Why learning Arabic can do a world of good

Learning the language can greatly enhance one’s career, business and even health

Learning Arabic can offer an increased array of career opportunities in one of the fastest growing international markets in the world.

Speaking with Gulf News, UAE residents suggested that a solid command of Arabic has many benefits — ranging from a competitive advantage in business to health benefits and improved memory.

Arabic is one of the most spoken languages with some sources ranking it fifth most-spoken language in the world. Yet, it is not uncommon to find expatriate students in the UAE who, despite having studied Arabic for over 10 years, cannot even form a simple sentence in Arabic.

Working as a pharmacist in the UAE for over 25 years, Ramzan Mullah has patiently learnt Arabic “word by word” from his colleagues. He also assiduously observed their mannerisms and pronunciation while speaking, not just the words themselves. He felt Arabic was necessary to “efficiently cater” to all of his customers and finds it “immensely useful” in facilitating better service.

Speaking on the subject, David Mackenzie, managing director and head of Human Resources at Mackenzie Jones, a leading company specialising in recruitment services globally, asserted that speaking Arabic definitely gives someone an edge over their competition in the UAE, especially when it came to sectors like human resources.

“We are getting around 30 per cent more roles requiring Arabic, especially with companies that are dealing with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There is a distinct advantage for candidates who speak Arabic and English fluently,” he added. He believes this demand is likely to increase in the future.

Mohammad Ashraf Rao has been running a business of toiletries and perfumes in the UAE since the 1980s. He says he learnt Arabic from his friends so that the inability to communicate with those who couldn’t speak English never hindered business.

The importance of Arabic as a language of commerce is reflected in the statements of Mark Abi-Aad, the Learning Solutions director at the Eton Institute, who states that Arabic is the second most demanded course. Learners are from “across many fields that require them to build relationships — sales roles, customer service, hospitality, even diplomats and people working with the government”.

According to Abi-Aad, “Vocabulary and pronunciation are usually the most challenging parts of learning Arabic because it has little in common with Latin-based and Indo-European languages.” Research has shown that there are myriad benefits arising from learning a language when older, from improving memory to preventing the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

■ Rosieanna Sham is an intern with Gulf News.