In June 2022, the Board of Directors of the Translators and Interpreters’ Association of Tehran (TIAT) approved the creation of a specialised working group dedicated to the translation of children’s and young adult literature. This group, composed of 11 translators and experts in the field, was tasked with promoting quality translation in these areas.
One of the group’s main initiatives was to organise a literary festival focusing specifically on the translation of young adult literature. Over 150 hours of expert meetings were held to discuss various aspects of the event, and at the initiative of Dr Mohammadreza Arbabi, TIAT President, a new festival named Jumān – meaning ‘pearl’ and an acronym for young adult literature translation prize – was created.
In August 2024, the Jumān Award was officially launched as Iran’s first scientifically oriented prize in the field of young adult literary translation, and a call for submissions was issued.
Within a month, 23 active and well-known publishers submitted works to the festival. Out of 86 books received, 29 titles (27 translated from English and two from Turkish) advanced to the first stage of evaluation.
The evaluation process included three rigorous levels:
- Initial expert review.
- Secondary review by nine judges, who compared 30% of selected texts with their original versions.
- Final evaluation by three judges, who compared the entirety of three shortlisted books with the source texts.
Following this evaluation, the judges announced that Farideh Khorrami’s translation of I Am Minotaur, published by Peydayesh, was to receive the first Jumān Award.
As part of the festival, a tribute was also paid to Razi Hirmandi, a distinguished literary translator, in recognition of his lifetime achievements and contributions to the field. Esteemed scholars including Ali Solhjou and Ahmad Pouri delivered speeches honouring Hirmandi’s work and legacy. A commemorative plaque and badge were presented as a token of appreciation.
Notably, the first Jumān Festival was conducted entirely independently, without external sponsorship. The closing ceremony was held on 16 April 2025 at the House of Humanities Thinkers in Tehran and was attended by a number of scholars, literary figures, and enthusiasts from the translation community.
Dr Shaghayegh Nazarzadeh (TIAT)