Archive for August, 2010
Is learning Arabic online for you?
If you are thinking about learning Arabic, studying online may be a method that will suit you. There are many advantages to learning Arabic online but also a few points to consider before deciding whether this method of study is suitable. Studying online is a form of distance learning – a term used to describe any method of education where the student is not actually in a classroom with a teacher, but instead working alone from a distance! Arabicollege essentials lets you learn Arabic from any distance! Distance learning is not a new idea. It was first developed in the 1800s in the form of correspondence courses – even though it is doubtful that learning Arabic was one of the first correspondence courses! The Pitman’s shorthand course was the first example of distance learning and was invented in 1840. The idea of a correspondence course is simple: the student receives the course and submits completed work via the postal service. With Arabicollege, the learning principle has evolved slightly of course (no pun intended!).
Arabic teaching in UK Universities
Choosing to study Arabic at University is an unusual option for many people. Apart from native speakers, very few people speak the Arabic language in the UK as a second language. Many prefer to study French, German or Spanish, the languages most commonly taught in schools, as a progression from A level studies. However, the more unusual languages such as Russian and Arabic are taught at University level and anyone wishing to study Arabic at University will have to compete strongly for the small amount of places that are available.
No, it’s not physical books like Nicholas Negroponte — instead, Gates thinks the idea of young adults having to go to universities in order to get an education is going to go away relatively soon. Well, provided they’re self-motivated learners.
“Five years from now on the web for free you’ll be able to find the best lectures in the world,” Gates said at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe, CA today. “It will be better than any single university,” he continued.
AT first glance, they seem like typical American college students on their junior year abroad, swapping stories of language mishaps and cultural clashes, sharing sightseeing tips and travel deals. But these students are not studying at Oxford, the Sorbonne or an art institute in Florence.
Instead, they are attending the American University in Cairo, studying Arabic, not French, and dealing with cultural, social and religious matters far more complex than those in Spain or Italy. And while their European counterparts might head to Heidelberg, Germany, for a weekend of beer drinking, these students visit places most Americans know only through news reports — the West Bank, Ethiopia and even northern Iraq. No “Sex and the City” jaunts to Abu Dhabi for this group.
In what educators are calling the fastest growing study-abroad program, American college students are increasingly choosing to spend their traditional junior year abroad in places like Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, wanting to experience the Arab world beyond America’s borders and viewpoints.
According to a February 2010 report from the Institute of International Education, a private nonprofit group that administers the Fulbright program for the United States government, the number of American students studying in Arabic-speaking countries increased sixfold to 3,399 in 2007 from 562 in 2002.
While that number may seem small compared with the more than 33,000 American students who headed to the United Kingdom in 2007 and the 13,000 who studied in China, it represents the fastest growing region for study abroad in the world. Between 2006 and 2007 the number of American students studying in Arab countries rose nearly 60 percent while China had only a 19 percent increase and England, 1.9 percent.
Learning Arabic – the language
Arabic is a Semitic language so has similarities with Hebrew and Amharic – the ancient language of Ethiopia. There are approximately 200 million native Arabic speakers today and it ranks as number 6 in the table of most spoken languages in the World. This alone is a good reason to study Arabic – there are just so many people to talk to! Added to that, there are millions of people who are regularly speaking a form of Arabic because it is the language of the Qur’an the Holy book of Islam. There are two billion Muslims in the World today so this means that there are a huge number of people who have some knowledge or understanding of Arabic despite most of them never learning Arabic formally.
Learn Arabic for a greater understanding of Islam
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the entire world today. More people than ever are becoming attracted to Islam and are seeking to find out more about this Faith despite neither coming from a non Arabic language background nor speaking the Arabic language. Today’s Muslims come from all walks of life and are just as likely to have grown up in the UK as in the Middle East. Islam means peace and submission to God and is a religion of obedience ethics, harmony and tranquility.
Learn Arabic online and show you mean business.
The population of Arabic language countries is approximately 242 million people and rising. If you are considering doing business in this huge marketplace it makes sense to learn Arabic, and in particular business Arabic, in order to achieve maximum success. There are many myths about Arabic language countries and the stereotypes of the Middle East have been often exaggerated… However it is true that without understanding the culture and without learning Arabic, cross cultural differences are hard to resolve. It is therefore essential to study Arabic to be able to succeed in business in Arabic speaking countries, Learning Arabic online is an excellent way to achieve this aim and arm yourself with a framework of business Arabic and essential social skills.
Learning Arabic online – a successful way to study!
Today it is possible to learn many different subjects at home and even take university degrees by using online teaching methods. For anyone who is interested in learning Arabic, this is an excellent way to learn.
Technology has made this possible. Interactive study can be achieved simply by using your computer. When you learn Arabic online your work can be submitted by email plus your text books and learning materials can be downloaded straight to your inbox. You will also have access to the wide range of college Arabic language resources at your disposal. Most importantly you can use your computer microphone and refine linguistic skills by speaking via Skype or a VOIP system (voice over internet protocol) to your Arabic language teacher. This is essential when learning a language and the Arabic language can be difficult at first to master, especially for complete beginners. You can even see who is teaching Arabic and your teacher can see you, if you use your webcam.