The Ties Between Arabic & English // Student Experience: Emily
Throughout my time in the St. Bonaventure English Department, I have found that I don’t know as much about the English language (especially grammar) as I thought. Through taking a mix of classes in the English and JMC schools, as well as learning Arabic, I’ve grown immensely as a writer. I learned that in order to be a successful writer, I have to accommodate for the purpose and situation I’m writing. For a (hotly debated) example: In the English Department, the Oxford Comma is rarely discussed, while in the JMC Department you may lose points if you use it. In a creative writing class, you’re expected to round out characters and give a meaning or reason to everything that happens (or doesn’t happen), while in a professional writing setting, you want to be removed, objective, and brief (usually). Figuring out the dos and don’ts while weaving between different writing styles can be difficult and frustrating, but in the end, I’m gaining a deeper appreciation of language and writing as a whole.
In my experience, tying in the Arabic language with English is immensely humbling and confusing, yet extremely rewarding when everything clicks. (I’ll admit that I’ve never even heard of a “gerund” before taking Arabic.) I’m hoping that eventually I’ll become fluent in both the written form (Modern Standard Arabic) and the Egyptian spoken (colloquial) form. Many people don’t see the connection I’ve made between my writing and Arabic studies, but there are countless opportunities for bilingual writers. I’m hoping to become a copy editor for a publishing company (maybe including translations between English and Arabic), or working for the government, military, or a business as a translator and cultural advisor. There’s always a need for translators in medical centers in larger cities as well, which is a great way to gain experience as a translator and to give back to the community. For now, though, I’ve been given an opportunity (through my Arabic and Islamic Studies minor) to use my Professional and Creative Writing major for an article on my perspective of visiting the Islamic Arts exhibit in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which will hopefully be published in India. Special opportunities arise for those who broaden their horizons, especially when those horizons have a strong language-based core.
