The new law allows entire court proceedings to be executed in English, saving time and effort, reducing translation cost linked to proceedings, and ensuring faster processing through the system.

According to the Khaleej Times online, the ruling was made in line with the Abu Dhabi bi-lingual court world-class project after English was finally recognized as the second official language of the region in 2018 (Arabic remains the first official language).

This is good news for non-Arabic speaking expats and residents, as it is now mandatory for claimants in a lawsuit to issue court documents in English for non-Arabic speakers.

Expats facing the Abu Dhabi courts “enjoy a unique privilege that is not available in any other court in the region.”

Forms, legal documentation, and court hearings are available in English, with every single phase of litigation accessible for non-Arabic speaking individuals, protecting rights to due process and easing access to justice.

Abu Dhabi court will also have a bi-lingual court panel with both English-speaking and Arabic-speaking judges presiding over proceedings and issuing judgements in both languages.

With people from over 200 nationalities at present, living and working in Abu Dhabi, and with the majority of these unable to read Arabic, their rights are now safeguarded by these reforms.

Protecting expats’ rights to be treated fairly, justly and without the hinderance of a language barrier, the Emirate now offers an unrivalled equality and a world-class judiciary system.

These legal reforms are linked to the Emirate’s wider economic and social plans for modernization of the dispute resolution system and highlights the ease of doing business in the capital.

“An efficient and transparent online court ecosystem and a business-friendly strategy are crucial for supporting and enhancing the emirate’s modernity, attracting foreign investment and encouraging the best talents to live and work in Abu Dhabi.”

However, the reforms are wider reaching than the aforementioned language and translation changes, aiming to bring Abu Dhabi in line with new socio-economic reality.

Other changes include:

• Civil Marriage – interfaith relationships can be registered without being subject to Shariah law. Residents and tourists can now marry freely.

• No-fault divorce – women can file for divorce quickly without worrying about their financial situation.

• 50/50 custody of children – the child’s best interests come first with joint custody after divorce

• Non-Muslim judges – are now allowed to hear cases for the first time in the Arab world

• Gender equality – men and women are to be treated equally in the eyes of the law in every case

• Unmarried parenting – a child born out of wedlock will now be legally recognized

• Family arbitration – is being introduced as an alternative dispute resolution to aid divorce settlements and family disputes

• Right of audience – foreign lawyers are now allowed to appear in court

The UAE, as a whole kingdom, has made sweeping changes to the legal system in recent months in a bid to promote a more conducive atmosphere for expats to settle and invest in the country.

Similarly, tourists now enjoy more freedom and can consume alcohol without the need for a licence and are able to marry in civil ceremonies.

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Running from 1st October 2021 to 31st March 2022, Expo 2020 offers visitors the opportunity to view the most exciting and innovative global collaborations linked to the sub-themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, all in one purpose-built site.

Some of the greatest inventions in recent history have first been show-cased at previous World Expos – for instance, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the world’s first telephone in 1876 at Philadelphia’s Expo and the first mechanical computer was displayed at the 1862 London International Exhibition on Industry and Art.

World Expos are places where virtually every nation’s finest creative, technological, and innovative minds come together to showcase the future – it is an opportunity to great to miss!

What’s on Offer at Expo 2020?

With 192 country pavilions, food from every corner of the world, entertainment ranging from opera to A-list stars, business and entrepreneurship, sports and wellbeing, architecture, and so much more, there really is something to suit every taste and thrill every sense.

Below you’ll find a snapshot of each district and some of the experiences available:

Country Pavilions

Each participating country has its own pavilion where visitors can fully immerse themselves in the culture and engage with the futuristic concepts created by each nation.

With 192 countries to choose from you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Each country has chosen one of the sub-themes (sustainability, opportunity, or mobility) which is reflected within their pavilion and the experiences available.

Sustainability District

Within the Sustainability District, you’ll see some of the world’s most advanced technology in action, be able to see what countries are doing to champion sustainability, and can experience how humans can enjoy living in harmony with nature in a high-tech future.

Countries within the Sustainability District include Brazil, Singapore, and Germany.

