So why are you studying Arabic?

April 8, 2013 7:17 AM

I am currently in my third year of university and am majoring in both Arabic and the International Studies: Middle East. I'm coming to the end of a year language immersion studying abroad and I am becoming worried because I don't have very specific goals for the future of my Arabic studies.

Some background: I began taking Arabic during my sophomore year because I grew up in East Jerusalem from 1998-2002 (when I was 8 to 12) and I was interested in visiting the region again at some point. By the end of the year I declared my Arabic and Middle East majors for two reasons: 1) so far it felt the most 'right' and 2) I was looking for ways to fund my education and felt I had a chance at some large scholarships for Arabic. I then spent the summer at a Palestinian Colloquial intensive in Jerusalem before beginning a semester at the Arabic Language Institute in the American University in Cairo, which I then extended for another semester. At the moment I am in their 'intermediate' (not a useful term, but not sure how else to describe it) level in both Modern Standard Arabic and Colloquial.

So far, the only concrete goals I've had with Arabic have been to study in the Middle East and to fund my fourth year of university through a fellowship, both of which have thankfully worked out. But beyond those I don't share the concrete goals of many of my Americans-studying-Arabic-peers of working for the state department or in an embassy or to convert to Islam or become a bilingual reporter. It's beginning to cause a fair amount of anxiety. I am interested in continuing to live around the Middle East.

Also contributing to this anxiety is my general averageness at Arabic as well as frustrations with my Egyptian Arabic classes and how little energy I feel I can put towards those classes compared to Modern Standard Arabic (which has improved tremendously in Cairo). To become actually useful in Arabic, I feel as though I would need several years of immersion living and studying, which is very intimidating especially since I don't have specific goals. Also, a year of intensive Arabic is a long time to have only Arabic classes five days a week and I definitely feel a sense of fatigue and burn-out. On especially low days when I feel very insecure about my Arabic abilities it can be difficult to make it to class and it has become clear that, on a day to day basis, how I am feeling about my Arabic abilities really effects my general mood (figuring out specific goals is at the suggestion of a therapist I am seeing here). These inadequacy feelings are exasperated by the fact that I am surrounded every day by 6,000 perfectly bilingual Egyptians, so why wouldn't organizations just hire them?

TL;DR: How do I figure out goals for my Arabic study for someone who feels very average at Arabic? How do I connect the supposed marketability of this skill to something that interests me? Are these language plateaus normal or could it mean I should switch to something that feels less frustrating to study?

posted by Corduroy to Education (12 answers total)

But beyond those I don't share the concrete goals of many of my Americans-studying-Arabic-peers of working for the state department or in an embassy or to convert to Islam or become a bilingual reporter.

I work for an international NGO with offices in the MENA region, and we frequently hire Arabic speakers for all sorts of things. If you expand your job search to Western NGOs or businesses who work in MENA, you may come up with something that really interests you.

Do you have any strong interests beyond language learning?
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:25 AM on April 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

I am interested in continuing to live around the Middle East.

That sounds like reason enough to learn Arabic.

The state department classifies Arabic as a "superhard" language for English speakers to learn (along with Japanese, Korean, and Chinese). So of course it's going to be fatiguing and difficult. You can either choose to thrive under these very challenging conditions or go on to do something easier. But doing something easier doesn't really open many doors if you're "interested in continuing to live around the Middle East."
posted by deanc at 7:27 AM on April 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

I was mulling roads not travelled yesterday, among them being medical interpreter. If you had any interest in that, you'd have a decent head start what with your immersion program. I've heard on the green that they prefer native speakers in U.S. hospitals but it might be worth checking out. Doesn't pay very well, though (median salary in the $40's, oy).
posted by Currer Belfry at 7:28 AM on April 8, 2013

I have friends with similar backgrounds who work for NGOs both in the DC area and locally in areas like Jordan. In one case I think she went to Jordan for an internship and has fallen in love with the city and she's sort of progressed into bigger and better job positions.

Are there any other positions or fields that do interest you? Support services for international students? NGOs or think tanks? Policy research? Would you be interested in working in a specific region or in the states? Teaching English in the UAE/another country (a different set of dialects than Egypt, I think, but perhaps still transferable?
posted by jetlagaddict at 7:29 AM on April 8, 2013

So why are you studying Arabic?

Don't you answer this yourself:

am interested in continuing to live around the Middle East.

Yeah, sure people are bi-lingual and you can get by in English, but if you're going to live in a place it helps to speak the local language. Being able to talk to some random old person about something that happened when she was six can be worth the effort.
posted by three blind mice at 7:30 AM on April 8, 2013

Best answer: If your goal is to move to the Middle East, perhaps it might help to reframe your thinking for the future not as "what company would hire someone who speaks Arabic middling-well" but instead "what company would hire someone who is extremely fluent in English."
posted by Andrhia at 7:45 AM on April 8, 2013 [5 favorites]

The CIA, Al-Jezeera, most multi-nationals, NGOs--there's a long list of companies that want Arabic speakers. It's one thing to think that you want to work in a field that interests you, but usually, most people don't really know what they're good at or what field is genuinely engaging until they start working. I'm willing to be that you can be pretty useful without years of immersion living and study--if you're working and speaking Arabic everyday, you'll be using your language skills and gaining new work skills at the same time. My advice is to think big, cast a wide net, and don't try to force yourself into a narrow job search.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:02 AM on April 8, 2013

Government sounds like the most likely goal for you.

