Dubai, UAE – The 2026 edition of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2026, running 21–27 January in Dubai, will shine a bold spotlight on the transformative power of translation. In a strategic partnership, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and the Emirates Literature Foundation are launching a dedicated Translation Strand, designed to explore how languages, cultures and stories bridge across borders.

At the heart of this new programme is a thematic focus on Arabic and English, celebrating the journey of stories as they move between tongues and readers. Workshops, panels and conversations will be led by distinguished figures such as Egyptian translator Dai Rahmy, Korean sociologist-translator Dr Karima Kim, and Emirati children’s-book translator Noura Al Khoori. They will be joined by acclaimed authors whose work owes much of its global reach to translation: Hoda Barakat, Saud Al Sanousi, Dr Shahla Ujayli and Soukaina Habibullah. 

“Translation is a powerful act of human connection, opening doors for stories to travel freely and for communities to share knowledge and deepen mutual understanding,” says Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design & Literature Sector at Dubai Culture.
Meanwhile, Ahlam Bolooki of the Emirates Literature Foundation adds: “Translation is at the very heart of our festival this year. It is the bridge that carries Arabic literature to the wider world, while also drawing us closer to the great masterpieces of global literature.” 

The Translation Strand arrives at a significant moment: the festival will also mark the 20-year anniversary of the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, administered by the UK-based Society of Authors, which over two decades has introduced English-speaking readers to many major Arab voices. This milestone will be commemorated with an invite-only event honouring past winners. 

With more than ever the dialogue between languages, cultures and ideas front and centre, the Emirates LitFest 2026 offers a unique moment: not simply to celebrate authors and readers, but to recognize the invisible but indispensable role of the translator — the interpreter of culture, storyteller across differences. For anyone interested in how stories travel and transform, this edition promises to open new horizons.