Ruth translates into English from Arabic, German and Russian. She has translated or co-translated over 30 books for children and adults. Her published and forthcoming translations are listed below by source language.
Children’s and Young Adult
- Anna Anisimova and Yulia Sidneva, The Invisible Elephant (forthcoming from Restless Books, 2023)
- Amina Hashimi Alawi and Gulnar Hajo, What Can I see? (Editora Trinta Zero Nove, 2022)
- Amina Hashimi Alawi and Maya Fidawi, Alya and the Three Cats (Editora Trinta Zero Nove, 2022)
- Roman Belyaev, How Do Bridges Work? (B Small, 2020)
- Yulia Yakovleva, The Raven’s Children (Puffin Books, 2018) ~ The Times’ Children’s book of the week, July 2018 ~ BookTrust In Other Words honour title, 2017 ~ IBBY honour list 2022
- Kathrin Rohmann, Apple Cake and Baklava (Darf Publishers, 2018)
- Katja Frixe, The Magical Bookshop (OneWorld, 2021)
- Gulnar Hajo, Nour’s Escape (Darf Publishers, 2019)
- Abir Ali and Gulnar Hajo, The Dot (Darf Publishers, 2019)
- Ahlam Bsharat, Trees for the Absentees (co-translation with Sue Copeland, Neem Tree Press, 2019) ~ Shortlisted for the GLLI Translated YA Prize 2020 and for the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize 2020 (crossover YA/adult literary fiction)
- Thomas Bärnthaler, Now Make This (co-translation with Jessica West, Phaidon, 2018)
Adult fiction
Novels
- Jackie Thomae, Brothers (forthcoming from DAS Editions, 2023)
- Yulia Yakovleva, Death of the Red Rider (forthcoming from Pushkin Vertigo, 2023)
- Alida Bremer, Split (forthcoming from Amazon Crossing, 2023)
- Irena Brežná, The Thankless Foreigner (Seagull Books, 2022)
- Yulia Yakovleva, Punishment of a Hunter (Pushkin Vertigo, 2021)
- Ahlam Bsharat, Trees for the Absentees (co-translation with Sue Copeland, Neem Tree Press, 2019) ~ Shortlisted for the GLLI Translated YA Prize 2020 and for the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize 2020 (crossover YA/adult literary fiction)
- Hanna Winter, Sacrifice (Manilla Books, 2016)
- Fadi Zaghmout, The Bride of Amman (Signal 8 Press, 2015)
Short stories
- Eman Abdel Rahim, ‘Two Sisters’ in The Book of Cairo, ed. Raph Cormack (Comma Press, 2019)
- Rania Mamoun, ‘Bird of Paradise’ in Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations, ed. Sarah Cleave (Comma Press, 2018), also published as Banthology: Stories from Banned Nations, ed. Sarah Cleave and Deep Vellum, 2018)
- Basma Abdel Aziz, ‘Bottled Up’ in Index on Censorship: Does anonymity need to be defended? (Index on Censorship, Autumn 2016)
- Anis Arafai, ‘Minouche’ in The Common, Issue 11 Tajdeed: Contemporary Arabic Fiction, 2016
Extracts and sample chapters
- Abbad Yahya, Crime in Ramallah (extract in Words Without Borders, Divided Countries issue, July 2017)
- Habib Abdulrab Sarori, excerpt of The Daughter of Suslov (Banipal 52, 2015)
- Mustafa Khalife, two excerpts of The Shell (The Massachusetts Review: Mediterranean edition, December 2014)
- Laila al-Othman, The Abaya of al-Kadhim (Banipal 47, 2013)
- Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, excerpt of Abu Omar the Egyptian (First Lines journal vol 2, 2013, available on request)
- Ibrahim Eissa, excerpt of Our Master (The Televangelist) (Banipal 46, 2013, and the International Prize for Arabic Fiction shortlisted authors brochure 2013)
- Mohammed Hasan Alwan, excerpt of The Beaver (Banipal; co-translation, BCLT summer school 2012)
- Nino Haratischwilli, excerpt of My Gentle Twin (New Books in German, co-translation, BCLT summer school 2013)
- Irena Brežná, excerpt of The Thankless Stranger (New Books in German, 2012), also published as The Thankless Foreigner by Seagull Books in 2023
- Ursula Timea Rossel, Take Silver and Garlic, Add Soil and Salt (extract in New Books in German, 2012)
Adult nonfiction
Books
