Research on Learning Strategies in Arabic Language Education

The learning of Arabic language like any other foreign language contains four main aspects; reading, writing, speaking and understanding while listening.[i] This learning process can be enhanced if the most appropriate Learning Strategy is used. In this paper the most appropriate Learning Strategy of Arabic Language is suggested. The course outlines for Arabic language are thoroughly studied and several professors and experts of Arabic Language from Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Sudan are interviewed. The author, who himself has vast experience in teaching Arabic language, also had the opportunity to sit in the Arabic language classes to observe various strategies and methodologies adopted by different professors while teaching Arabic. In this paper the time spent on teaching Arabic to the students is also discussed. The appropriate size of the class room i.e, the number of students in Arabic language class also matters in improving the quality of Arabic among the students. The matter of teaching Arabic in Arabic only or in the native language of the students will also be touched in here. As the time has changed and the world is moving ahead on a fast pace, it seems necessary to apply the “Direct Method” while teaching Arabic or any foreign language.[ii] This paper will shed light on what is meant by “Direct Method”. The idea of making the student sit and memorize the dry rules of grammar has become obsolete. The idea of telling the student what part of the phrase is subject or predicate, or what is object and what is a noun or verb, may come later. The idea of memorizing the bulk of new vocabulary in the beginning can also be postponed. Hence a paradigm shift is needed here while talking about the Methodology of Teaching Arabic Language, under the heading of “Direct Method”.   [i]     Muhammad Abdul Khaliq, Professor of Arabic and co-author of 'al-Arabia baina Yadaik'. The author of this research paper had a personal interview with him on 21.03.2014, in the Institute of Arabic Language, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. [ii]    This method is adopted roughly by some great scholars of Arabic language like Dr. V. Abdur Rahim who taught Arabic language for decades in the Islamic University of Madina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The author was fortunate to meet with him many times and get benefitted from his experience. See for details: Abdurrahim, V. (1999), Arabic Course for English-Speaking Students, Leicester: UK Islamic Academy. See also: Abdullah, F. Ibrahim. (1999), Iqra Arabic Reader. Chicago: Iqra International Educational Foundation. Moreover see: Fawzan, Abdurrahman and others. (2004), Al-Arabia Baina Yadaik, Riyadh: Ministry of Education.

Constructing Pathways to Translation: A Study in Translation Pedagogy and Process [from English into Urdu and Vice Versa]

The study touches upon all the major areas of Translation, with special emphasis on Pedagogy (theories and methods), which is not much known and applied by translators, and where controversies still abound. The research analyses and explores all the theoretical and practical aspects involved in the translation process and various approaches to verge on the text to be translated, both in English and Urdu. The framework for translation has been worked out from multiple and diverse theories and models of translation and text linguistics propounded by various theorists. It has been devised in a linear order, beginning from text types, text descriptions, text linguistics and processing, and ending with text production as translation. The most crucial issue of Equivalence in translation has been analysed and applied, and various strategies, procedures and tactical tools for translation have been suggested. The research also unveils the current state of Urdu translation pedagogy and process in Pakistan, and suggests ways for its improvement in the light of the suggested theoretical matrix. The devised exhaustive pedagogic framework is later applied to the content analysis of four novels and the Questionnaire Survey, so that readers can see them in operation and at the same time help to confirm the reliability and validity of the devised theoretical framework and the recommended strategies for translation. The research endeavours to suggest a model translation curriculum, so as to lay down the foundation of Translation Studies as a discipline at the post-graduate level in all the public sector universities in Pakistan, in general and the International Islamic University, Islamabad, in particular. This is one of the pioneering work in Pakistan’s academia.