Mind your language

29 Jul, 2008  Annoyances, Random

I’ve heard quite a few foreigners come to Qatar and then complain that Qatari’s don’t speak English.

To be honest, most Qataris have at least a basic level of English and more and more people are studying the language in order to communicate with different people, but at the end of the day people seem to act slightly arrogant.

Believe it or not, Qatar is an ARABIC country. The national language is… wait for it… Arabic!

I know it’s shocker, I was shocked too at first. We all know that in France they speak German, in Italy they speak Russian and in the US they speak Farsi.

So here we are, in the country of Qatar where the people who come into the country ask why people don’t speak English. When I went to Tokyo, it was so amazingly hard to find a SIGN in English, let alone someone to speak the language. Even the Underground, which is a public transport system, was IMPOSSIBLE to navigate since there was hardly anything in English.

In Japan, foreigners learn Japanese. They don’t demand that people learn English. However they’re fine with it. Nobody complains. In the mean time there are Japanese people who also study English. Sounds fair doesn’t it?
In China, you could try to speak English to people, some people definately try (just as they would in Qatar), however it’s hard to find someone that can speak the language.

When I travelled to England, I didn’t think “why doesn’t anyone speak Arabic?”. Alright I’ve perhaps gone a bit too far. English has become the world’s international language and I think that if someone does speak it, it makes like so much more easier, but I wont demand that a whole nation do that.

Qatar’s education system has changed in the past 10 years to add English to the ciriculum in public schools. It’s great if you ask me because it opens the doors to so many possibilities. Think about all of those English swear words they can use now! (That’s just a little joke no sarcasm intended).

Qatar is a country dominated by 60% foreigners so I guess it’s only natural for the expats to want a common language. I simply wish that people would understand that in life, we can’t be so one sided and realize that Qatar is a nation that is improving day by day.

You try and find a person who could speak English 20-30 years ago and it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. No sorry, we’re in the Middle East so I should say… a camel turd in the desert.

Here’s to tolerance, understanding, and acceptance to all cultures and nations. (Please visualize me holding up a nice cold glass of non-alcoholic date wine).

(On a side note, this is not intended to be a rant directed at anyone at all, it was a topic that was kindly brought to my attention by a member named Fran :) )

  • pter

    I wholeheartedly agree with you. In fact I am amazed at how commonly English is spoken in this country.

    I laughed at someone today complaining about some form he had to sign, that was in Arabic only. I mean that is the language of the law, so put up with it, or learn it. I mean in Germany it’s going to be unlikely to find a form that is not in German, right? I never heard anyone complaining about that.

  • http://www.melatiworldwide.comorwww.indorachel.multiply.com indorachel

    i’ with u …when I was in the states for about 8-9 yrs …where i live …everybody speak spanish …I dont get it ….everybody force to speak spanish to accomodate those illegal immigrant…..I m an immigrant …I dont expect everybody to speak my own language ….

    BTW … i make my kids ( 3 of them ) learn arabic …. even they only know khalas …. i’m happy …. i make them appreciatte qatar …..

    I love ur country dear ….

  • Kei

    Thank you indorachel, :) I’m very happy to hear that you let them learn Arabic. I personally think that at the moment, the four most important languages are Arabic, English, Chinese and Japanese.

  • foreigner

    I’m just amused that my (egyptian) husband has such difficulty getting around here. He can’t understand the Indian/Asian/etc accents in English or Arabic, so I end up “translating” (aka repeating it in my accent) for him.

Freedom of Expression

    Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which the Qatari Government is a signatory of states: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any medias and regardless of any frontiers.

    The Emiri Decision Number 86 of the year 2007 on the establishment of the Doha Free Information Centre marked yet another step towards establishing a State of rights and freedom of speech. The decision stipulated that the Centre be a non-profit organization, headquartered in Doha City, and have the authority to establish other affiliated centres inside and outside Qatar. It is worth mentioning that His Highness the Emir issued a decision in 1998 annulling the ministry of information, giving birth to a new era of freedom of speech where censorship was removed from local media.