KALIMA

KALIMA (Arabic: كلمة, meaning "word") is a translation and publishing initiative based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. According to its official website, it is an ambitious project affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, launched in 2007 by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. Its stated purpose is to revive the translation movement in the Arab world and to support the active cultural dynamism in Abu Dhabi, contributing to the regional and international cultural landscape. The initiative aims to establish an Arab scientific and cultural renaissance encompassing the various branches of human knowledge, with the book as its cornerstone and foundation, alongside organizing events and activities related to translation. KALIMA operates as a state-backed cultural and publishing brand rather than a conventional commercial retailer. Its core activity is the selection, translation, publication and distribution of works from world languages into Arabic, spanning literature, the humanities, science and other fields of knowledge. By commissioning translations and producing printed books, the initiative seeks to expand the Arabic-language reading public's access to global thought and to strengthen the infrastructure of translation as a profession in the region. Beyond publishing, KALIMA is associated with events and activities connected to translation, reflecting its broader mandate to animate cultural exchange. It sits within the institutional framework of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, which oversees Arabic-language promotion and related cultural programmes in the emirate. This affiliation gives the brand a public, non-profit character and ties its output to Abu Dhabi's cultural strategy. The brand's identity is closely linked to the Arabic word "kalima" (word), signalling its focus on language, text and the transfer of meaning across languages. Its official web presence at kalima.ae serves as a portal for its catalogue, news and activities. Because it is an initiative rather than a listed company, it does not have shareholders or a stock ticker; its governance and funding derive from its parent cultural institution. In summary, KALIMA is a long-running Abu Dhabi translation initiative that combines publishing, translation commissioning and cultural programming under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, with the aim of enriching Arabic-language knowledge and supporting the region's cultural scene.

KALIMA was launched in 2007 by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to its official website. The initiative was conceived as an ambitious project to revive the translation movement in the Arab world and to support the active cultural dynamism witnessed in Abu Dhabi, so that the emirate could contribute to the regional and international cultural landscape. Its founding vision was to establish an Arab scientific and cultural renaissance covering the various branches of human knowledge, with the book as the cornerstone and foundation, alongside the organization of events and activities connected to translation. The initiative is affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, an institution responsible for promoting the Arabic language and related cultural programmes in Abu Dhabi. This affiliation places KALIMA within a broader public cultural strategy rather than a purely commercial publishing business. Over the years, the brand has become associated with the production of Arabic translations of works from other languages, contributing to the availability of global literature and knowledge in Arabic. Because KALIMA is an initiative rather than a company, its history is tied to its parent institution's programmes and to the cultural calendar of Abu Dhabi. Its activities have included publishing translated books and organizing events and activities related to translation, consistent with its stated mission. The official website at kalima.ae presents the project's background, catalogue and activities, and describes it as an ambitious project of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre. No further dated corporate milestones (such as ownership changes, listings or rebrandings) are documented in the supplied evidence. The available record establishes the founding year, founder, parent institution and core mission, which together define the brand's identity as a long-running Abu Dhabi translation and publishing initiative.

• 2007

  KALIMA is launched by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a translation initiative affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre.

A state-backed Abu Dhabi cultural initiative dedicated to reviving translation into Arabic and enriching the Arab knowledge landscape.

• Translated books into Arabic

  Arabic-language translations of works from various fields of human knowledge, published under the KALIMA initiative.

1. 1KALIMA official websitekalima.ae
2. 2KALIMA on Wikidatawikidata.org