I think you need to do what it takes to reach a "superior" (ie, professional) level of learning the language. You need pursue Arabic with your heart and soul, 24 hours a day, seven days a week until you master it. This is no small undertaking. This is a mission.

The world is also a competitive place. There are many people who want to work in government who have a foreign language skill who also have another skill or discipline, commonly commerce/trade/business.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:17 AM on April 8, 2013

Best answer: I am much lower on the Arabic learning curve than you are, but I am multilingual and have a few thoughts on language learning and employment.

There are few employers who will say, "oh, you have intermediate proficiency in Language X? When can you start?" However, what I take from your question is not that you have studied Arabic in order to achieve some career goals. Rather, you appears to have your personal goals and the career factors are secondary.

Your goals for language study do not have to be job-related at all. I study Greek so I can talk with people at my church and study theology. Irish and Basque on my to-study list because of my ancestry. I study other languages "just because". I think that far too often, language learners set for themselves a very high bar of wanting to achieve near-native proficiency and then get discouraged when that doesn't happen. That is unfortunate. I certainly do not set that bar for myself anymore than I feel the need to give up on the ukulele because I cannot play like Jake Shimabukuro.

I would guess from your question that you are a strong B2 in the CERF scale in Arabic. That is great. Most people never get to B1 in their studied languages. You say you are interested in living in the Middle East. That seems like a good enough reason to keep you motivated. There is a very good chance that you will not have a job where your foreign language abilities are at all relevant. That's fine. Learning a foreign language doesn't have to be for your job. Just because many of your peers are doing so doesn't mean you need to.
posted by Tanizaki at 8:40 AM on April 8, 2013 [6 favorites]

Nthing government. You can do DOD, CIA, FBI...dude. I'm so envious!

When I applied to the CIA, they were very excited about two things, having a fluent second language, and having lived in that region of the world (as an adult, as a kid...not so much).

Also, if you have a good foundation, the government will sponsor you for other language skill building courses.

You could be an analyst! You could be a telephone interviewer for the Department of Commerce!

Another option would be with an oil company, or as a translator (I found a job with AirWatch here in Atlanta!)

So much is open to you with your current level of language! Start applying.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:44 AM on April 8, 2013

Best answer: There are dozens of businesses that will hire you. I had an American friend in Bahrain who was essentially the "Western Face" of an Islamic bank. Decide what industry you want to work in, and perhaps pick up some more classes in that topic as well. A minor in Finance, Accounting, Manufacturing or Project Management or whatever will make you explosively marketable, instead of what you are right now, which is merely very very marketable. Go out and talk to people in the expat community in Cairo and see what they are doing, and how they got their jobs. Try to arrange an internship. Don't worry about proficiency in one dialect or another-- if you get a job in the Gulf states you'll have to learn a completely new one-- same goes for Morocco, etc. Egyptian Arabic is a great start-- it is the linguistic and cultural equivalent of American English and you will at minimum be understood anywhere in the Arabic world that has access to a radio and movies-- which is everywhere. Concentrate on getting out on the streets of Egypt, talking to the common people enough that you can with some effort discuss anything-- talk talk talk! Make sure your written skills are up to scratch. At the very least you need to be able to write a fair shekasta and-- most importantly!-- make sure you can read normal peoples' handwriting. It looks way way different from the printing in a book. "What, that slashy thing is a "s"?!? No way! No one taught me how to read Arabic in 3D!" Go out more, talk to people. Buy things in a souk. Play with kids. That is your education right there. Everyone who has learned the language went through this-- your reaction to the course of study and morale right now is refreshingly normal. Buck up, and things will get better. But for now, go out and work and make them better yourself.
posted by seasparrow at 9:29 AM on April 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

The bottom line is that with your level of proficiency, your Arabic is not terribly useful in employment. Its really hard to make being able to read a newspaper or understand basic conversations a profitable endeavor.

I studied Arabic at Middlebury, and basically everyone I knew there was either 1) a PhD student, 2) an undergrad, or 3) someone looking to beef up their resume.

So, have you thought about grad school? There is a lot of money floating around in the form of FLAS' for many MA programs in Middle East Studies/Arabic. I bet with your international experience and language level you may be able to score one of these scholarships. The MAAS program at Georgetown has a great reputation, as does NYU's program. They may be worth checking out, and you could really develop your skills.

Arabic is an incredibly difficult language, and fluency is really only achievable with significant time spent in the Middle East.

However, a MA program could help you get into CASA, and if you do that, you will come out with exceptional language skills, and be readily employable.
posted by MisantropicPainforest at 2:59 PM on April 8, 2013 [1 favorite]