Speaking in Tongues

There are over 400 million speakers of Arabic scattered around the world. There are also 28 countries that use Arabic as their official language. Naturally, as demographics change, so does the language. Let’s break down the many different dialects.

Maghrebi: Spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya (influenced by Berber)

Egypto-Sudanic: Spoken in Egypt, and Sudan (influenced by Coptic)

Levantine: Spoken in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan (influenced by Canaanite and Aramaic)

Mesopotamian: Spoken in Iraq, Turkey, and Cyprus (influenced by Turkish and Aramaic)

Arabian: Spoken in the Gulf countries and Yemen (influenced by South Arabian)

Five different categories makes it intricate enough, but that’s not all. We might have sorted certain countries under language groups, but each country has different pronunciations and specific words exclusive to them. Let’s take the example of Egypt and Sudan, who are both under the Egypto-Sudanic bracket.

Informal Greetings

Sudan: O Khalafallah!

Egypt: Akhbarak eh?

Here’s another comparison using the Emirati Arabic (Khaleeji) and the Yemeni Arabic, both considered Arabian.

How are you?

Emirati: Shlonak?

Yemeni: Kayf ant?

As you can see, even the simplest of conversational terms differ according to country. There are different terms for furniture, animals, actions, and even people. While a phrase like “The weather looks great today” might work in both Australia and Ireland, the same can’t be said for Arabic. Different rules for different dialects!

Impossible Idioms

Arabic is riddled with idioms that stem from different cultures and ethnicities. Idioms are a creative way to express feelings or scenarios that are usually ethnocentric. They bring out the beauty of a language by using wit and wordplay. Localizing idioms is already a challenging task. We’ve compiled a number of fun Arabic idioms that would make a non-native translator rip their hair out.

احترنا يا قرعة من وين بدنا نبوسك!

Literal translation: We’re confused oh bald one, where should we kiss you?

What it actually means: There’s no pleasing you!

This is definitely one of the funnier ones because it paints such a vivid picture. This is a common idiom for when someone is being unnecessarily frustrating. Kissing in Arab culture is a traditional form of greeting. The reasoning behind the idiom is that a bald man has even more room on his head, so there’s no evident place to kiss him. Nice stretch of the imagination, isn’t it?

القرد بعين امه غزال

Literal translation: The monkey in the eye of its mother is a gazelle.

What it actually means: In the eyes of his mother, a son can do no wrong.

A mother’s love is truly powerful. This idiom plays on the undying adoration that a mother can have for their son, sometimes to a fault. It’s used in a “tongue-in-cheek” tone when discussing beauty. A monkey is seen as “ugly” whereas a gazelle represents the peak of beauty.

Last but certainly not least, our personal favorite.

تقبرني!

Literal translation: May you bury me.

What it actually means: *general expression of love towards someone dear*.

One single Arabic word that perfectly encapsulates the beautiful complexity of the language. Usually shouted by endearing parents to their children, this word is heavy with symbolism. You might be wondering where “burying” comes into place, it’s actually pretty dark. A loving mother would say this to her son or daughter, usually proud or happy of something they accomplished. “May you bury me” signifies her intention to pass away before her children do, so they can bury her instead of the other way around. It might sound morbid, but it’s actually a beautiful expression of undying love. It’s even said casually in normal conversation. Good luck explaining this one to non-speakers.

Date Dilemmas

The Gregorian calendar is the most popular calendar around the world (who doesn’t love a good leap year?). But, it’s not the only calendar in the world. While Arab countries use the Gregorian calendar in everyday life, they also use the Islamic calendar, known as the Hijri for religious purposes. It is a lunar calendar that is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian one. While not used primarily, it is used to establish the correct dates for Islamic holidays, fasting, and Hajj (pilgrimage).

Given that a considerable amount of people use this calendar, albeit occasionally, this could make localization tricky to the uninitiated. Let’s take a look at the difference in months.

Gregorian:
Kanun al-Thani, Shbat, Athar, Nisan, Ayyar, Hzayran, Tammuz, Ab, Aylul, Tishreen al-Awwal, Tishreen al-Thani, Kanun al-Awwal

Islamic:
Muharram, Safar, Rabiʿ al-Awwal, Rabʿ al-Thani, Jumada al-Awwal, Jumada al-Thani, Rajab, Shaʿban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu al-Qaʿdah, and Dhu al-Hijjah.

As you can see, the months vary greatly. That’s not the only trouble with months either. Certain countries use different month names even though they use the same calendar. The Gregorian names we just listed are used in the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan) and in Iraq. What about the rest of the Arab world?

Levantine Months:
Kanun al-Thani, Shbat, Athar, Nisan, Ayyar, Hzayran, Tammuz, Ab, Aylul, Tishreen al-Awwal, Tishreen al-Thani, Kanun al-Awwal

Eastern Arabia, Egyptian, Sudanese Months:
Yanayer, Febrayer, Mars, Abril, Mayo, Yunyo, Yulyo, Agostos, Sibtembar, Uctobar, Nofimbar, Disimbar

Notice how similar to English the second bracket of months are? Choosing which month system to go with depends on the region itself. Different calendars and different month names make Arabic localization a much more daunting task than most other languages. The answer to these challenges is clear. Native Arabic localizers.

Adapting your content to and from Arabic is a task that requires proficient understanding of its complexities. Regional dialects are filled with nuances that only native speakers are able to pick up. As the 6th most spoken language in the world, why gamble with the possibility of an imperfect translation? Contact GTH now for all your localization needs!