Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
An uphill battle
Arabic translation:
معركة حامية الوطيس
English term
Egypt
legal translator
Native in: Arabic (Variants: Egyptian, Saudi ) 
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, Arabic, and 1 more.
An uphill battle
Negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam move from impasse to impasse
Aug 8, 2020 15:42: Youssef Chabat Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
Morocco
A wordsmith at your disposal
Native in: Arabic (Variant: Standard-Arabian (MSA)) 
, French (Variant: Standard-France)
Works in: French to Arabic, English to Arabic, Arabic to French, and 6 more.
معركة حامية الوطيس
| agree |
Mohammed86
6 days
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شكرا جزيلا سيد محمد
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| agree |
abdouarraji2 (X)
: I agree
24 days
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Thank you very much
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Morocco
Literature,Marketing & Legal Translation
Native in: Arabic (Variants: Moroccan, UAE, Kuwaiti, Najdi, Standard-Arabian (MSA), Hassaniya) , Berber (Other) (Variants: Standard Moroccan Tamazight, Tarifit , Tashelhit , Riffian, Central Atlas Tamazight, Tamazight )
Works in: English to Arabic, French to Arabic, Arabic to English, and 21 more.
Egypt
EN & De AR Translator and Proofreader
Native in: Arabic (Variants: Egyptian, UAE, Saudi )
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, Arabic, and 1 more.
صراع مرير / معركة قاسية / معركة في مهب الريح
معركة قاسية
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Note added at 47 mins (2020-07-15 22:44:31 GMT)
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Uphil: laboriously fatiguing or difficult:
معركة مضنية/ قاسية
جهد جهيد، جهد شاق، جهد عسـير
The following is a revised answer that I hope will more accurately reflect my thinking about this matter.
The expression "uphill battle" does not mean a battle in the sense of a fight or an adversarial engagement. It only means a struggle, a striving, or a great effort in the face of a great challenge. There need not be an enemy or an adversary, just tough conditions. For example, someone working towards a Ph.D. can be described as being engaged in an uphill battle.
The modifier "uphill" is there to intensify the sense of striving. Of course, every struggle, in a sense, is uphill. There is no downhill struggle, so the expression is not free of redundancy, but such redundancy can be excused if it adds the desired intensity.
In some contexts, it might be appropriate to use the word كفاح, as in:
كفاح شديد
كفاح عسـير
وهلم جرا
In the context of two parties engaged in an honest negotiation for a common good, I think كفاح is too much. Both parties are investing a great effort to break through the impasse and achieve a settlement, so جهد should be appropriate, in my opinion.
| neutral |
Yassine El Bouknify
: I think it's possible to translate it as: معركة شاقة/مرهقة, and of course in its metaphorical sense
10 hrs
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Many things are possible. In my answer, I tried to suggest what is preferable or optimal (in my opinion). Most debates on KudoZ are not about right or wrong (although some are), but are about what reads or sounds better, more precise, more idiomatic, etc.
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Morocco
law,press,litterat,medico jurid,contract
Native in: Arabic (Variant: Standard-Arabian (MSA))
Works in: French to Arabic, Arabic to French, English to Arabic, and 1 more.
معركة شاقة / مضنية / عسيرة
Starting her own business has proven to be an uphill battle.
Discussion
Thanks to all of you