Arabic is spoken in many countries: Algeria, Jordan, Somalia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to name just a few. Arabic is spoken not just in the Middle East but in parts of North Africa and is classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and Neo-Aramaic languages and, as it is geographically scattered, many varieties of the spoken Arabic exist making translation a challenge. Modern standard Arabic is taught and is widely used in the media, in government and industry.

Arabic translation therefore is crucially important. The roots of the Arabic language are ancient and classical. Arabic has been a literary language dating back centuries. In Arabic Typesetting was a valuable and prominent influence in Europe particularly in the field of science, maths and philosophy. The Arabic language has consequently made an impact upon European languages so it will be easy to see why Arabic translation is so important.

Nowadays the need for Arabic translation is ever increasing particularly with the continuing war in Iraq and Afghanistan where Government bodies require Arabic translators often urgently. The urgency and need can command high fees for Arabic translators.

There are doors opening as far as Arabic translators are concerned in the Middle East for the oil industry and other industries such as construction, finance and engineering. The Middle East in fact is one of the most important areas for International industry. The cut and thrust of these industries must rely heavily upon good Arabic translation. It is always helpful to involve Arabic translators since, although most business and government personnel do predominantly speak English, where Arabic speaking companies are concerned, the translator will ensure that nothing is missed that may be crucial to business discussion.

As English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the World it is often an imperative of school students in other parts of the globe to learn the language and, although this is helpful in terms of communication it cannot take the place of adequate translation particularly Arabic translation. It is naive to assume that all peoples in the world can eventually communicate in English only. All languages differ and a language like Arabic varies considerably. The structure of the language, the phraseology and the characters vary considerably from our own and cannot easily be translated. A phrase in English may have no meaning and be complete nonsense if translated literally into Arabic.

Culture, custom and values throughout the Middle East play a crucial role in every day pursuits and business dealings and this should be taken into account during Arabic translation. Mistakes can be made that cause enormous offense or insult if the translation into Arabic is not undertaken expertly. It is always advisable to use native Arabic speakers when considering translation.