Based on our observations, adopters and users of the translated Arabic materials are not so much. This was deduced from the interactions with the community, and other feedback channels like those received through our partners and customers.
In an attempt to analyze this situation and propose solutions, this issue was found to be two-fold:
- First: Familiarity with the language in the technical context. Since most of the uses of the subject materials have always been in English, trainers and trainees aren't familiar / comfortable dealing with these topics in Arabic. For example, the impression received from discussing the Arabic content with some of the trainers was not to do much with quality of the translation as it does with how to communicate meaning and new unfamiliar terminology to trainees. Initially in this discussion, the trainer was blaming the quality, but with further discussion the case is more related to unfamiliarity. Solution of this issue would only be through continuous work on translation, and as time passes and material gets spread, familiarity will build and convergence will be achieved for common use and common understanding. We can facilitate this by some workshops to familiarize the community with the translated content.
- Second: Availability of complementary materials in the language. When some of the references are translated into Arabic, while other essential references are not, adoption of the translations may be limited. For example, exam takers find it risky to take an exam in Arabic while all the materials they studied were in English. Even with the availability of a translated glossary, it's still not enough as a study aid to make the exam taker feel safe enough to go for exam in Arabic. This needs translation of other complementary materials that can also be used as reference for training providers upon which to base their training materials and conduct.