Dahab Hotels
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A note on language
Entry 10 of 53 | show all | print this entry |
I continue to be utterly fascinated with language. To some, having to learn a foreign language was a burden of high school or perhaps something our employers set us to task with. For others like myself, it's a window into so much more than just a means of communication--it envelops the rich culture and history that accompanies it. My Arabic/English dictionary has been a mainstay of my daily life and I find myself having to reach for it constantly. And when I can't find it mid-conversation and urgently need to express myself, I frantically yell: eyna keytab eyna keytab (where's THE book)!!
A few days back I was trying to bargain with Anwar over some chores: if you go hang my laundry then I'll sweep the floor. Like I have mentioned before, I am quite a master bargainer (you may be thinking that hanging the laundry was much easier but actually, it's not since it includes my underwear which is quite humbling for a man to be hanging a woman's essentials here). In any case, Anwar pulled out THE book and pointed to the word "exploitative." I was aghast...I was NOT exploitative!!! But then I got to thinking: he probably didn't mean it that way but this was the translation provided by the dictionary. Then I wondered how many times I'd pointed to the arabic word for something and it was maybe a bit 'off' from what I was really trying to say in English.
The other 'ah-ha' moment I had with the language was when the landlord wanted some more of the rent in advance to bring the contract to a full 2 month period (I've only paid 6 weeks thus far). I was concerned and asked Anwar if he was an honest man. I looked up honest and there in Arabic was the word: saddiq. But wait, saddiq means "friend" in Arabic. Hmmm....friend and honest are of the same word. It made me really think about how much of culture is rooted in our language. In my new world...friendship, honor, trust, and relationships are so intertwined with one another. It has made me much more conscience of what I am saying and how each time I pick up THE book for a translation...I try to think really hard about the context in which I am using the word.
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