Leb arabic translation needed - "We cannot escape our fate"

Originally Posted by Daydream

You're so sexy, hot - enti motheera, betaa'di
This girl is dangerous to me - haydel benet khateera bel nesbe la eli
dangerous beauty - jamala khateer

"...ya habibti, enti khateera… Motheer" - this would mean.. "My darling/Baby, you are dangerous... Sexy"

Hey girl! There you are! Yep, I'm still trying to sort out these quotes. I think I got it right, per out last postings, but I am always having to double check myself--I am so dense!
I think I finally figured out what this guy is trying to say. He is telling her, she's hot, but on the inside he is thinking, dangerous to him. Because of his situation, and hers. his falling for her could get them both killed, etc.

***On the "if the shoe fits quote, I did decide for the Pali doctor to use the if the monkey could see his a**, he might not have danced (this got a hoot from my family whenI tried it out on them) but I don't think he would say a**
Of course, the Leb character, Karim, definitely would.
Heres basically how it goes in the book (pardon the language, Karim is a real piece of work):
“So I’m a bast**d, right?” he (Karim) muttered in English. Shrugging, he took another drag off his cigarette. “So what else is new?”
“Like they say in America, if the shoe fits—” Abed responded, also in English, his voice as wooden as Karim’s face.
“Yeah, and like they say in Arabi, ‘If the monkey could have seen its ***, it might not have danced…’ Take your pick, they all fit…’” Karim said, switching back to Arabic, and throwing a favorite Abed-saying back at him. But Abed usually said the more polite Arabic equivalent of “bottom” or “back-side.”

I would like to give the Arabic word Abed would say instead of a**

I really appreciate the help! Missed you, but I was in computer heck. Am having to replace the whole keyboard on my laptop. So, working off borrowed computers

Originally Posted by sohuda

Hmmm... ok I didn't really get what you want,, but lemme try and tell you what I think you want to know.. as to 'khateera' it's used a lot not just to express someone's hotness, it can also be like 'awesome' 'amazing', it's exactly like saying 'sick' to a person, like 'you're sick' when you mean that they're incredible.. so I don't really think that this guy meant it as 'dangerous' itself.. and 'motheer' means exciting, if you want to say that a female is exciting or sexy, you say 'motheera'
and if he really means khateera as in literally dangerous then he'd also say 'khateera' so can't really be sure.. what a dilemma, I know!!

Feel free to express your confusion,

Ok! Now there we go! Actually, I needed both (see my post to daydream above). He says to her "you're so sexy-hot" (loosely) but then he is thinking (danger!) This is exactly what I needed on both counts. Thank goodness you guys are helping me with my m/f. I did it again and had him saying something like he was talking to another guy, telling him he's sexy... That would be pretty embarrassing...
One thing I am trying very hard to establish with my American editors/readers, (they are so used to the "stock" Arab character who speaks broken English and has only one dimension) is that these people are going to be talking to each other in the same way we do in English. I even had one editor ask me, would this character really be making jokes. He's a teenager and did have a drug problem in the camps (was a dealer). Karim cleans him up, but he still has a sarcastic and foul mouth, plays guitar, loves Arabic and American music and uses a lot of slang. This editor just can't seem to even digest that an Arab person can have a keen wit, does not talk in stilted, archaic language, and might be wearing a U-2 tee shirt.
Another thing on the book that might be helpful, it is set mostly in Beirut in 1987, so its retro.
I really appreciate the help! I don't know how to thank my new friends on this forum enough! I was in Leb and Rammallah as a journalist in the 1980s and early '90s but I forgot much! Never was very good at the language (kind of dense)

Originally Posted by sohuda

Hmmm... ok I didn't really get what you want,, but lemme try and tell you what I think you want to know.. as to 'khateera' it's used a lot not just to express someone's hotness, it can also be like 'awesome' 'amazing', it's exactly like saying 'sick' to a person, like 'you're sick' when you mean that they're incredible.. so I don't really think that this guy meant it as 'dangerous' itself.. and 'motheer' means exciting, if you want to say that a female is exciting or sexy, you say 'motheera'
and if he really means khateera as in literally dangerous then he'd also say 'khateera' so can't really be sure.. what a dilemma, I know!!

