Tangerang Selatan, FAH Online News – The Faculty of Adab and Humanities (FAH) at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta held a workshop on translating Danarto’s short stories into Arabic on Monday, June 30, 2025. The event, held in the 2nd Floor Meeting Room of FAH, was a collaboration between FAH, the Indonesian Literary Scholars Association (HISKI) UIN Jakarta Chapter, and the Danarto DKK community as the main initiator of the translation project.

Running from 09:00 to 15:00 WIB, the event involved two study programs, Arabic Language and Literature, and English Literature, as part of the campus’ internationalization efforts through literature and cultural diplomacy.

The event began with a welcome speech by the Head of HISKI UIN Jakarta Chapter, Dr. Ahmad Bahtiar, M.Hum. In his remarks, he emphasized that collaboration between HISKI and Danarto DKK has actually been ongoing for the past few years, although not yet formalized through a written agreement.

"Through this collaboration, we hope that in the future, the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training as well as the Faculty of Adab and Humanities can develop more joint programs with Danarto DKK and HISKI," he stated.

The next speech was delivered by the Vice Dean II of the Faculty of Adab and Humanities, Dr. Siti Amsariah, M.Ag., who highlighted the importance of understanding the essence of translating literary works.

"Dear translators, translation is not just about language transfer, but also about translating ideologies, thoughts, cultures, and the like. So that when readers read the translation, they become immersed and emotionally engaged with the conveyed messages," she explained.

In the main session, the Danarto DKK team opened the workshop by presenting the long journey of disseminating Danarto's thoughts through short stories. Rachel, one of the Danarto DKK representatives, emphasized the uniqueness of translating Danarto’s stories into Arabic, particularly because of the themes related to the Palestinian issue.

"Translating Danarto’s stories into Arabic is quite different. We know the story we are translating today talks a lot about Palestine, which continues to be colonized, and Palestine is part of the Arab world. That makes the Arabic language assume a unique position in translating Danarto’s work," she said.

Following the presentation, participants engaged in a practical session translating four of Danarto’s short stories into Arabic. This session was led by students of the Arabic Language and Literature program: Muhammad Zaid, Yus Ramadhani, Jasmiko, and Firyal Nafisah. The translations were read aloud, corrected, and discussed interactively with the audience.

Also present at the event were Rosida Erowati, M.Hum., Head of the HISKI Translation Program Team, and Deputy Head Dr. Cahya Buana, M.A. In addition, HISKI-affiliated lecturers from the Indonesian Language and Literature Education Program, Arabic Language and Literature, English Literature, as well as the Head of the Arabic Language and Literature Study Program at UIN Jakarta also attended the event.

The event concluded with an initial discussion on the plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Faculty of Adab and Humanities and Danarto DKK. This MoU is intended to serve as an official foundation for strengthening collaboration in translation, literary research, and the development of cross-language cultural studies.

By holding this workshop, FAH UIN Jakarta once again affirms its commitment as a pioneer in cultural diplomacy and in promoting Indonesian literature internationally, particularly to the Arab world.

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