SICALE discusses 23 academic studies from 14 countries

At the conclusion of the Second Sharjah International Conference on Arabic Language Studies in Europe (SICALE), a number of European academics confirmed that interest in the Arabic language is increasing as a result of globalisation and cultural exchange, and that teaching Arabic literature to non-Arabic speaking students contributes to enriching the European culture and heritage.

SICALE was organised by the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah at the Dr Sultan Al Qasimi Centre, from Sept.21 to 22, with the participation of an elite group of researchers and academics from a number of European universities and research centres.

23 academic studies and papers on seven themes of the conference were presented, namely “Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers: Experiences and Prospects,” “Arab Tales in the West: One Thousand and One Nights, Kalila Wa-Dimna, Juha, and others;” “Translation and Cultural Communication;” “Translating the Meanings of the Holy Quran into European Languages: Reality and Prospects;” “The Image of the Arab in Travel Literature and Books of European Geographers;” “The Arabic Language and Contemporary Technology;” and “Arabic Manuscripts in Europe.”

The list of speakers and authors of studies and papers participating in the conference reflected Sharjah’s efforts to unify global efforts to serve the Arabic language and discuss the challenges of its spread and teaching in the world. The list of participating countries included Russia, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Romania, Serbia, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Norway, Croatia and Greece.

WAM