Here you’ll find waterfalls, rainforests, futuristic labs, miniature worlds, and much, much more.

Mobility District

Within our world of limitless connections, human progress is driven by mobility which transforms the way we live, connect with others, understand cultures, exchange information, and adapt.

The Mobility District showcases a futuristic, global society where the physical and digital worlds are connected to create a harmonious global culture where knowledge, goods, and ideas are exchanged with phenomenal speed.

Within the Mobility District you find countries such as, Australia, Russia, and the Republic of Korea.

They showcase autonomous vehicles, space travel, new concepts in mobility devices (which can be viewed in action on a 330m track) and so much more.

Opportunity District

The Opportunity District is the key to unlocking opportunities that can help individuals and communities create a promising future. It is the place where ideas come to life, and you can witness how each of these opportunities provide hope for all of us.

Dreams and aspirations are transformed into tomorrow’s realities and future possibilities are revealed.

Countries in the Opportunity District include the UK, Monaco and the Ukraine.

Here you’ll find futuristic technologies creating 3 ‘smart zones’, a garden of opportunity where it is possible to see things differently, and you can even hike up the ‘Swiss Alps‘!

Business Opportunities at Expo 2020

However, Expo 2020 isn’t all play…there is work to be done too.

With a full calendar of events and occasions linked to the business world such as, global investment forums, inspiring addresses from key speakers, and investor pitching conferences, there are unique opportunities waiting for you and your business.

More information about Expo 2020 can be found at the Expo 2020 Dubai UAE website.

The post Why Visit Expo 2020 Dubai? appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

The translated work, titled “Imposters”, was lauded by the book award’s panel as a “bold, mature and innovative approach to translation that enabled Michael Cooperson to understand Maqamat Al-Hariri more intimately than anyone else, and to appreciate it as a treasure of Arab heritage”.

The 15th award ceremony, which took place at the end of April, saw authors, researchers and publishers from countries as diverse as the US and Saudi Arabia declared the overall winners from more than 2000 original nominations.

The awards are as follows:

• Publishing and Technology Award – Jar Al Jadeed a Lebanese publishing house

• Young Author Award – Dr. Asma bint Muqbel bin Awad Al-Ahmadi

• Contributions to the Development of Nations Award – Dr Saeed El-Masry

• Literature Award – Iman Mersal

• Cultural Personality of the Year – Jurgen Habermas

• Literary Art and Criticism Award – Khelil Gouia

• Children’s Literature Award – Mizouni Bannani

• Arabic Culture in Other Languages Award – Tahera Qutbudden

• Translation Award Translated from Arabic to English – Michael Cooperson

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, congratulated this year’s winners on Twitter, saying,

“The sharing of knowledge has always been a treasured part of our culture and heritage, and we are proud to celebrate the diverse contributions that these individuals have made through their work.”

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award website states that Cooperson’s translation of Al-Hariri has “succeeded in evading the trap of literal translation” and “has remarkably transferred the sentiments, ideas and expressions wholesale into English”.

Interestingly, Cooperson’s translation offers a “liberated use of English with its local dialects, such as those of the UK, Singapore and the US” which “facilitated translating the book at various levels of English-language fluency, culminating in the development of creative and expressive techniques”.

His “profound familiarity with Arabic literature” and “vast experience as a translator” meant Cooperson was able to create a “dynamic work of literature”.

The post Sheikh Zayed Book Award Translation Prize goes to US Translator appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

According to an article online by the Arab Weekly, Saudi Arabia’s Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission launched the initiative known as ‘Tarjim’ (meaning translate) on International Translation Day (September 30th) in a bid to promote international cultural outreach.

Texts chosen for translation will include the latest international scientific, and intellectual articles written in the Arabic language, alongside literary texts of significance, with the aim of bringing Arabic content to a wider audience, helping researchers and Arabic language learners.

The initiative forms an element of Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ and came as part of the Saudi Cultural Minister’s efforts to bring Arabic works to the wider world.

It aims to “enrich Arabic content and deepen cultural exchange between the Arabic language and other major world languages” and was the first initiative to be announced last year by the cultural minister.

