Emilio García Gómez annual conference
Amman, November 28, 2019– Under the patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal, the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, the Embassy of Spain and the Cervantes Institute in Amman organized a conference in collaboration with the Arab Thought Forum on ” Translation of Arabic Poetry: Mahmoud Darwish”. The event was held within the framework of the annual Emilio García Gómez conference and was conducted by María Luz Gómez, translator and professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Autonomous University of Madrid.
The conference aimed to emphasize the importance of Arab poetry in Spain and its close ties with the intellectual history of modern Spain. In his speech, the Director of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, Michel Hamarneh, stressed the importance of recognizing the common artistic and scientific history along with other aspects that enrich human interaction between countries and masses and contribute to the establishment of understanding and peace.
The Ambassador of Spain, Aránzazu Bañón Dávalos, accentuated the importance of cultural diversity, as well as Spanish-Arab relations in various fields and the growing development of cultural relations between Spain and Jordan.
Dr. María Gómez presented the translation of Arabic poetry by the Spanish Arabist and writer Emilio García Gómez and spoke about her experience with the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, which according to her, it is closely connected to translation. She also addressed the challenges translators face in modern Arabic poetry regarding title translation, metaphors, symbols, and how translators approximate the Arabic language.