For Egyptian translator and scholar Yahya Mokhtar, Chinese began as a university subject. It later became a seven-year journey in China, leading to more than 30 translations, major awards and a career connecting Egyptian and Chinese cultures.
Egyptian scholar and translator Dr. Yahya Mokhtar, who teaches Chinese literature and translation at Suez University, has translated more than 30 Chinese literary, academic and cultural works into Arabic. (Photo/Ayman El-Kady, Bridging News Cairo Bureau)
Cairo - When Yahya Mokhtar first enrolled in the Chinese language department at university, he was beginning what seemed like a conventional academic journey: four years of studying a language that was geographically distant, linguistically unfamiliar and culturally very different from his own.
He did not know then that Chinese would eventually take him far beyond the classroom.
It would take him to Beijing, where he would spend seven years pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, introduce him to a rapidly transforming China, and eventually turn him into an academic and translator whose work has carried Chinese literature and culture into the Arabic-speaking world.
Today, Mokhtar teaches Chinese literature and translation at Suez University and works as a translator of Chinese literary, academic and cultural works.
Over the years, he has translated more than 30 works from Chinese into Arabic and received recognition in both Egypt and China for his work.
But for Mokhtar, the journey began with a decision to go further than simply learning the language.
“I started my relationship with the Chinese language during university, when I joined the Chinese language department,” Mokhtar told Bridging News.
He studied Chinese in Egypt for four years before deciding that university classes alone would not be enough.
He began studying independently, preparing for the HSK, the standardized Chinese language proficiency examination.
After eventually achieving the highest level, he earned a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree at Beijing Language and Culture University, one of the world’s best-known institutions for the study of Chinese language and culture.
The master’s degree opened another door. While studying in Beijing, Mokhtar succeeded in securing another scholarship for a doctoral degree, allowing him to complete both degrees in China.
In total, he spent seven years there. Those years were more than an academic experience. From around 2010 to 2017 or 2018, Mokhtar witnessed China undergo rapid economic, technological and social change.
“I witnessed with my own eyes the enormous economic development taking place in China,” he said.
He also saw what he described as the commitment and attention to detail in everyday life. For the young Egyptian student, China became more than a subject to study; it became a society he could observe from within.
Mokhtar’s memories of China extend beyond universities and classrooms.
As a foreign student, he received extensive support with administrative procedures, academic matters and personal challenges.
“We found all kinds of support and assistance from the Chinese people,” he said, adding that the experience left a lasting impression on him.
That experience continued to shape how he viewed China after returning to Egypt and influenced his approach to his work.
Mokhtar did not study Chinese culture from a distance. He lived in China, learned the language, studied its literature and witnessed the country’s rapid transformation—experiences that later became central to his work as a translator.
Today, Mokhtar is a lecturer in Chinese literature and translation at Suez University, while also working as a translator of literary, academic and cultural works.
His translations have covered novels, poetry, studies and reference works, including Beijing Beijing, The Black Horse, River of Time, 1942, Meeting in Beijing, China at the Forefront, The Chinese Islamic Encyclopedia and works examining the cultural and economic dimensions of the Belt and Road Initiative.
He has also participated in cultural exchanges between Egyptian and Chinese writers and intellectuals, as well as conferences and workshops involving literary figures from both countries.
His work has extended beyond written translation. He has participated in interpretation and joint cultural activities and previously taught Arabic at Beijing Language and Culture University.
Among the Chinese literary figures with whom he has crossed paths is Nobel laureate Mo Yan. His achievements have brought recognition from both sides.
He has also received several honors in China, including the Wang Zengqi Literary Writing Award and recognition from the China Scholarship Council.
In Egypt, he won the Best Translated Book Award at the 2022 Cairo International Book Fair for his translation of the encyclopedia Economies of the Belt and Road Countries and Regions. The award was presented by Egypt’s Ministry of Culture and National Center for Translation.
He has also been recognized in China for his contributions to books and literary exchange. Yet his awards and publications tell only part of the story. The deeper challenge lies in what happens between the two languages.
Egyptian translator Yahya Mokhtar, left, meets renowned Chinese writer Alai. They are pictured with Alai’s novel The Dust Settles. (Photo/Ayman El-Kady, Bridging News Cairo Bureau)
For an Arabic translator, Chinese is difficult for reasons that go far beyond its thousands of characters and tonal pronunciation.
Mokhtar says the greater challenge lies in the history, culture and meaning embedded in the language. Proverbs, idioms and cultural references often cannot be translated word for word into Arabic.
“There are many people who master a language but do not master translation,” he said.
For Mokhtar, translation is an art built through study and practice. Translators must work across journalistic, political, scientific, economic, legal and literary texts before reaching a professional level.
Literature is especially demanding. The translator must carry more than information between languages, preserving the original work’s atmosphere, rhythm, cultural references and emotional meaning.
Mokhtar tends to avoid works with highly complex historical and cultural backgrounds. Heavy with local references, historical events and ancient philosophies, they can be difficult for readers unfamiliar with that context. Adding too many explanatory notes, he says, can weaken the spirit of literary translation.
He prefers short novels and novellas, describing them as complete, satisfying meals that are easier and quicker to digest. There is also a practical reason: Chinese works often become significantly longer in Arabic, making an already lengthy novel even more daunting.
For Mokhtar, a translator must consider not only the original author, but also the reader discovering that author in another language.
A published profile of Egyptian translator Yahya Mokhtar presents his work promoting literary exchange between China and the Arab world, alongside several Chinese books he has translated into Arabic. (Photo/Ayman El-Kady, Bridging News Cairo Bureau)
A finished translation begins with work that closely resembles a writer’s. Before starting a project, Mokhtar researches the author’s life, style and reputation, reads reviews and academic studies, and, most importantly, finishes the entire book.
Then he prepares his tools: a computer, dictionaries, reference materials and a quiet workspace. Unlike many translators, he starts early.
“I like to work in the early morning,” he said.
Mokhtar also sets a daily target and makes sure he meets it. The routine underscores a central truth about translation: language skills alone are not enough. Recreating a book requires discipline and a deep understanding of the original text.
Mokhtar’s work now extends beyond translation. He researches Chinese literature, teaches students in Egypt and participates in exchanges between Egyptian and Chinese writers and intellectuals.
He sees this work as essential to bilateral relations. Political and economic ties may provide the framework, but cultural exchange builds familiarity between people. For him, success is measured not only by agreements and investments, but also by how each society views the other.
His journey reflects that idea. He began as an Egyptian student learning Chinese, spent seven years living and studying in China, and returned home to bring Chinese literature to Arabic readers. He has also taught Arabic in China and joined exchanges aimed at bringing the two cultures closer.
His career shows that cultural bridges are often built through the patient work of individuals who learn another language deeply enough to understand the world behind it.
Chinese was once simply Mokhtar’s university subject. Today, it is the foundation of his career—and a bridge between two civilizations.
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