There is a high demand for Arabic speakers in the United States, but also a significant shortage of people with knowledge of Arabic language and culture. The growing population of Arabic speakers globally, counter-terrorism initiatives, and the war in Iraq, all contribute to the demand for Arabic speakers in the United States.

The challenge to meet this demand is daunting because Arabic is so difficult to learn. The Arabic language has numerous dialogues and can differ greatly from country to country. Further, the letters are joined together and can take different shapes depending on where they are in a word. Another challenge is that learning Arabic is actually a process of learning two languages. The written language, which is a simplified version of the classical language based on the Koran, must be mastered along with at least one of the many spoken dialects. Some linguists count as many as 40, but the four broad dialect groups are Levantine, Gulf, Egyptian, and North African.

The U.S. State Department rates Arabic as a Category IV language, equivalent in difficulty for English-speaking students to learn as Chinese and Japanese. Foreign language experts say it takes twice as long to master Arabic as French or Italian, classified as Category I languages. It means that a student has to spend five to six hours a day of face-to-face instruction for two years to reach a level that allows for basic professional functioning, according to the U.S. government's scale of zero to five.

Find out more For information about translating materials or localizing your website for Arabic speakers, contact us.

Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. State Department