made to establish a bigger interest in Arabic literature, change theexisting stereotypes, and create a better knowledge of the Arabic culture.43 Hassan Blasim, Madman of Freedom Square, Comma Press, 200944 Based on an email discussion with Hassan Blasim on 27.8.11 and an interview of Sampsa Peltonenon 11.11.11.© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011

BIBLIOGRAPHYPentti Aalto, (1971), Oriental Studies in Finland 1828-1918. The History of Learning and Sciencein Finland 1828-1918. Vol. 10b. Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica.Kaj Öhrnberg, (1993), ―Arab and Islamic Studies in Finland,‖ in Nils G. Holm, ed., TeachingIslam in Finland. Religionsvetenskapliga skrifter (Åbo: Åbo Akademi) 21: 19-43.Heikki Palva, (2001), ―Arab Studies in Finland since the Seventeenth Century,‖ Proceedingsof the Finnish Institute in the Middle East 1. Vantaa: The Finnish Institute in the Middle East.Tuula Sakaranaho, (2003), « Des déserts d‘Arabie aux faubourgs d‘Helsinki »,française 33: 271-279.EthnologieSanna Aro, and Raija Mattila, (2007), ―Assyriological Studies in Finland‖, Proceedings of theFinnish Institute in the Middle East 1. Vantaa: The Finnish Institute in the Middle East.Yasmina JERRAISSATI, « La littérature arabe sur la scène internationale », L‘Orientlittéraire, Numéro 63, 2011© Transeuropéennes, Paris & Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria - 2011