SASA Volunteer Arabic Translator Starts MA Degree

Through accessible and engaging history, SASA aims to reignite passions for ancient research. It would not be possible to achieve this goal without the work of our team members. One member of our Outreach Team, Khaled Khalil, who volunteers as an Arabic translator, is starting his Master's program. We got a chance to speak with him about it.

As a member of the Outreach team, Khaled has used his skills in Arabic translation to help bring initiatives and institutions interested in working in Ancient Studies. He also now works as an Arabic translator, translating invitations, parts of the website, and more. Perspective has been a big hurdle when translating ancient studies topics to the Arabic-speaking world. There are differences in things like terminology, which must be accounted for. Defining terminology and helping bridge the gap between academics and initiatives between the Arabic- and non-Arabic-speaking worlds will be vital to improving outreach. His efforts have been essential in increasing outreach to Arabic speaking countries. He helped with virtual conference prep, by providing a live Arabic translation. 

Khaled has an educational background in Architectural Engineering. After graduating, he worked in graphic design studios as a freelance designer and researcher. Other research projects he's participated in include a project with Sonic Spaces that explored how sound can affect every aspect of our lives socially or spatially. 

Now, he's working on his master's in Landscape Architecture at the University of Greenwich in London. He hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the environment and ourselves. He also wants to gain more experience in research, and a greater knowledge of things like sustainability, landscape design, and inclusion. Social infrastructure has not only a social component but a spatial one as well. Khaled is hoping to figure out how integrations or marginalized communities can participate or affect the landscape. Khaled has a chapter coming out in a book that is about how home can in certain contexts turn into a liminal space rather than a cozy place. 

Khaled hopes to one day have his own studio where he can focus on his own projects. He also wants to help make our world a more livable place, including our cities. One day he would like to have a place where people from all backgrounds can participate in helping solve the problems we have across the world. He sees a positive future ahead for the relationship between Ancient Studies and Landscape/Architecture. What was the process in creating a sense of place in ancient studies, how was it dealt with socially and technically? People have for centuries given a lot of meaning to objects and places. As a member of SASA Khaled hopes to explore these by increasing initiatives and helping in research and translation.

We at SASA wish Khaled great success with his Master's program!