What is actually the Arabic language?
Arabic is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world – and the largest member of the Semitic language family. Its origins date back to pre-Islamic Arabia. With the revelation of the Holy Qur’an and the spread of Islam, Arabic became an international language.
Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic and Local Varieties
Referring to Arabic might be confusing.
Classical Arabic is the language of the Holy Qur’an. This language later developed into what we call Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the official language throughout the Arab world. It is the language taught in formal education and used in all official documents, media, books, and most formal situations. MSA follows the grammatical standards of Classical Arabic and uses much of the same vocabulary, but with some adaptations to make it suitable for modern times.
However, Modern Standard Arabic is no one’s mother tongue. Each Arab country has its Arabic varieties, which locals learn as their native language and use in their everyday life. These dialects sometimes differ quite a lot from MSA.
Why does it matter for your business?
If you are aiming at developing trade relationships with Arabic-speaking clients, you need to consider that each Arabic-speaking country differs from all the others in many aspects, including language and culture.
Localization is the process of adapting your content to meet the culture of your target market, and it proven to be an effective investment in the medium term. Content localization can show cultural sensibility and create more engagement. While the content changes, the meaning stays the same, without being inappropriate or perceived as “not native”. These factors need to be addressed because they can be the difference between resounding success and total failure.
Where is Arabic spoken?
Arabic is the official language in 25 countries, spoken by more than 400 million people.
Below you can discover more about the language varieties of each country. Here a few of them, ranked by the country’s GDP:
And we have only mentioned ten countries of the Arabic-speaking world!
If your solutions still aren’t localized in your customers’ native language and culture, you are missing a huge number of potential customers. We are ready to assist you by offering localization services tailored to your specific needs. Throughout the localization process, you will be able to attract and cater billions of potential customers, which will lead to an increase in revenue and will make your business thrive.