Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding delegation visits the Brazilian embassy in Doha
On the occasion of the selection of Portuguese as one of the languages of the 13th edition of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding in 2027, and as part of preparations for the Award’s upcoming cultural tour of Brazil in October, a delegation from the Award visited the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Doha, where they were received by H.E. Marcelo Otávio Dantas Loures da Costa, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the State of Qatar.
The Award’s delegation comprised Dr. Mujab Al-Imam, Head of the Translation Department; Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Marri, Media Officer; and members of the media team, Ms. Leyla Mohammed and Mr. Mohamed Eldemiry.
The visit reflects the Award’s commitment to promoting the Portuguese language and fostering translation and cultural exchange between Arabic and Portuguese. Portuguese has been selected for the second time in the Award’s history, following its first selection in 2019, underscoring the importance the Award attaches to the language and to strengthening cultural and intellectual exchange between Arabic- and Portuguese-speaking communities.
During the meeting, the delegation presented the program for the Award’s cultural tour of Brazil, scheduled for 18–24 October 2026. The tour will cover São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and will include a series of visits and meetings with leading universities, cultural institutions, publishing houses, and organisations involved in translation and cultural exchange between Arabic and Portuguese.
Among the highlights of the tour will be academic and cultural meetings in São Paulo, bringing together translators, researchers, and institutions engaged in Arab-Brazilian cultural relations. The delegation will also visit the National Library in Rio de Janeiro, where a seminar will be held to introduce the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding and discuss translation and its role in strengthening cultural exchange between the Arab world and Brazil.
Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Marri, Media Officer at the Award, noted that the selection of Portuguese for the second time reflects the Award’s continued interest in languages and cultures with a rich history of interaction with Arab culture. He said:
“The return of Portuguese as one of the Award’s languages reflects our belief in the importance of building on what was achieved during its previous selection and broadening the horizons of translation and communication between Arabic and Portuguese. We hope that our tour of Brazil will provide an opportunity to engage directly with translators, academics, publishers, and cultural institutions, introduce the Award, and encourage further translation projects that bring the two cultures closer together and open new horizons of knowledge for Arabic- and Portuguese-speaking readers.”
For his part, H.E. Marcelo Otávio Dantas Loures da Costa, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the State of Qatar, welcomed the selection of Portuguese as one of the languages of the Award’s upcoming edition, highlighting the importance of translation in strengthening cultural ties between Brazil and the Arab world.
The upcoming tour forms part of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding’s efforts to engage directly with academic and cultural institutions, translators, and publishers in countries whose languages are selected for its various editions. Through these efforts, the Award seeks to expand its international network, encourage translation from and into Arabic, and strengthen the presence of Arab culture across diverse linguistic and cultural spheres.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Award’s delegation presented H.E. the Ambassador with a copy of the commemorative book published to mark the tenth anniversary of the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding, documenting a decade of the Award’s work and its efforts to support translation and promote understanding and communication between cultures.