Translation as a Tool for Transformation in Saudi Arabia

In 2021, the LPTC launched the Tarjem initiative, which established meaningful links between translation, publishing, and the wider knowledge economy. Its ambition extended beyond increasing the number of translated works, as it sought to build a sustainable pathway for translation that balances quality, diversity, and cultural impact.

In the same year, the LPTC launched its International Translation Forum. What began as a local event in Riyadh has since evolved into a global platform for professional reflection, addressing future-oriented questions related to technology, ethics, and the changing conditions that shape contemporary translation practice.

While the Saudi government was setting strategic direction, the private sector was responding at a different pace, driven by immediacy and shaped by context. Mega projects, international events, and an unprecedented flow of economic, cultural, and tourism activity transformed translation into an operational necessity rather than a supplementary service. In this environment, “translation” evolved to include services that help manage multilingualism in all its complexity: simultaneous interpretation, experience localization, audiovisual translation, creative adaptation, integration of artificial intelligence, and much more.

Amid this rapid expansion, a critical need became increasingly apparent, one that could not be fully addressed by the market or government alone. This need centered on protecting the profession, defining its identity, and regulating its standards. This led to the creation of the Saudi Arabia Translation Association (SATA), a professional body representing translators and advocating for their interests. SATA strives to cultivate an inclusive professional space dedicated to empowering practitioners, developing career pathways, promoting standards and ethical awareness, and anchoring translation practice within its cultural and human dimensions.

What ultimately distinguishes the Saudi translation experience is its refusal to present itself as a finished or idealized model. There is a shared recognition that the sector remains in formation, and that balance among the government, the private market, and the professional community is an ongoing process rather than a fixed outcome. Saudi Arabia sets direction and builds enabling frameworks; the market tests capacity and reveals demand; and professional associations safeguard values and professional integrity. Through this convergence, translation becomes a long-term cultural investment — concerned not with how much we translate but with how we translate, why we translate, and for whom. In this sense, translation becomes a tool of not only intercultural communication, but also national transformation.