Arabic is one of the 15 languages spoken by half of the world's population, according to the World Economic Forum. It's the official language of over 20 countries, and has around 300 million native speakers. It also ranks in the top five on the Power Language Index.
As we celebrate Arabic Language Day on Friday, it is more important now than ever for businesses that want to appeal to the Arab target audience to communicate in Arabic with their customers. A growing body of research provides credence to the fact that language is closely linked with consumer behaviours.
Online shoppers prefer businesses that speak their language. According to a 2018 study by Rbbi, the Middle East's first data-driven agency, 88 per cent of online shoppers prefer to buy products using their native language.
Search engines are a key source of information about businesses. With Google dominating 97 per cent of market share in Arab countries, and with Arabic being the fourth-most used language online, it is imperative that businesses optimise their websites in Arabic for potential customers looking for information about or related to it.
Moreover, countries in the Middle East and North African region such as the UAE are regional hubs for media, trade, medical tourism, entrepreneurship and innovation. In addition, the people of the region also have a large purchasing power, which appeals to global brands and businesses. A study by discount site Picodi.com revealed that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are the world's cosmetic capitals, with women from these countries topping global spending charts for cosmetic and beauty products.
On the technology front, e-commerce penetration rates continue to grow in the region, with the Covid-19 crisis fueling its growth. The Mena e-commerce market is worth $8.3 billion according to a report by Google and Bain & Company published last year. Egypt and the GCC region have been growing at an annual rate of 30 per cent, surpassing the global average, according to the report, and with Arabic as the main language users communicate in. The State of Social Media 2019 report by Crowd Analyzer, a Dubai-based data intelligence provider and social media monitoring platform, derived data from over 180 million users across the Mena region, and found that 90 per cent of social media posts by users were in Arabic, and only 10 per cent in English.
Companies that are looking to grow and expand in the region and targeting Arabs have to speak to their audience’s language. It is not a matter of just translating content to Arabic, but they need to onboard Arabic-speaking staff who understand their customers’ culture and can deliver the message in an effective way without losing vital information in translation.
A good way to start is by having an Arabic version of a website, and optimising it for search engines. A social media presence in Arabic is vital, with accounts managed by an Arabic speaker as that’s one of the first places potential customers would approach. Last but not least, it’s important for businesses to ensure that their customer and sales representatives are Arabic speakers.
By ensuring that a business speaks their customers’ language, they can gain a competitive edge, have a better understanding of their customers’ needs, and can serve them better. As e-commerce, mobile, and social media penetration continues to grow, and the world is interwoven, there’s no time like the present to ensure that your business embraces Arabic.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati journalist and entrepreneur, who manages her marketing and communications company in Abu Dhabi.
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
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- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
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Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