Feel free to express your confusion,

So definitely khateera is the right word choice. I think the context where these are used (in the conversation then in his thoughts) will explain the difference. he usually always gives the english translation, or at least implies it.
Works

Daydream--this scene comes right before the song you helped me with. She asks him for what the words mean after this.... They are dancing...
The main female character is Angel, the girl the Leb main character, Karim, is falling for--but he doesn't really know it yet, except that he thinks he wants to seduce her. But he is starting to go down hard. She knows he's a womanizer and is trying not to take him seriously. (just for anyone else, FYI he is a Lebanese-American, posing as a college professor, but he's actually there to get his young cousin and brother out of Lebanon, but he gets caught up in a lot of things, including a friendship with a Palistinian doctor who is trying to protect a group of Pali refugees in the camps...

So, the scene, here we go:
(Nidal is his young cousin, who is the former drug dealer. Karim has a real soft spot for him)

The chorus had a string of “ya habibis” which Angel been hearing the men use.
Karim called Nidal that sometimes. It seemed to be a term of affection.
“This is a very pretty song,” Angel said. “What is ya habibi?”
“Technically, it means something to the effect of ‘dear one’ or ‘loved one.’ More loosely, we also use it for My God, Oh baby, my dear friend, my very annoying young cousin, etc. In this song, this would be male to female so its ya habibti, and it take on more the connotation of a lover, my darling—as in Angel, ya habibti, enti khateera… Motheera."
“And this means?”
“Loosely—it means, Angel, my darling, you’re so sexy-hot.” He was smiling again, but his eyes remained heated, intense, boring down into hers, like she should take what he was saying completely seriously.
She couldn’t help but give him a skeptical look. “Well, that’s quite the dissertation, Professor…”
“Yeah, I’ve got a lot more.”

Okay, so here's another place when he uses it, this is earlier in the book when he first has to deal with Angel. He is very annoyed that he finds her appealing, and knows it will be a problem for him:
***Remember his is Leb Christian, the Pali doctor is Muslim...

Karim blew more smoke and found himself staring at her again with narrowed eyes, resentment building for the trouble he knew she was going to cause him…
Fate… Yeah, maybe. But certainly one major league f***-up…
Ya khateera Jamala… Dangerous to him, dangerous to the mission, with a face like an angel and a body that would tempt heaven and all the saints. So how was he going to stay away from that?
(he is a Lothario, so once again, please excuse that this is a bit off-color, and his language--he's really not a nice guy at this point)

Now here is the "we cannot escape our fate" quote you all helped me with earlier: This comes very early in the book, right after he meets her and they have a kind of disturbing encounter. He does have a real chip on his shoulder. Being the Lit Professor, he is quoting here from Oedipus Rex, The King:

“Fate…” he murmured. “Ya rabbee… Ma feena nihrob min adarna.”
“I beg your pardon?” Angel asked, keeping her tone as cool as possible.
His eyes narrowed, burning into hers. There was a slight hesitation, but then he said smoothly, “We cannot escape our fate… I’m Arabic, not French. You’d asked me earlier, remember?” He seemed to be watching her intently for reaction.
Fate?
Angel stared back at him. His expression was still not the least bit friendly. If this was some kind of pick-up line, it was falling flat. Still, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from thinking, Arabic… Like Aladdin, Arabian Nights… It had been a long time—since childhood really—that she’d read any of those tales. To talk with him could be fascinating…

Ok, and then when we get in his viewpoint, he's thinking (but trying not to). He does not say this to her, just thinks it:
Ya Jameela, oyounek el helweh… F***ing beautiful eyes…
yes, he does have a foul mouth. Sorry. He's been around some pretty bad characters both in America, and in Lebanon. He's really not a nice guy at this point, so his Pali doctor friend has to set him straight quite a bit.

So, this is how you have helped me Hope I can get these things write. I also have a Yalla, Yalla sequence and the Inshallah we've discussed that I would like to post to see if I am using these right. In context maybe the best way.
Shukran!

Ahh yes, anything can be stripped of its meaning if it was taken out of its context, so yeah it can mean both

hey dear it all looks so good! You actually make me want to read again hehe and its been years since a book had grabbed my attention like that

Ya Jameela, oyounek el helweh… F***ing beautiful eyes…

Ya jameela - oh beautiful/gorgeous
oyounek el helweh - is perfect to express his thoughts on her beautiful eyes

if you want him to use a bad word Id say try something like

"yelaan teenek oyounek shu helwet" which is like cursing her for where she came from yet at the same time complimenting her for her incredibly beautiful eyes.. its equivalent to F'ing beautiful eyes because it has the same kind of emphasis with the foul language

Originally Posted by Daydream

hey dear it all looks so good! You actually make me want to read again hehe and its been years since a book had grabbed my attention like that

Ya Jameela, oyounek el helweh… F***ing beautiful eyes…

Ya jameela - oh beautiful/gorgeous
oyounek el helweh - is perfect to express his thoughts on her beautiful eyes

if you want him to use a bad word Id say try something like

"yelaan teenek oyounek shu helwet" which is like cursing her for where she came from yet at the same time complimenting her for her incredibly beautiful eyes.. its equivalent to F'ing beautiful eyes because it has the same kind of emphasis with the foul language

Oh that is perfect! I felt embarrassed a little to post this, but I figured if could see the exact context, and how I'm trying to do it so it will be palatable to both Arabic and English, you would know exactly what to do. You must be a writer--or at least a lover of words yourself
I am going to post above the yalla, yalla sequence, Mashallah and Inshallah--oh and Maalesh.
The whole point of the Inshallah, then also what you gave me--Eradet Allah. The doctor believes very much that God is using Karim to help him save these people, and that while he puts on a gruff exterior, he's going to come around to how God does things.
Please don't be afraid to tell me if something seems funny, or not right. I am very thick-skinned after all these years. I especially need to know culturally if something is incorrect or offensive.
I think I am going to change the f'ing eyes quote to what you have above.
***I am going to need an Arabic reader for this manuscript before I send it off. Let me know if you are interested. I have about 20 chapters down, but I'm back fooling around on these earlier chapters for the content and characters right now. Once you get to a midway point and the characters really start talking to you, it helps to go back and fix whats behind.
God bless and thanks as always!
Rhonda

Ok so here's yalla, as it was explained to me, and how I heard it used over there by some of these guys:
(Nidal is the younger cousin, Karim the older) Karim is actually 28 but seems older, just due to all he'd been through... They look a lot alike and their mothers were sisters. They are both quite gorgeous (and know it)

“Yalla, bye,” Nidal said in his usual unaffected manner, turning to go.

“Yalla, ok… And remember, don’t work it too hard, Habibi…” Karim replied.

“Yalla,” Nidal dismissed him with a wave and another all-purpose Yalla, (hurry, okay, oh yes, Oh No, Oh God, Oh F***…). Karim didn’t smile as he normally did at the young man’s cheerfulness, even under fire, or at the charming half-smile accompanied by a sweep of dark lashes, so like his own. Instead, he watched with brooding eyes as his young cousin—son of Abdul, whom Karim had watched die in his father’s arms—jerked open the cockpit door and disappeared.

Ok (Yalla?) now here's Maalesh--this is an exchange between a Palestinina fighter called Hassan and Karim. Hassan is an older man, about 40, who live through the camps in Jordan, then had his family massacred at Sabra-Chatilla Camps in Lebanon. Hassan seems very bitter, and while Karim's story is similar, he doesn't trust him and thinks at this point he'd one of the "bad" guys. But he really isn't, just kind of lost...

“The world?” Hassan repeated grimly. His fire seemed to die away before Karim’s eyes, leaving only ashen dullness. “I can’t understand the world. They weep for Africa. They weep for the Slavs, the Irish… The Jews... Why then are there no tears left for Palestinians? Maalesh… Never mind. I think it is too late.”
These were some of the most complete and semi-complete sentences he’d heard the veteran Fedayeen utter in any one conversation—although Hassan would get in on a few religious arguments.
“We’re sticking to our orders,“ Karim repeated. He turned away, leaving Hassan hunched around his Czech-made Scorpion mini as if it were a holy relic and he the shrine. Though Hassan’s expression, void and bitter, lingered in his mind, he carefully felt nothing—even though he knew the Palestinian was the survivor of two Jordanian massacres in the refugee camps, and more recently, the ‘82 massacres at Sabra and Chatila camps in Beirut.

Here's Karim and the pali doctor exchange, Maalesh (never mind, nothing, right?):

Karim could feel Abed’s expectant eyes on his profile, but he didn’t want to think, didn’t want to beat the f***ing issue to death with a tire iron and a cat o’ nine tails, which is what their arguments usually resembled when they got going… Clanging monkey wrenches… He’d already made himself feel sufficiently shi*ty enough to last for at least the next half-hour. More than he usually allowed, so okay, Abed? Right now, he just wanted an empty mind to go along with his black, foul-mouthed, empty f***ing soul. Maalesh. Nothingness… Some f***ing down time was what he needed right now.
Karim decided to ignore the good doctor for just a little while longer, let him stew and brew. He concentrated on the music and laid his head back, watching the smoke from his cigarette curl upward and out the cracked window.

Ok, on a lighter note, another Maalesh exchange between Karim and Abed (the doctor) Karim has recognized that Angel is very sweet and innocent and not at all what he first thought. He's got it bad for her, but still won't admit it. This also gets into Karim's ambivalence about his culture, and his lasciviousness, etc which Abed is trying to help him with.

Abed was saying, “…As long as you are aware—and I’m just tossing this out—that this could backfire. They will have no regard—”
“Well they can f***ing regard this,” Karim pulled the gun out of his pants mainly for re-adjustment purposes, but the line fit. He’d kill the son-of-a-b*tch who laid a hand on Angel. He took his own self by surprise at the speed and surety with which the thought came. To Abed he watered it down some. “They’ll have to come through me, and they haven’t had success with that yet.”
Abed rolled his eyes. “Maalesh, your such an American cowboy… redneck, whatever they call them over there.”
“Funny, but I was thinking the same thing, only I was thinking, Karim you’re such a dam*ed hothead Arab.” Abed was well aware of his derision. He didn’t attempt to hide it.
“Okay. Well, I can see we‘re done now… I can’t get through to you when you’re like this. Tell me, is there any small part of our culture you still appreciate?”
Karim glanced at the T.V. where Rania Amani was finishing up with some snake arms, shaking a**, then another close-up of her thrashing pelvis. “Yeah… Belly-dancing.”

Ok, now here's Mashallah, this is Hassan and Karim again:

“Masha’Allah,” he heard the older man mutter under his breath.
Yeah, Mashallah… Like a prayer against the evil eye… It certainly could do no harm… Karim thought.

Ok (whew!) now Inshallah/Eradet Allah:
Ok, here is Angel, and another of the young men--Mustafa. He is a Palistinian fighter, but also a University student and a poet.

Mustafa gestured toward the unseen beyond the boarded glass of the door, where Angel could imagine well the bullet and shell-pocked skyline she’d seen in the daytime, now outlined in darkness. For the first time, she realized she could hear—very faint and distant—the sounds of intermittent gunfire and low, barely discernable rumblings.
“And you live with this all the time… This is a way of life to you,” She said, her frown deepening. Her thoughts earlier about “normal” for them seemed a bit trite. She wondered if she could even begin to comprehend what normal really meant for someone like the young fighter, who was in the midst of another weighted shrug.
“Ins’hallah, we live.” He replied simply.
“How old are you?”
“I’m 22. I know, I look younger, so everybody tells me.” He laughed again. “Too skinny too, I know. But I’m on a special diet of sorts. I write a lot of poetry, and I am engaged in writing my first novel. When I write, I forget to eat. Dr. Abed and Karim stay on my case about it.”
The good humor in his eyes and his urbane charm almost completely dispelled the image of her first impression. Shy, yes, but had she thought him homely? His light brown eyes—with their faraway, dreamy quality, were his dominant feature. But when he smiled, it lit up his entire face. Not beautiful like Nidal or Majed, but like Dr. Abed, his face had character.

Ok, and now here is Dr. Abed and Angel--he's just explained to her that he doesn't "carry the gun" and how some of the men used to make fun of him, but now that he can make them well when they're sick or shot, they are glad.. etc. This is early in the book, and mainly Karim is just being his usual a-hole self toward her, but hey have definitely "noticed" one another.

“Why are you here then? You don‘t seem like these others—”
“Why—” The young Palestinian doctor looked pensive for a moment. His eyes also drifted toward the front, where this "Karim" now stood with a hand hooked on his belt, very near the gun, his eyes staring straight forward, seemingly at nothing, but Angel was beginning to learn that this far-away look of his was deceptive…
The doctor said, “I keep asking myself the same thing… It is hard to explain to the Westerner Ins’allah…” He shrugged. “God willing, I am here.”
Angel frowned. “My grandpa talks a lot about God’s will too…” She met his eyes. A slight note of sarcasm returned to her voice when she added, “I don’t think he’s going to blame God for this though…”
Dr. Abed cleared his throat. He concentrated hard on chasing down the last drops of soup from the bottom of the bowl. “Your grandfather… He is a very smart guy then?”
“Yes… Well, no fancy degrees—he has only an eighth grade education, but he has wisdom. He’s a farmer, and he preaches at our little church. When I left home, he told me I was going to find out what God’s plan for me was…” Angel’s voice quavered. She turned away quickly, feeling her eyes suddenly mist over with thoughts of home. Safety. “I don’t think this is what he had in mind,” she said finally. She turned back toward the doctor and smiled weakly.
The doctor also attempted to compose a less gloomy expression. He smiled back beneath knit brows. “Its hard to know sometimes what God has in mind. Sometimes its not what we dreamed of… Not what we would wish for or want, but…” Dr. Abed paused, and Angel noticed how his gaze strayed again to Karim El Azhar. “Eradet Allah,” He whispered finally. “This is what means God’s Will… Some people fight it, but let’s just say with God is the power.”

Ok, whew! So that's it for now. I do have more (its going to be a long book--already about 600 pages and I'm only half done...)
A lot of these characters come from actually people I met. Karim (loosely), Dr. Abed, Hassan, Mustafa, Majed and Nidal are all based on their real stories, but with some changes for characterization. Some of the exhanges--especially with Hassan and Abed are based on real conversations. The Hassan I knew had actually lost a leg as well, and his entire family (wife, 3 little girls and mother all killed at Chatilla) He later died here, in Tampa, from his leg becoming infected.
I thank you so much if you have time to read all this. This is a lot of trouble, but I swear, if and when its gets published, I will put you in the acknowledgements!
God bless!
Rhonda

what is this? is it an article ? or homework assignment this is too much ^^^^

Originally Posted by sohuda

Ahh yes, anything can be stripped of its meaning if it was taken out of its context, so yeah it can mean both

Thank you so much for your help! It is really nice to make new friends. I think these quotes will be perfect now! If you have the patience, please feel free wade through the posts below about these other scenes and express an opinion. I've got a post somewhere on here with a synopsis of the book, and it might help.
Hate to post such long ones, but some of the scenes have subtle shades of meaning that otherwise might be missed. Plus, if there is something culturally in error I need to know, so don't feel bad to tell me. I found, a little knowledge, or what you think you know can get you in trouble
God bless and thanks again!
Rhonda

Originally Posted by LOUIE

what is this? is it an article ? or homework assignment this is too much ^^^^

Hi Louie, yes sorry for taking up so much space. I am a writer and this is the book I'm working on. This is why I've been needing so many translations. The book is set in Lebanon during the civil war (1986-87). I was there in 1986 as a journalist.
I was having trouble getting just the right words for the context of the scene or bit of dialogue so I was posting the scenes and bits so daydream and sehuda could give me just the right words.
Here's a synopsis of the book that will tell you more about what its about:
http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/623535-post16.html
It is fiction, but the characters are based on some of the real people I met so I want to get them right.
I was very impressed with your explanation in another post on the differences in Leb aand Pali dialect. Very helpful! I cut and pasted it to my notes
I am very open to any critiques, so please feel free.
I thank you so much for your help so far. Some of it you will see in the scenes below.
Shukran!
Rhonda
__________________
"Life is what happens while we're busy making other plans..." John Lennon

Originally Posted by sohuda

Ahh yes, anything can be stripped of its meaning if it was taken out of its context, so yeah it can mean both

Hi! yep-that's what I'm afraid of. My American editors won't know it, but I know I will have some Arabic readers as well, and I want to get it right for them.
Here's a basic plot of the book, kind of hokey when reduced to bare bones, but might give you an idea of what the plot is.
http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/623535-post16.html

Thanks again so much for all your help! I think we've got the Khateera thing cleared up now for both uses
__________________
"Life is what happens while we're busy making other plans..." John Lennon

Is there a morepolite arabic word than T*ez/t*ezoo for bottom, butt, backside? My pali doctor character would not cuss...

Originally Posted by LOUIE

what is this? is it an article ? or homework assignment this is too much ^^^^

This one for you--I was told that the Jaffa/Haifa accent (and Pali in general) is more nasal than Gulf arabs, who drawl more that American Southerns. Is this true? What about the nasal quality for Lebanese as compared to Gulf, Pali?

Originally Posted by Rhonda9080

Is there a morepolite arabic word than T*ez/t*ezoo for bottom, butt, backside? My pali doctor character would not cuss...

well, a decent word of this is '2fa'= 'aafa' it means backside.. but when you say it, it is understood that it means 'butt'

Originally Posted by Rhonda9080

Hi! yep-that's what I'm afraid of. My American editors won't know it, but I know I will have some Arabic readers as well, and I want to get it right for them.
Here's a basic plot of the book, kind of hokey when reduced to bare bones, but might give you an idea of what the plot is.
http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/623535-post16.html

Thanks again so much for all your help! I think we've got the Khateera thing cleared up now for both uses

you're most welcome.. I've read some of the plot of your book, I can only help with the language, even though I am neither Lebanese nor Palestinian.. but still~
I know nothing about that time, I wasn't even born yet,, lol.. so will continue to help as long as you need any help and will be waiting for your book to be published inshallah, and maybe read it
good luck

Hey dear I read through all the posts and I can only find one minor error:

The doctor said, “I keep asking myself the same thing… It is hard to explain to the Westerner Ins’allah…” He shrugged. “God willing, I am here.”
Angel frowned. “My grandpa talks a lot about God’s will too…” She met his eyes. A slight note of sarcasm returned to her voice when she added, “I don’t think he’s going to blame God for this though…”

I would say "It is hard to explain to the Westerner b eradet Allah" (By God's will, I am here.)

Inshallah wouldn't fit in that sentence.. so you can switch it for "B eradet Allah" to mean By God's will

other than that all the other terms you have used were in a fitting context

Also Palestinians pronounce it maalesh Lebanese say it maalaysh.. same word same meaning but different pronunciation.. Not sure if that's of any importance but in case it is I thought you should know lol

Originally Posted by Daydream

Hey dear I read through all the posts and I can only find one minor error:

The doctor said, “I keep asking myself the same thing… It is hard to explain to the Westerner Ins’allah…” He shrugged. “God willing, I am here.”
Angel frowned. “My grandpa talks a lot about God’s will too…” She met his eyes. A slight note of sarcasm returned to her voice when she added, “I don’t think he’s going to blame God for this though…”

I would say "It is hard to explain to the Westerner b eradet Allah" (By God's will, I am here.)

Inshallah wouldn't fit in that sentence.. so you can switch it for "B eradet Allah" to mean By God's will

other than that all the other terms you have used were in a fitting context

Also Palestinians pronounce it maalesh Lebanese say it maalaysh.. same word same meaning but different pronunciation.. Not sure if that's of any importance but in case it is I thought you should know lol

Yes!!! Thank you so much! I have worried about this one so much! Sorry to post such a lengthy spiel, but my goodness, it has done the trick. Sometimes with this book, the characters are so complex, and the issues their dealing with, its hard to get it right in English, much less in Arabic.
Yes, the Doctor believes strongly that everything happens by God's Will.

On the Maalesh, that is very helpful too. Now with these scenes, Karim is kind of mimicking the doctor and Hassan, not making fun, but his specialty is linguistics and dialects (the things I do to cause myself trouble).
Can you tell me about the accents?
I have been told that Gulf Arabic is kind of more drawling (like American Southerners) and that the Leb and Palis sound more nasal, but have softer pronounciations. Is this true? He gets through checkpoints, roadblocks, etc because he can fake the various dialects so well. The Syrians invade as well at this time, but I haven't gotten there yet.
And yalla--we are ok here?
The first words I noticed in Arabic, Yalla, Inshallah, ehamdililah (sp?) Praise God, right? And habibi...

I'll have more soon. Thank you so very much!
Rhonda

Originally Posted by sohuda

you're most welcome.. I've read some of the plot of your book, I can only help with the language, even though I am neither Lebanese nor Palestinian.. but still~
I know nothing about that time, I wasn't even born yet,, lol.. so will continue to help as long as you need any help and will be waiting for your book to be published inshallah, and maybe read it
good luck

Thank you so much for all your help! Just little things like the difference between a** and but* make a difference. The young doctor is very devout and would not say a**.
I appreciate your help so much! Like I told daydream, it can be really hard to get the words right in English, much less in Arabic.
So what is your take on the accents? Is gulf arabic more of a drawl, and Leb/pali more nasal? I have a lot of notes, but I took them back in the 1980s and early 1990s, so sometimes its hard to decipher them. I was also dealing with mostly men (boy could they cuss!!!) and they didn't speak English well. And we know how bad my Arabic is! Anyway, sometimes, I'm not sure if they understood fully what I was asking, or sometimes I didn't understand the answer
Anywa, you guys are the best. I will have lots more. The book is only half done and is already about 800 pages, so a lot more to go. So much more to cover with this.
Thank you so much for your help. I will need some Arabic readers before I send it back to the publisher. They won't pick up on any language or cultural errors at all. In fact, like I said, its hard enough to get them to not want to reduce the Arabic characters to wooden, puppets, pre-concieved concepts... etc. And this is one of the reasons I wanted to write this.
God bless and please do check back at these posts when you can. I really appreciate you help!
Rhonda

Originally Posted by Rhonda9080

Thank you so much for all your help! Just little things like the difference between a** and but* make a difference. The young doctor is very devout and would not say a**.
I appreciate your help so much! Like I told daydream, it can be really hard to get the words right in English, much less in Arabic.
So what is your take on the accents? Is gulf arabic more of a drawl, and Leb/pali more nasal? I have a lot of notes, but I took them back in the 1980s and early 1990s, so sometimes its hard to decipher them. I was also dealing with mostly men (boy could they cuss!!!) and they didn't speak English well. And we know how bad my Arabic is! Anyway, sometimes, I'm not sure if they understood fully what I was asking, or sometimes I didn't understand the answer
Anywa, you guys are the best. I will have lots more. The book is only half done and is already about 800 pages, so a lot more to go. So much more to cover with this.
Thank you so much for your help. I will need some Arabic readers before I send it back to the publisher. They won't pick up on any language or cultural errors at all. In fact, like I said, its hard enough to get them to not want to reduce the Arabic characters to wooden, puppets, pre-concieved concepts... etc. And this is one of the reasons I wanted to write this.
God bless and please do check back at these posts when you can. I really appreciate you help!
Rhonda

Yes, I understand you.. as for the khaliji -arabian gulf dialect- it's somewhat rough, and mostly the Arabic alphabet is pronounced more correctly in it, as to Leb/Pali it's softer, and somewhat *nasal* as you said.. I'll think more of the differences and get back at you later

*note*: just know that khaliji is also different from a country to another, so if you have a character that knows khaliji or whatever, just tell me which country did learn it in, so I'd be more specific with the differences..