Karamihan ng mga overseas Filipinos na nagtratrabaho sa abroad ay nasa Middle East tulad ng Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, at United Arab Emirates. At ang salita o official language sa mga bansang ito ay Arabic. Kaya’t importante na matuto ng kahit kaunting Arabic, kahit nagiging common narin ang English lalo na sa mga business situations. Sa baba, makikita ang iilang mga common na Arabic words na makakatulong sa mga pinoy, lalo na mga bagong salta.
English ................................................... Arabic
Oo ....................................................... Aiwa/Na'am
Hindi ..................................................... Lah
Please (kapag kausap ay lalake) ................ Min fadhlak
Please (kung kausap ay babae) ................ Min fadlick
Salamat (kung kausap ay lalake)................. Shukran/Mashkur
Salamat (kung kausap ay babae) ................ Mashkura
Walang anuman. ................ Marhaba
Hello (katumbas ng "peace be with you”)... Al-salaam alaykum
Hello (sagot sa “Hello”) .......................... Wa alaykum e-salaam
Kamusta? (‘Pag kausap ay lalake) ............ Kef halak?
Kamusta? (Kapag kausap ay babae) ........ Kef halik?
Mabuti, salamat. ................................... Al-humdulillah
Ano pangalan mo? ................................. ma huwa asmuk?
Hindi ko naiintindihan ................................ lā afham
Sorry ..................................................... Āsif !
Where? ................................................... Ayen?
Paalam. .................................................. Ma'al salaama
Kayo, may naisip pa ba kayo na ibang importanteng salitang Arabic na dapat matutunan? I-share nyo para matuto din ang ating mga kababayan na nasa Arabic language speaking counries.
The importance of learning about foreign
cultures is well known nowadays. With the ongoing globalization any kind of
interactions between human beings of different cultures is increasing. As a
result, people put more and more effort into the process of learning foreign
languages. Different fields such as healthcare, education, business, culture,
politics, legal and scientific research are affected by the significance of
foreign languages. Culture influences how people interact with each other. In
the business world, culture guides decision-making, behavior, thinking patterns and values.
Foreign culture learning opens our minds to new cultures and new ways of thinking. It gives us the chance to consider foreign cultures against our own values and traditions and gives us a deeper respect for our multi-faceted world. Through language learning, we are exposed to a different set of customs, traditions, aesthetics, cuisines, philosophies, politics, and histories.
Cultural differences also mean different social behaviour and different ways of communicating, even if people speak the same language. This often leads to misunderstandings in communication that is caused not necessarily by language/translation problems but by different social acting, as this also depends from our cultural backgrounds. It can also make your resume look better.
With globalization in full swing, there's a good chance you'll be working with
people whose first language isn't English. Maybe it's a development team in
India, or a manufacturing plant in China, or an alternative energy supplier in
Germany; being able to communicate in other languages makes you much more valuable to an employer.
Exploring new cultures widens horizons and gives personal experiences. A rewarding parts of learning foreign languages is that it helps us to make connections with people overseas. It is amazing how people’s perception of a foreigner abroad changes when they speak the language of the host foreign country. It can transform the way people perceives you from an outsider to a friend. It allows a foreigner to build trust more quickly and to establish a stronger relationship with people. Also, we are showing respect to the mother countries of these languages.
Being well-versed in a country's culture goes a long way in preventing expensive marketing errors. Consumption patterns and buyer behavior reflect cultural influences and attitudes that differ country by country. They must be considered when interpreting market research used to make decisions on design, color, packaging, distribution and promotion.
The act of naming a product, service or company could, if language implications are ignored, derail a promising business venture.