Sana’a University’s Faculty of Languages Hosts Competitive Translation Workshop in Humanitarian Contexts

Sana’a – Monday, 29 December 2025

Department of Translation at the Faculty of Languages, Sana’a University, held a specialized academic competition focused on Translation in Humanitarian Contexts. The event, organized for third-year students, was held under the patronage of the Head of the Translation Department, Prof. Mujeeb Qasim, and supervised by course instructor Prof. Ibraheem Tagaddeen.

Opening the event, Prof. Mujeeb Qasim praised the high level of organization and highlighted the vital role such activities play in honing students’ practical skills. He emphasized that these competitions are essential for bridging the gap between academic theory and professional application, particularly in the nuanced field of humanitarian translation. The initiative aimed to raise awareness of humanitarian issues and enhance students’ precision when handling sensitive terminology and texts.

The competition was structured into four distinct phases designed to test a broad spectrum of cognitive and linguistic abilities:

Phase 1: Terminology & Abbreviations: It was focused on the accurate translation of specialized humanitarian terms and the acronyms of international NGOs.
Phase 2: Theoretical Knowledge: It included multiple-choice questions and gap-fill exercises to assess students’ grasp of core course concepts.
Phase 3: Interactive Problem Solving: It utilized a “word-discovery” game format to test students’ linguistic intuition and speed under pressure.
Phase 4: Applied Translation: The final and most demanding stage, involved error correction in flawed translations, sentence-level rendering, idiomatic expressions, and full-text translation.

The competition followed a knockout format, culminating in a final round between three top-performing students. The event concluded with an awards ceremony where winners were presented with symbolic prizes in recognition of their academic excellence.

Reflecting on the event, Prof. Ibraheem Tagaddeen expressed his pride in the participants’ performance. “The students demonstrated a remarkable ability to employ complex translation strategies, reflecting a deep understanding of the curriculum,” he noted.

Beyond the competition, the day fostered a spirit of positive engagement and underscored the pivotal role of translation in ensuring effective communication during global crises and humanitarian interventions.