Thinking about learning Arabic but unsure what you’ll gain from it? Maybe you’ve thought Well, today’s your lucky day as we present ten great reasons why Arabic might just be the choice language for you!
The first reason why Arabic language is important to learn is that it’s the official language of 20 countries. And within these 20 countries are more than 300 million native speakers of the language. Most of these people reside in the Middle East. However, as you’ll learn later, there are small groups of native speakers throughout the world. Knowing all of this, it’s no wonder that it’s the fifth most often used language in the world.
Along with 300,000,000 native speakers of Arabic, there are around 1.8 billion Muslims who understand the language. This means there are folks all around the world who have gained the benefits of learning Arabic – Islam! As a result, they can follow the tenants of Islam, read the Quran and pray in Arabic.
Along with native speakers and Muslims, there are still hundreds of thousands who speak Arabic as a second language. Yet, surprisingly, there are few people from the West who try to learn it. Then there’s the fact that the Middle East has emerged onto the world stage in the last few decades. As a result, there is a growing need in the West for folks who speak Arabic. We’re talking in fields ranging from journalism, business, and education to finance, translation, foreign service, and more. Thus, if you’re looking for a career (or a career change), then you should be looking at learning Arabic, too. That’s just another benefit of learning the language.
Maybe you are thinking about a career in foreign service but you’re also thinking you don’t have the money to learn to speak Arabic. Well, there’s good news for you. The US government is looking for a few good men and women and will actually pay them to learn Arabic. You see, the American government has chosen Arabic as a language of strategic importance. Consequently, the National Strategic Language Initiative promotes the learning of Arabic and will even pay you to learn! This includes paying for language courses from beginner to advanced levels, study abroad programs, intensive instruction opportunities, teacher exchanges, and professional development.
Since the Arab region has been introduced to the global economy, numerous potential new business opportunities are opening up as well. Due to the rapidly growing population of Middle East countries, a huge export market for goods and services has opened. Add a GDP if 600 billion dollars plus yearly and it’s easy to see that the region has so much to offer the world market. Thus, to do business in the most effective and efficient way, knowing the language and helps get your foot in the door.
When Europe was living in dark during the Middle Ages, the Arab/Islamic world was reaching its highest intellectual peak. As a result, Arabs contributed quite a bit to a great deal to the progress of literature, math science, medicine, and philosophy, to name a few. In fact, Arab libraries helped to preserve the works of Ancient cultures such as that of the Romans, Greeks, and Byzantines. Therefore, for scholars of ancient cultures, knowing Arabic will help explore the knowledge gleaned from these works.
The Arab culture is more than just the belly dancing, 1001 Nights, and hummus. When learning Arabic, you’ll also be rewarded by learning about Arab culture. Indeed, you’ll also learn and like its unique traditions along with the things that matter most to Arabs like honor, dignity, and hospitality.
Learning about Arab culture also helps you stave off those Western media stereotypes that often portray Arabs in a bad light. The fact is, in today’s world, the events of regions halfway around the globe affect our daily lives at home. When we rely on gossip and bad talk about a group, it only leads to mistrust. This, in turn, leads to our failures to communicate or come to any sort of place where we can agree to disagree in a peaceful way. However, by learning Arabic and Arab culture, you’ll reap the benefits of deeper insights into the values of the region. This means you can help fill in the culture and language gap between countries. This could, likewise, lead to peaceful dialogue as well as open the doors for international trade.
The famous German Goethe once said “Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.” This saying has never been truer for any other language than it is most true for Arabic. Indeed, Arabic has had influence on just about every language in the world from English to Persian to Swahili. In English alone they’ve given us hundreds of loanwords like algebra, lemon, lime, mattress, coffee and cotton. You see? You already know some Arabic which means you also now know why Arabic is the best language for you to study.
According to the International Organization for Migration, in 2019, the total population of the Arab world was around 427.87 million. However, there are 13 million Arab migrants living in different countries around the world. In 2002, the US Census Bureau found that there were 1.2 million people of Arab descent living in the US. No doubt that number has grown quickly in the last two decades. By learning Arabic, therefore, you can help improve understanding and acceptance of Arabs in America or wherever you happen to live.
So now that you’ve seen that, in the pros and cons of learning Arabic, there are many pros to be had, so why not start today? You, too, can gain all of the benefits of learning Arabic mentioned above and more by downloading the Kaleela Arabic language app. Start when you want, where you want, because learning Arabic’s never been easier or more convenient than it is with the Kaleela Arabic language app. Find out more by visiting www.kaleela.com now and start speaking Arabic today.
Kaleela – Learn Arabic the Right Way!