Nurbalqis recognised by Turkiye as professional Malay-Turkish translator

By Maizatul Jamny Muhammad Rosli

KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 (Bernama) -- A deep interest in mastering the field of language is the prime motivation for Nurbalqis Abdul Rashid, a second-year student majoring in Turkish-Arabic Interpretation and Translation at Seljuk University, Turkiye, to break new ground today.

Nurbalqis, 23, recently made national history when she became the first professional Malay-Turkiye translator to be accorded recognition by the Turkish government.

According to the Rawang lass, she had to go through a rigorous two-hour interview process, including oral and written tests, before receiving the recognition.

"I feel this is a splendid start for me to work harder to become a more accomplished translator as a token of gratitude to my mother and father who persevered to give me the best education possible," she said when contacted by Bernama today.

Sharing her success story, Nurbalqis said the seeds of her passion for language were sown since kindergarten apart from the unwavering support from her family to delve into the field.

After graduating from Kuala Kubu Bharu Religious High School in Selangor, she continued her studies for two years in Sudan to study Arabic before moving to Turkiye.

"I also used to teach the Turkish language under the auspices of the Selangor Public Library, translated books from Turkish to Malay and worked part-time in Turkiye with the aim of improving my Turkish language," she disclosed.

In concluding the interview, she hoped that more international works could be translated into the mother tongue in the future.

"... it is our duty and responsibility as Malaysians to uphold the national language that we love," she stated.

Apart from Malay, Nurbalqis is also recognised as an authority to translate Turkish into English, Indonesian and Arabic and vice-versa.

-- BERNAMA