Dubai: In an effort to protect the UAE's mother tongue, all outdoor advertisements, billboards, menus at restaurants and business invoices should be in Arabic, says a leading voice in the campaign to protect the language.
Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of the National Human Resources Development and Employment Authority, is known for his strong advocacy to preserve national identity and a policy of emiratisation in the public and private sectors.
In an exclusive interview, he told Gulf News there is no reason to permit businesses like real estate developers and banks to sign contracts and serve notices in English only, ignoring Arabic completely.
Al Tayer emphasised that using Arabic in invoices and contracts is not a protocol issue. "It is substantial and more practical since Arabic is the language of the laws in the UAE. Should any conflict arise, courts can investigate the case easily and thoroughly. From a practical point of view Arabic must be used because it is the language of the land and the society in the UAE," he said.
"The institutions that are still using languages other than Arabic in their operations and dealings with members of the public should refrain from doing so immediately. English and any other language is not a replacement of the Arabic. They might use an English translation of the Arabic documents. Arabic must always be highly respected and written in a formal structure," he said.
He pointed out 2008 has been designated as the Year of National Identity by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and there are a number of projects underway to preserve the Arab identity of the emirates.
Al Tayer said municipalities and economic development departments in each of the seven emirates should take part in the national campaign to empower Arabic language and protect the UAE's national identity.
Excerpts:
Gulf News: The cabinet decision issued last week emphasising the importance of the Arabic language as an official language in the UAE came as a surprise to some, while other said that it was overdue. What is your view?
Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer: I think the decision was perfect and came at a time when the Arabic language is facing a crucial battle against those who plan to replace it with foreign languages. Arabic is the official language of the country according to the UAE constitution, it is the language of citizens and Arab expatriates.
Every country and every nation has its official language through which the members communicate and express their identity. It is natural for the UAE to emphasise its national identity through the pres-ervation of its language. The initiative to preserve national identity in the year 2008 was a crucial step in the right direction. In my opinion, Arabic is the focal point of UAE national identity.
Globally speaking, people around the world speak their own languages and no one could argue with them why they don't change their language for the sake of modernity and development. It is regrettable to see that the attack against Arabic came from official departments which started to use English to communicate. This is not acceptable and no other country on earth will accept such an invasion of its own language. The cabinet decision will demand the use of Arabic in all documents and transactions.
Is it enough to empower Arabic through a decision coming from the government? How is the decision going to be implemented?
This is a government decision and it is binding to all who live and operate in the UAE. I believe education can secure the implementation by emphasising the use of Arabic in different aspects of life. We need to look into curriculum in government and private schools, as well as in higher education, to make sure that graduates have been trained to use the Arabic language in their work and private life alike.
But using English in daily life has become common. Don't you think it will be difficult or costly to revert back Arabic?
I agree. Foreign languages are being used in commercial and trade names. You can see them used widely in billboards and advertisements. I don't mind ads and signboards catering to the expatriates living in the UAE, but what is not acceptable is to drop Arabic from our lives because Arabs can read and use foreign languages and foreigners cannot. The Arabic language should enjoy its supremacy, without ignoring translating it into foreign languages.
What is the role of the local governments in supporting the decision of the Federal cabinet?
I think once the federal government endorses the decision, the local government should follow suit. The move to empower Arabic is part of the responsibilities of Municipalities and Economic Development departments to implement the constitution and enforce federal government legislation. They should make sure that all sign boards and trade names must be in Arabic language and that the structure and grammar must be correct. They should remove any signboard or trade name that has typos or grammatical mistakes in Arabic. Local governments in different emirates have a great role to play and are finally responsible in front of the federal authorities and the people of the UAE.
Don't you think that life will become costlier? For instance, translating the same piece of work into another language is not profitable. It is additional work that business will not benefit from.
Businesses in Japan use Japanese and the same applies to Korea and China. We can communicate with the rest of the world through an international language whether it be English or any other language.
On the other hand, education must be conducted in Arabic, especially for subjects related to our national identity like law, history, geography and social sciences in foreign languages. Research shows that the comprehension of students is much better when they study sciences like mathematics and others in their mother tongue. Teaching of foreign languages should also be of a higher standard to enable our graduates to perform effectively in the international business arena.
Our graduates in the past studied in public schools and graduated from universities teaching in Arabic and moved abroad to pursue higher studies in international universities to compete with their American and European counterparts. They performed well abroad and came back to contribute to the growth and the success of their country. I see nothing wrong on continuing to do the same and enjoying the advantages offered by the Arabic curriculum. National identity has worn off when we teach basic education in a foreign language.
Don't you think that university graduates here who studied in English will oppose the use of Arabic in government transactions because they feel more at ease in using English?
The implementation of the government decision has to come from the top and supported by the bottom. I believe we have to reevaluate our educational system and look into ways to enhance the use of Arabic in social and business activities. It is not in the interest of the nation to lose its identity. We should look into selecting our teaching staff of Emiratis and Arabs who were educated in advanced universities.
The English-speaking Higher Colleges of Technologies and Zayed University cater for the labour market. Generally speaking, the gradates of Arabic-teaching schools like UAE University were lagging behind in the market.
This does not mean that the graduates of the UAE University were wrong. In my opinion, the labour market is wrong and functions in a way that doesn't welcome Arabs. There is no labour market in the world that uses foreign languages to cater to the expatriates working in it. The Higher Colleges of Technology were established to fill a gap in graduates for a middle-management staff and technicians in the country. It has never been meant to produce graduates taught in English in order to cater to the labour market in their own country. This must be clear.
Why should we oblige non-Arabs to live in an Arabic environment when using English is possible for Arabs?
I don't oblige others to live in an Arabic environment. They are not to be blamed for this situation. But I don't like to lose my identity and the identity of this land. We are Arabs and surrounded by Arab countries and we like to remain Arabs, so why I am forced to speak in a foreign language and accept transactions in a foreign language? The menus of restaurants are in English. What is wrong with having it in Arabic with a translation into English? Even legal documents and real estate contracts are in English. Which country in the world can accept this?
It is regrettable that the attack against Arabic came from official departments which started to use English to communicate. This is not acceptable."
Ahmad Humaid Al Tayer Chairman of National Human Resource Authority
By Duraid Al Baik, Foreign Editor