Vision 2030 includes a “Cultural Vision for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” which has set out the following three central objectives:

• Promoting culture as a way of life

• Enabling culture to contribute to economic growth

• Creating opportunities for international cultural exchange

The Tarjim programme reflects the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission’s belief in the vital importance of translation, how it enables broader cultural connections with other countries and people, and encourages an exchange of knowledge for the benefit of all.

Saudi’s Ministry of Culture website says that culture is “indispensable to our quality of life” and suggests the kingdom should increase the quality and quantity of its cultural activity.

It continues, stating “We’re proud of our rich cultural environment and talents with the potential to transcend the borders of our country to reach the world” and the Tarjim initiative should help achieve this aim.

Translation has always been played an important role in the Arabic world; early Muslims translated Greek philosophy into Arabic, contributing to the development of the culture, enriching human consciousness and promoting the Islamic religion around the world.

In more recent years, translation has been recognised by many Arab countries as a method of encouraging cultural understanding and advancing education in highly-technical subjects such as, science and technology. There have been numerous translation initiatives throughout the Arab world for these purposes including, the UAE’s Madrasa portal which has translated thousands of educational videos into Arabic for students.

The post Saudi Translation Initiative Brings Arabic Texts to the World appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

However, according to a recent article, many governments are mistranslating health information and putting citizens at risk with erroneous translations.

The Australian government are the latest, in an ever-growing group, to have produced translations for multicultural communities which contain errors. They also failed to differentiate between two completely different languages, causing confusion and fear among migrants and refugees.

One federal government health department campaign which was created to encourage Arabic speakers to wear face masks was “so poorly formatted that it doesn’t make sense” according to the article.

The Refugee Council of Australia’s Arabic speaker, Deena Yako, said the translation “is gibberish and it’s nonsensical”.

In another image, Tweeted by the federal government, which was supposed to inform Chinese speakers where to look for more information about the pandemic actually translated to “Use your language supplied information”.

But it isn’t only the federal government who are mistranslating information.

In Victoria, a poster informing readers of the need to use face masks when out in public used both Farsi and Arabic in the same translation, whereas they are actually two separate languages that share a comparable alphabet.

Ms Yako said that the translation errors risk eroding the expert authority of the message and consequently, trust in government competency.

She said “it is almost laughable when you look at these translations and these publications used by the federal government or even our state governments”.

“Communities have a lot of trust in their government and when you do come across these publications that are incorrect, inaccurate and have the wrong information on them, it becomes questionable, and of course the community will lose that trust,” she continued.

The Australian government claim they quickly corrected the Arabic translation errors and that the mistake happened when the document was uploaded to the website.

They now plan to have translators check material once it has been translated and posted online to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Carla Wilshire, Migration Council Australia chief executive, said that there have been numerous translation errors in health information regarding the pandemic due to” the rush to get a lot of information out to migrant communities”.

Because of this rush some of the translations have been “a little bit hit and miss” she said.

“Some of the translations have been of a particularly formal nature, or have grammar mistakes or have syntax errors”.

In an aim to alleviate the translation problems, Ms Wilshire said translations must be double or triple checked for accuracy by accredited translators before publication.

The post Arabic Translations of Covid-19 Public Health Messages are ‘Nonsensical’ appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

The official notification, released by the government stated “Lecturers in all the universities of Punjab will teach the Holy Quran with translation to all students” and that students would not be awarded their degree if they did not study the Quran with translation.

The subject of Islamiat is already taught in all universities in the region and the Holy Quran will be taught separately from this.

Governor, Chaudhry Sarwar, proposed that success in the material world, and the hereafter, would only be achieved through correct application of the guidelines within the Quran.

He tweeted “the historical decision to teach the Quran with Urdu translation has been implemented. This would be a compulsory subject in universities of Punjab without which a degree won’t be awarded.”

He believes that Quran will offer a complete code of life for students and help them to achieve God’s favour.

Sarwar required all universities to add teaching of the Quran to their syllabus, and reminded them of their responsibility to educate the younger generations and share their knowledge of the Quran.

