Can anyone imagine the world without colors? Black and White? Grayscale gradients? I do not mean the universe or the outer space, I mean our beautiful world. How it would be looking like? I guess it would be also nice and beautiful! Has anyone tried to look outside his bedroom’s window in a full moon clear sky night? Specially, if there are some greens around, mountains or even a beach, I believe it would be a piece of art view over there.

However, this is not my point at all, my point is, can we imagine the world without this black and white or the grayscale itself, without even a Pencil that draw them? You will say what a pencil you are talking about, it’s only a black or a dark gray at the best. I will say yes, it is a black, the black pencil.

I still remember my first day in the school, when my teacher gave me for the first time couple of notebooks and a punch of pencils, that was 29 years ago. Even though I used to use the pencil before that age in some kids drawings.

The pencil for me is something magic, simple yet great, cheap yet so expensive, nothing but most of the time is everything. To write a small note we usually use a pencil, to sketch a layout, to plan a project or to audit our expenses, the pencil is always the hero. Sometimes it is a weapon in the battle!!! The UN purposely prevented Iraq from buying pencils for the school kids 15 years ago, for example. I remember in the school age we were sharpening our pencils from both edges – we were lucky the UN did not consider it as a double side or a multi-use weapon. At that age we created our own world by using pencils, we had created games, buildings, robots even mustaches, the wood and paint taste still in my mouth up to now.

At that age we used it a lot to show our skills in handwriting, calligraphy and drawing, and time to time our touches start to appear clearly on our house walls. To be honest, till now I cannot stop my hand from sketching any clear space when catching a pencil, that is why it is a dangerous weapon. Do not feel bad, I have really nice paints made directly on walls, my parents were so proud to have them there, they feel to pride also whenever a guest come in and asked them about the artist who is he.

No artist, designer, engineer, student or a writer can create a simple idea without having this weapon in his hand. One can say that they may use pens, brushes or even keyboards to express their ideas. Yes they can, but after using the pencil.

I’m a designer and an artist and also working as a copywriter in an advertising agency, for more than a decade I do not remember any single idea had been created without using the pencil. My magic weapon that shares me handling all of these duties and all of my success. Really, it was my Creative Partner.

Translation and Arabization are sometimes used as synonyms when one refers to content from any language being interpreted to the Arabic language. Yet, the two are quite different from each other.

In translation, we transfer an idea from a culture into another one via the language, not from a language into another one, because the language is a medium for this transference. Throughout this process, the translator has the choice to be faithful to the source alone or to also factor in the mindset and culture of the target audience. It is a choice between translate literally from the original’s author’s point of view alone or interpreting and writing an intended message from the target reader’s point of view.

Translation has played a crucial role in the Arabic culture & heritage. As far back as 1300’s, Caliphs would give a book’s weight in gold to people who translated a foreign book into Arabic. They believed in communication between nations and cultures.

Arabization is the process that localizes foreign text or a term and reshapes it to match the Arabic mentality. The original elements of the Arabic language are used rather than literal translations, like hundreds of English terms that work as Arabic words and thousands of Arabic words that work within the English language.

Sometimes, one can find a complete expression or a sentence that works for the same meaning in the target language like the English term ‘checkmate’ in the game of chess, which traces its root to the Arabic ‘shah mat’, and so many more.

Those of us in the business of communications, advertising and media – like editors and advertising copywriters – have a great responsibility as well as enormous opportunities as the world gets connected better and brands cut across global frontiers as those charged with the task of interpreting and Arabizing content for an Arabic target audience.

Our main responsibility is to promote our product and sell it, in a manner that does not affect others negatively. We have to respect our client and his brands, do all the best to promote his product effectively and give him effective and culturally sound advice. At the same time we have to respect the consumer. We should give true and accurate information about the products that we are trying to sell.

We work hard to get the client’s satisfaction, but I think we should aim to win the consumer’s satisfaction too with accurate information about products. Otherwise we risk losing the consumer, and subsequently, the client for whom we create Arabic content.

Another responsibility is to use the language properly. Arabic language is highly meaning-sensitive. If someone tries to add his own touch without a comprehensive knowledge of the nuances of the language, he may find a different result or a completely wrong result. Weak Arabic copy will reflect on the perception of the quality of the brand that is using it, from a consumer’s point of view.

Today, the opportunities are great for Arabs who have a passion for communication and media, those who adapt content for Arabs. We work for our own local market, targeting consumers using our own language and culture. It’s an easy thing for us to do.

While the Arabic language is not that easy master, it comes naturally to those of us for whom it is the mother language. It’s harder for non-Arabs to master the Arabic content market. It makes more sense for Arab writers to make dedicated efforts from being just literal translators to copywriters. We need to enhance our skills towards creative copywriting.

Also, we have certain challenges that require hard work. For example, the market is moving from a small and local to large and global. Its demands are also changing.

Many Middle Eastern companies, specially advertising agencies, are managed by non-Arabs. Sometimes, this results in a management that might not be in tune with the way Arabs perceive their communication efforts and creative campaigns. An example would be an ad agency creating a Ramadan greeting for a shoe brand wherein the Ramadan crescent is shown as a shining arc on a shoe. This is an instance of a completely inappropriate message for the target audience that has been created and passed by a management that does not understand Arabs.

Currently, there is an evident gap between Arabic creative copywriters and their clients, even their own managers. There are agencies in the Middle East that specifically seek non-Arab applicants for creative writing positions. Most often, the Arabic writer’s role is perceived as one for translating content that has been written by writers in other languages. In such a system, the result will not be as strong as in a situation where Arabic writers generate content based on their original thoughts rather a translation.

Arabic copywriters sometimes do not even get a chance to propose original concepts or content. Agency briefings often include English writers but not their Arabic counterparts, assuming the concepts will be created in English and then translated or Arabized. When Arab writers propose an original idea or a theme derived from their own culture and community, it is sometimes not understood or appreciated by decision makers not familiar with the local mores and metaphors.

I think writers and translators should work day and night to show our culture’s richness and stand up for our ideas. I personally tried many times to do that. The first time I was asked to find another job. The second time… “No comments”. I did not give up and I will not with commitment. While I write and share my thoughts as an Arabic writer, I am sure writers from around the world believe just like me that ideas and ads for any people should be deeply grounded in the realities, language and culture of that market.

I think all communicators should join hands together regardless of the language, culture, color and mentality and be real creative partners in a world without frontiers.

Hi,

We are online now, the creative media consultants’ website & web-log www.ajacmc.com is now open to communicate with, to read, share and comment. Day by day we’ll have something new, something interesting and something you were waiting for. You’ll find some CREATIVE IDEAS, LOGOS, PAINTS & CALLIGRAPHY and sometimes NICE ARABIC POEMS.

Abduljalil Al-Juboory

AJACMC