Dubai, Nov 16th, 2007 (WAM): The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation today announced a deal with the Arab Organisation for Translation (AOT), aiming to translate 50 acclaimed publications into Arabic within the duration of one year.

Mohammed Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Foundation, and Dr. Taher Labib, Director of the Arab Organisation for Translation, signed the agreement. The project is the first to be undertaken since the signing of a MoU between the Foundation and the Beirut based organisation to encourage the creation and dissemination of knowledge in the Arab world.

The select books, primarily in English, French and German, include classical masterpieces, as well as a number of titles tackling diverse subjects such as philosophy, psychology, the sciences and economy.

Some of the works to be translated include: 'Republique' by Plato; 'Ethique' by Spinoza; 'Wissenschaft der Logic' by Hegel; 'Novum Organum' by Francis Bacon; 'About Time: Einstein's Unfinished Revolution' by Paul Davies; 'The Sociology of Culture' by Raymond Williams; 'The Rise of Network Society' by M. Castells (three volumes); 'La Reproduction' by Pierre Bourdieu ; '21st Century Economics' by William Halal, and 'Histoire de la Tolerance au Siecle de la Reforme' by Joseph Lecler.

Yasser Hareb, Deputy CEO for Cultural Affairs at Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, said: "The project marks the beginning of a series of initiatives that the Foundation aims to launch to make available diverse sources of knowledge in Arabic while building a cultural bridge between the region and the rest of the world. Translation serves as a vital channel for knowledge transfer and we intend to leverage this medium to equip the region's libraries with books on topical subjects.

"Our strategy will help Arab readers easily acquire information in their mother tongue. We will continue to monitor global intellectual output periodically to identify what is relevant and valuable to our region.", he said.

The Arab Organization for Translation has pledged the highest level of professional accuracy in semantically and syntactically converting these books into Arabic.

Dr. Tahir Labib said: "The tremendous zeal demonstrated by the Foundation to achieve a positive change in the region's cultural and intellectual landscape has motivated us to join hands in this quest for knowledge. Our Organization considers this project a landmark initiative. We look forward to strengthening our cooperation with the Foundation to usher in a golden era of cultural renaissance in the Arab world."The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation was launched early this year with an endowment of Dhs.37 billion (USD10 billion) to develop future leaders and create a knowledge-based society in the region through three key components - Knowledge, Culture and Entrepreneurship.