Sponsored post: The Best Arabic Study Abroad Programs In Each Country

posted on: Mar 24, 2021

Adding to your suite of skills to further your career in any field can pay rich dividends. This is something you can do at any stage, whether you’re just stepping into the employment arena or you’re looking for opportunities to move into the higher echelons in your career path. 

Some of us may even feel that we’re stagnating or stuck in a rut and would like to explore new opportunities. 

One of the most exciting and rewarding routes to enhance your CV is to learn another language. 

While it’s easy to make a conventional choice and learn Spanish, Italian, French or Mandarin, why not think out of the box and study Arabic?

It can set you apart from other candidates applying for jobs and make you a sought-after translator or interpreter. Besides all this, it is a truly interesting and fascinating language to study, which can expand your horizons and provide you with both material and emotional happiness. The language has a rich composition of Arabic dialects  that are not only interesting in themselves, but also provide a wider understanding of culture and traditions. 

Know More About Arabic

Arabic is spoken by more than 400 million people and is the official language of 20 countries across the world. As one of the official languages of the United Nations, it is the third most commonly used language in the world. 

 It is a Semitic language with its origins in the Middle East, having developed at some time between the 1^st and 4^th centuries. Its historical roots lie in ancient Phoenician, Hebrew and Aramaic languages. 

It is a rich and complex language that has several dialects, different writing (calligraphy) styles and formats. There are four main regional dialects that are distinct from each other. Maghreb Arabic is used in North Africa, Egyptian Arabic is used in Sudan and Egypt, while the Levantine form is used in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine and Gulf Arabic is used in the Persian Gulf region (Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, parts of Oman, Iraq and Iran). There are an estimated 30 forms of the language including Modern Standard Arabic which is the official language of 26 states. It is also the liturgical language of Islam. 

It has contributed richly to many other world languages including Hindi, Persian, Bengali, Punjabi, Spanish, Greek, Bulgarian, Italian, French, Portuguese, Sicilian, Turkish, Tagalog, and more.  English has hundreds of loan words from Arabic that are in common use. 

The written form is in the abjad script, written usually from right to left.

Today, there is a very high requirement for Arabic speakers in the western world, as this region is one of the biggest and fastest-growing regions for trade and commerce. 

Fluency in Arabic can open the doors to important and exciting career options such as diplomacy, intelligence, engineering, medicine, business, academics and international relations. 

For people who have had no exposure to Middle Eastern languages, the language could present challenges, but a good program that combines audio-visual, grammar, literature and spoken language offers the best results. 

If you need to study the language for career reasons, select a program that offers a recognized degree or diploma. In case you want to work as a translator or interpreter, you will have to choose programs that lead to these areas of study. 

Top 10 Reasons To Study Arabic

1. Provides better business opportunities.

2. Sets you apart from other candidates applying for jobs as Arabic is rarely studied in Western countries.

3. There is a higher demand for Arabic language experts as the Middle East region gains importance in world affairs.

4. Helps to create more awareness of this region of the world.

5. It is spoken across many countries, making you eligible to work/study/trade/volunteer in these parts of the globe.

6. It is a high-demand language that grosses higher salaries.

7. Opens doors to careers in the resource-rich Middle East.

8. Makes it easier to learn many other languages.

9. The US has deemed Arabic to be a language of “strategic significance” critical to the government’s foreign policy and relations.

10. Finally, learning Arabic (or any other language) boosts your intellectual abilities.

Best Arabic Study Programs Across The World

The best strategy to get fluency and excellence in Arabic is to locate yourself in an environment where you can immerse yourself in the language, customs, culture and daily life where it is the lingua franca. 

You can also employ a private tutor but this can be an expensive option. 

There are several online courses, but you may not get the full learning experience of being in a classroom and having an interactive teaching program. 

Egypt

• The American University at Cairo has an Arabic Language Intensive Program. 
• You can also take a summer study program at the AFS-USA 
• National Registration Center for Study Abroad (NRCSA)
• Kalimah Center offers Modern Arabic language courses
• One Tongue offers General Spoken Arabic short term courses

Jordan

• Qasid Arabic Institute
• Ahlan Jordan For Arabic Language
• Misbah Center in Amman
• The French Institute (for Jordanian dialect)

UAE

• American University at Sharjah
• Arabic Language Center 
• Eton Institute

Saudi Arabia

• Arab Linguistics Institute, King Saud University, Riyadh (for male students only)
• King Abdulaziz University

UK

• University of Westminster
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• SOAS University, London

USA

• Eton Institute, New York
• Foreign Language Program, Brookline, USA
• Michigan State U
• George Washington State U

Morocco

• Qalam wa Lawh Center
• Sprachcaffe Rabat
• Dar Loughat Cross Cultural Center

India

• Delhi University (St Stephens College)
• Jawaharlal Nehru University
• IGNOU Distance Learning Programs
• Institute of Universal Languages and Education, Bangalore
• Greens Technology, Chennai

France

• Lingualand, Beziers
• Universite de Lyons

Germany

• Freie Universitat, Berlin
• Friedrich Schiller Universitat, Jena

Malaysia

• International Modern Arabic School, Kuala Lumpur
• Saudi School, Kuala Lumpur
• Baseerah International School, Kuala Lumpur

Singapore

• Al Ahdaf Academy
• Jamiya Education Center in collaboration with Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt

Thailand

• LanguageBookings, Bangkok

China (more than 40 universities in China have Arabic language study programs)

• BFSU School of Arabic Studies
• SICAS – Degree program in Arabic Studies

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