In brief
At a UNESCO‑sponsored virtual event on Nov. 5, 2026, scholars discussed using AI to translate the Najdi dialect. They stressed that technology must also preserve cultural meaning, balancing efficiency with identity preservation. Experts said translation is now a four‑dimensional field—language, culture, technology, and ethics—all must be considered.
On November 5, 2026 a virtual lecture in Riyadh highlighted how artificial‑intelligence (AI) can help translate the Najdi dialect while keeping its cultural meaning intact. The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS), under UNESCO’s Translating Cultures programme, hosted the event with support from the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission.
Dr Dana Al‑Suhaim, an associate professor at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, delivered the main talk. She explained that "local dialects are not inferior forms of Modern Standard Arabic but living repositories of identity and cultural and social memory." She urged translators to consider more than literal meaning when turning expressions into another language.
"Translation is no longer merely the transfer of texts between languages but has become a field where linguistic, cultural, technological, and ethical dimensions intersect," said Dr Moneera Al‑Ghadeer, UNESCO Chair in Translating Cultures.
The session also examined how modern language models can identify the social and cultural contexts that locate each phrase. The speakers noted that AI can speed up the process, but that humans must still review the output to preserve the dialect’s emotional and everyday nuance.
Moderated by Dr Arwa Al‑Mubaddal of King Saud University’s College of Language Sciences, the discussion closed with an emphasis on re‑assessing translation practice. All participants agreed that the goal is to use technology without eroding the dialect’s identity, ensuring that Najdi culture continues to be shared accurately across languages.