- Ijoma Mangold, The German Crocodile (DAS Editions, 2021)
- Wassily Kandinsky, On the Spiritual in Art (forthcoming from Penguin Classics, 2023)
- David Nelles and Christian Serrer, Small Gases, Big Effect: This Is Climate Change (forthcoming from Particular Books, 2021)
- Ute Daenschel and Kerstin Lücker, A History of the World with the Women Put Back In (co-translation with Jessica West, The History Press, 2019) ~ crossover YA/adult literary fiction
- Heike Faller and Valerio Vidali, Hundred: What You Learn in a Lifetime (co-translation with Günther Krumminga, Particular Books, 2019)
- Peter Wohlleben, Walks in the Wild (Rider Books, 2019)
- Peter Wohlleben, The Weather Detective: Rediscovering Nature’s Secret Signs (translated with help from Jessica West, Rider Books and Dutton Books, June 2018)
- Ulrich Raulff, Farewell to the Horse: The Final Century of Our Relationship (Allen Lane, Penguin Random House, 2017) * THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017 * BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, May 2017 * Shortlisted for 2019 Helen & Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize
- Olzhas Suleimenov, The Prehistory of the Turkic Speaking Peoples (co-translation with Ian Appleby; TEAS Press, 2016)
- Samar Yazbek, The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria (co-translation with Nashwa Gowanlock; Rider Books, 2015) * One of The Independent’s 7 Best Translated Books by Women * ‘Powerful and moving … one of the first political classics of the 21st century’ (Observer)
- Dimitry Morozov, Kitezh: a Community Approach to Raising Children in Russia (co-translation with Laura Casiraghi and Emily Justice; Eland, 2008)
Articles and essays
- ‘Watching the Fall of the Berlin Wall’: short texts by Thomas Brussig, Kathrin Schmidt and David Wagner (The Guardian Review, Nov 2019)
- Samar Yazbek, ‘Divisions or unity? Art and the reality behind the stereotype’ – in Life is Elsewhere: Journeys Through World Literature (Pushkin Press, November 2015)
- Samar Yazbek, ‘The turmoil of today’s world: leading writers respond to the refugee crisis’ (The Guardian, 12 September 2015)
- Khalid al-Maaly, ‘Interview with poet and publisher Khalid al-Maaly’ (in Art and Thought/Fikrun wa Fann magazine 2015, vol. 103 ‘On Literature‘, page 62, print edition only)
- Ziad Abdullah, ‘Edward Said: The late author was just in time’, The New Arab, 3 January 2015
- Sascha Feuchert and Charlotte Knobloch, ‘Should Hitler’s Mein Kampf be republished?’ Index on Censorship 3/2014, and Eurozine 2014
- Thomas Rothschild, ‘The new divide‘ – Index on Censorship, 2014
- Samar Yazbek, ‘The novelist vs. the revolutionary: my own Syrian debate‘ – The Washington Post, Sept 2013
- Samar Yazbek, ‘I write with blind eyes and forty fingers‘ (Index on Censorship, 2013)
- Judith Nahrwold, A letter from Istanbul (1), (2) and (3) (Everyday Rebellion, 2013)
Plays and film scripts
- Lucien Bourjeily, For Your Eyes Only, Sir/Knife Edge (extract in Index on Censorship, spring 2015, vol. 44)
- Mudar al Haggi, When Farah Cries (co-translation from Arabic with Nashwa Gowanlock), in: Another Europe: the Book, published by the European Cultural Foundation
- Ilya Chlaki, In the Park (co-translation from Russian with Francisca Everduim) – performed by [Foreign Affairs] theatre company, London, August 2014
- Lucien Bourjeily, Will it pass or not? (extracts, Index on Censorship, December 2013 vol. 42, 4 pp. 134-148)
- Casting, a screenplay by Palestinian directors Tarzan and Arab (translation from Arabic)
- A Farewell to Arms: From Belfast to the Balkans, documentary by Armenian director Levon Kalantar (translation from Russian)
- Jamila Jad, a documentary about Palestinian refugees in Lebanon by Global Lives Project (English subtitles from Arabic)
Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp 