Arabic-L:LING:UAE Conference on Transliteration Standars

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Fri 05 Jun 2009
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject:UAE Conference on Transliteration Standars

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1)
Date: 05 Jun 2009
From:sattarumist at YAHOO.CO.UK
Subject:UAE Conference on Transliteration Standars

Please circulate.

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Symposium
Towards A Transliteration Standard of Arabic: Challenges and Solutions
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 15-16 December 2009

Arabic proper names of individuals, locations, cities, as well as  
titles of books, or any quotation from Arabic texts are transliterated  
in Latin script in different ways. Presentation of Arabic letters is  
realized in different forms that usually lead to confusion and  
multiplicity of versions and even failing to identify identity. For  
example,  محمدis written inter alia as Muhammad, Muhamed, Mohamed,  
and Mohammed. How can we differentiate between علاء and آلاء,  
or عامر and أمير when they are transliterated? They can be  
written in very similar, if not identical, forms. There is a need to  
improve the quality of our communication; effective and efficient  
communication is one of the prerequisites for excellence. Moreover,  
individuals may face unnecessary inconveniences, at certain points,  
simply because their names are transliterated/pronounced in different  
ways, e.g., when cashing a check, who is ِAlaa Amir? Is it علاء  
عامر,
  آلاء عامر, آلاء أمير, or علاء أمير?

There are some transliteration systems that are used around the world  
to write Arabic proper nouns and words in Latin letters using  
different representations, but there is no one unified standard used  
to transliterate Arabic names. A standard based on straightforward  
rules with clear representation is now needed more than ever. You are  
invited to submit papers that investigate the different aspects of  
this issue and propose solutions. Papers on transliteration software  
and demos are also welcome. Please submit an abstract (200-300 words)  
outlining the main points that will be dealt with in your paper.  
Papers should address the following areas:

1.       Historical developments and transliteration systems.
2.       Problems and challenges that transliteration of Arabic names  
face.
3.    Solutions viable for those problems and challenges.
4.    Laws and governmental guidelines and rules regarding  
transliteration.
5.       Transliteration criteria. Is there a standard or standards?  
What are the essential characteristics of the transliteration standard?
6.       How Arabic language academies have dealt with transliteration.
7.       The experiences of other languages in transliteration.
8.       Software that carry out transliteration automatically, the  
standard they adopt, and the rules used in those software.

Aim
The symposium aims at developing a transliteration standard to be used  
in writing Arabic proper names in particular and any other quotations  
from Arabic in general. The symposium recommendations will be  
presented to concerned governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

Target participants/audience
(1)      Researchers and professionals in the fields of languages and  
linguistics, translation, natural language processing and related areas.
(2)      Organizations, both public and private, which have name  
databases that deal with transliteration in their business and will  
benefit from the standard.

Languages of the symposium: Arabic and English

Time: presenters will have 20 minutes and 10 minutes for discussion.

Proceedings: papers will be published in the proceedings.

Symposium Committee
Dr Abdulrahamn Al-Hashemi (Advisor, Corporate Learning & Development.  
National Drilling Company)
Dr Sattar Izwaini (American University of Sharjah)

Deadlines
1 July 2009: submission of abstracts or expression of intention to  
attend
1 ِAugust 2009: notification of acceptance and providing feedback
1 October 2009: submitting papers
15 November 2009: providing feedback
1 December 2009: submitting the final version of papers
15-16 December 2009: Symposium

Abstracts and full papers are to be sent to BOTH
Dr Abdulrahamn Al-Hashemi a.alhashemi at ioe.ae
  and
Dr Sattar Izwaini sizwaini at aus.edu

Organizers & sponsors
Abu Dhabi International Center for Organizational Excellence (ADICOE)
Emirates Quality Association

Venue: Abu Dhabi City, UAE. Exact venue to be announced.

For more information contact

Dr Abdulrahamn Al-Hashemi a.alhashemi at ioe.ae
Telephone: (+971 2) 698 33 99

Dr Sattar Izwaini sizwaini at aus.edu




Sattar Izwaini, PhD
Assistant Professor of Translation
Dept. of Arabic & Translation Studies
College of Arts & Sciences
American University of Sharjah


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End of Arabic-L:  05 Jun 2009