Amendments are due to be made to the Punjab constitution so that it becomes compulsory for universities to teach the Quran with translation as soon as possible.

The recommendation, which suggested making the teaching of the Holy Quran with translation compulsory in all provincial universities, came from a seven-member committee of Vice chancellors headed by Professor Niaz Ahmed from the Punjab University VC, and set-up by the Punjab governor.

The notification from the committee suggests that “the Quran course may have equivalent to one credit hour per year (Theory/Practical) as the relevant university feels appropriate” and the High Education Commission (HEC) state that the hours in an undergraduate program “must be followed”.

As for assessment of the Quran course, it is believed that the course will offer a pass/fail grade, but universities may assign different grade systems, as they can in other courses, if they feel it is necessary.

The post Holy Quran Teaching becomes Compulsory in Punjab Universities appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

As a company that values cultural acceptance, both within the workplace and the community at large, we were appalled and saddened by the death of George Floyd.

Our ethos, as a training and translation organization is one of inclusion, diversity, acceptance, communication and understanding – we believe we are greater as whole, better able to work towards a common goal, united as the human race.

Our aim is to teach cultural awareness, acceptance and inclusion, so that together, we are more productive, creative, authentic, secure, and content in our lives.

In the workplace, cultural acceptance and awareness leads to increased efficiency, inspired ideas, improved trust, and high-functioning teams who are able to respect others and can understand (and overcome) their own bias.

Cultural acceptance in the workplace is vital and can be improved in the following ways:

• Educate your Team

Research has shown that for a businesses to operate successfully in a global setting they must be “sensitive to the cultural differences of its employees as well as its potential [partners, and] clients”.

The best way to ensure that employees are ‘sensitive’ to cultural difference and understand their own unconscious bias is through education and training.

For some firms this may take the form of a HR video shown on the first day and never repeated, but this is unlikely to give good results and will probably have been forgotten by the viewer at the end of the day.

Ideally, cultural awareness training should be a consistent, regular part of training, not a one-off after thought.

Training should enlighten employees, teaching them how to appreciate differences, listen openly to others, provide effective methods for improved communication, and give an understanding of cultures and how they impact our decision making, attitudes and work ethic.

• Provide Common Ground

As individuals we often find we change our opinion of people when we discover we have things in common with them.

An effective way for a firm to engage its employees in cultural acceptance is to provide a common ground where employees at every level, from every culture, can come together to create or assist in a specific project.

For instance, if there is a group in your local community who are organizing fundraising for a certain project, then encouraging employees to assist with this can create a sense of community and belonging.

If possible, inspire employees to start their own group or fundraising project to help with a cause that has a collective purpose such as, Black Lives Matter.

• Lead by Example

Effective leadership will motivate, educate, encourage and mentor their team to become more accepting and inclusive.

Those in managerial positions should be a priority for cultural awareness training as they can then propagate these concepts in others.

Leaders should understand how to assess non-verbal clues, provide conflict resolution tactics for improved cooperation and encourage an inclusive ethos within their team.

Many organizations are now grasping the importance of cultural acceptance within the workplace, and promoting a diverse and inclusive brand ethos, in a bid to align themselves with customers’ views and beliefs.

Should a company fail to sustain and support this affiliation, and their customers become aware of potential differences or counter-intuitive actions by the company, then the loss of business can become very real.

Customers are choosing to vote with wallets – they are making purchases based on a firm’s diversity policy and they won’t be fooled by catchy taglines and public-relations ploys but instead will choose to shop with firms that put people at the heart of their business, stamping out bias and prejudice.

Our aim, at Creative Word, is to empower and encourage cultural acceptance within the workplace ensuring that individuals are valued, no matter their cultural heritage, language or colour.

If you would like us to educate and support your workforce regarding cultural awareness, cultural intelligence or conflict resolution, please contact us.

The post Cultural Acceptance in the Workplace and the Black Lives Matter Global Network appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

The new support is now available for the following languages; Kinyarwanda, Odia (Oriya), Tatar, Turkmen and Uyghur. As there has previously been limited web content available for these languages online translation has been difficult, but Google have worked with the Google Translate community and their advances in machine learning technology to improve the accuracy and ability of translation in these languages.

