I have worn many hats throughout my professional career. My very first job as a teenager was working as طاه – taahi (cook) at a famous fast food restaurant. Later, I was a مشغل الراديو – mushghil arraadyu (radio operator), حارس أمن – haaris ‘amn ( security guard), خطاط – ‘Khatat (sign painter), and even worked for a while in بناء الطرق – binaa’ atturuq (road construction) painting the lines on the road.
After studying English Communications at university, I was a مدير المبيعات – mudeer almabee’aat (sales manager) until I moved to Amman and became an معلم لغة انجليزية – mu’alim lugha injleeziyah (English teacher). Amman has also afforded me other opportunities for employment including working as an الممثل – almumathil (actor), محرر – muharir (editor), and finally, my dream job as a كاتب – kaatib (writer). If the old saying is true about a job defining who a person is, then I guess I’m many people – a veritable “jack-of-all-trades” or roughly translated from English to Arabic as جاك متعدد المهن – jak muta’adid almihan (Jack-Multi-Professions).
However, before I moved to the Middle East and started to learn Arabic, I had no idea how to speak Arabic and explain my past employment history when looking for a job. So you don’t make the same mistake, today’s post is going to be about what you do for a living.
English | Arabic | Transliteration |
---|---|---|
Profession in Arabic | مهنة | mihnah |
Worker in Arabic | عامل عاملة | ‘aamil (m) ‘aamilah (f) |
Employee in Arabic | موظف موظفة | mowazaf (m) mowazafah (f) |
Colleague in Arabic | زميل زميلة | zameel (m) zameelah (f) |
Retiree in Arabic | متقاعد عن العمل متقاعدة عن العمل | mutaqaa’id a’n il-‘amal (m) mutaqaai’dah a’n il-‘amal (f) |
Unemployed in Arabic | عاطل عاطلة | ‘aatil (m) ‘aatilah (f) |
Jobseeker in Arabic | باحث عن عمل باحثة عن عمل | baahith a’n ‘amal (m) baahithah a’n ‘amal (f) |
Doctor in Arabic | طبيب طبيبة | tabeeb (m) tabeebah (f) |
Journalist in Arabic | صحفي صحفية | sahafi (m) sahafiyah (f) |
Engineer in Arabic | مهندس مهندسة | muhandis (m) muhandisah (f) |
Boss in Arabic | رئيس العمل رئيسة العمل | ra’ees al’amal (m) ra’eesat al’amal (f) |
Director in Arabic | مدير مديرة | mudeer (m) mudeerah (f) |
Manager in Arabic | مدير, مديرة | mudeer (m), mudeerah (f) |
Secretary in Arabic | سكرتير, سكرتيرة | sikrteer (m), sikrteerah (f) |
Driver in Arabic | سائق, سائقة | saai’q (m), saai’qah (f) |
Farmer in Arabic |
مزارع, مزارعة فلاح, فلاحة |
muzaari’ (m), muzaari’ah (f) falaah (m), falaahah (f) |
Baker in Arabic | خباز, خبازة | khabbaz (m), khabbazah (f) |
Salesman in Arabic | موظف مبيعات موظفة مبيعات | muwazaf mabe’aat (m) muzafat mabe’aat (f) |
Nurse in Arabic | ممرض ممرضة | mumarrid (m) mumarridah (f) |
Policeman in Arabic | شرطي شرطية | shurti (m) shurtiyah (f) |
Chef in Arabic | طاه طاهية | taahi (m) taahiyah (f) |
Teacher in Arabic | معلم معلمة | mua’llim (m) mua’llimah (f) |
Is your profession not on the list? Drop us a line at kaleela.com and we’ll add it to our next one.
If you liked this article and would like to start learning Arabic, why not head over to our website and download the Kaleela Arabic learning app and learn to speak Arabic today?