Translation Festival: Dr. Annuzaili Highlights Translation’s Role in Reshaping Arab Consciousness

Dr. Abdulwadood Annuzaili’s participation at the Fourth Translation Festival included a presentation titled: “Translation between Cultural Hegemony and Intellectual Independence: A Critical Perspective.” He argues that translation is not a neutral linguistic act but a site of ideological negotiation and cultural power, profoundly capable of reshaping Arab consciousness.

Dr. Annuzaili highlights the complex relationship between translation and cultural hegemony, emphasizing that when global concepts—such as moderation, integration, and religious reform—are transferred into Arabic without critical reflection, they risk reproducing Western epistemological dominance and subtly influencing Arab identity and thought according to foreign paradigms. The presentation revealed how these seemingly ordinary terms carry implicit Western philosophical and historical contexts (e.g., linking “religious reform” to secularization or “integration” to cultural assimilation). He added that translation is identified as a tool of soft power that guides values and worldviews without direct coercion.

Dr. Annuzaili concluded that the translator holds the potential for intellectual resistance. By adopting a critical approach and drawing on postcolonial theory, translators can actively reclaim, reinterpret, and recontextualize global concepts within local Arab traditions. This process is essential for preserving cultural specificity and achieving intellectual independence.

In essence, Dr. Annuzaili positions translation as a vital cultural battleground where the conflict between intellectual liberation and cultural domination is waged.