Kinyarwanda, Odia (Oriya), Tatar, Turkmen and Uyghur are spoken by over 75 million people worldwide and are the first new languages that Google Translate has added in the last four years.

Kinyarwanda is spoken by 12 million people in Rwanda and is one of four official languages spoken there including, English, French and Kiswahili.

Odia, (formerly known as Oriya) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over 80% of the population of the Indian state of Odisha, and also in parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is the official language of Odisha and the second of Jharkhand. It is the sixth language to be designated as a classical language of India.

Tatar is a Turkic language centred predominantly in Eastern Russia, Siberia Ukraine and Uzbekistan. It is spoken by about 7 million people worldwide in countries as diverse as the USA and China.

Uyghur is another Turkic language and is predominantly spoken by the Uyghur people in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. There are believed to be up to 15 million speakers of Uyghur worldwide, primarily in China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Turkmen is the official language of Turkmenistan and is spoken by approximately 72% of the population.

Google Translate can support a variety of methods for use including, speech, typing, snap (which has the ability to translate images of text in different languages) or you can use your phone’s camera to see instant translations.

While Google Translate has added these five new languages, and can support translation for over 100 other languages, it still has a long way to go to cover the more than 6000 languages spoken worldwide.

The post Google Translate Adds Five New Languages appeared first on Creative Word, Dubai.

According to The Arab Weekly online, Price was shortlisted alongside two other literary translators, both of whom she knows – Marilyn Booth (another Edinburgh graduate) and Humphrey Davis, who she also met while studying.

Booth was shortlisted for her translation of Jokha Alharthi’s “Celestial Bodies”, which won the Man Booker International Prize in 2019 (a prize shared between both the novelist and the translator) and was also winner of the best Omani novel in 2010.

Davies was shortlisted for his translation of Elias Khoury’s “My Name is Adam”, a touching tale of Palestine’s 1948 exodus which is the first in a trilogy by the Arab world’s leading novelist.

Price said she knew all of the translators who were on the short list and she was “proud” to be named among them. She also said she wasn’t expecting to win.

“Death is Hard Work” (Faber & Faber) is Khalifa’s fifth novel and his third that Price has translated. “The more you work on a writer, the more your ear attunes to their rhythms,” says Price. “The words Khaled uses are often visceral; there is a lot of stagnation, of disgust.”

Khalifa and Price always discuss the translation in Arabic so that Price can better understand the character’s motivation in order to give the best translation. She says Khalifa is “patient and trusting, with confidence in the art of translation in general.”

“In Praise of Hatred” (2006) was the first of Khlaifa’s novels that Price translated. It features a female narrator experiencing the turbulent 1980s of violent Islamist and Baathist regimes.

“Death is Hard Work” is the set in post-2012 war-torn Syria and was inspired by Khalifa’s own experiences of this time which included suffering a heart attack in 2013.

Khalifa explains the idea for the book came to him while he was stuck in the emergency room of the hospital for days wondering if he would survive. He says “The war was everywhere, the sound of bombs didn’t stop. I asked myself: What if I die now? How will my family take my body to my village, Maryameyn, in northern Syria?”

In the novel, Abdel Latif al-Salim, on his death bed in Damascus, makes his son Bobol promise to bury him in his home village near Aleppo. Bobol and two siblings, Hussein and Fatima, subsequently set off with Abdel Latif’s shrouded body in Hussein’s minibus on a journey that should take a few hours but involves negotiating checkpoints of the regime, pro-regime militia and assorted rebel groups. There is invariably no network coverage to enquire ahead, and the van’s lights are switched off so as not to attract sniper fire.

Choices regarding which road the siblings should take become a matter of life and death; they vent their frustrations, anxiety and fear on each other while their father’s corpse decomposes next to them.

The book shares moments of hope, love, compassion, laughter and tranquillity but underlying everything is an urgency and fear linked to the war that Khalifa imparts through his character’s experiences.

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