The Top 1,000 Words for Understanding Media Arabic (Arabic Edition) [Paperback]

Elisabeth Kendall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 13, 2005 | ISBN-10: 158901068X | ISBN-13: 978-1589010680 | Edition: Bilingual

What is the Arabic term for "suicide bombing"? What phrase would be used to describe "peacekeeping forces" in the Arab media? Or "economic sanctions"?

In light of recent developments in the Middle East, it is essential that scholars, journalists, government workers, military personnel, businesspeople, and diplomats familiarize themselves quickly with Arabic/English translations for many of these key words and phrases. Media Arabic -- the language of printed or broadcast news items -- emphasizes contemporary terms like multiculturalism or globalization that are not covered by most Arabic dictionaries.

This concise and accessible volume provides easy-to-learn lists of the most relevant vocabulary, providing key terms for translating from and into Arabic. Organized by topic, these word lists furnish the reader with an invaluable knowledge of key vocabulary to comprehend, translate, write, and speak Arabic.

Topics include:o General (reports, statements, sources, common media idioms)o Politicso Electionso Militaryo Economicso Trade & Industryo Law & Ordero Disaster & Aid

With access to the most contemporary media vocabulary, guesswork disappears and students and professionals can begin to discuss and understand the most recent developments in the Arab news media.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An extremely useful and immediately applicable collection of contemporary vocabulary." -- Roger Allen, professor of Arabic, University of Pennsylvania

"This checklist of Arabic media vocabulary covers all important fields and should prove very useful to the learner." -- Clive Holes, professor for the study of the contemporary Arab world, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford

About the Author

Elisabeth Kendall is a senior research fellow in Arabic at Pembroke College, University of Oxford.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press; Bilingual edition (June 13, 2005)
• Language: Arabic
• ISBN-10: 158901068X
• ISBN-13: 978-1589010680
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,054 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Arabic > Instruction

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but worth the money, November 20, 2005

By 

Beth (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Top 1,000 Words for Understanding Media Arabic (Arabic Edition) (Paperback)

This does have many words that you could find in the dictionary, but it also has many useful expressions that are not found in the dictionary. Every time I look through this I find a new expression that would be helpful for my speaking or writing. However, I wish it was a little better organized (maybe alphabetized) so that it would be easier to reference while reading the news.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, October 27, 2007

By 

John F. Pepple (Mount Vernon, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Top 1,000 Words for Understanding Media Arabic (Arabic Edition) (Paperback)

Like most resources for those of us learning Arabic, this is disappointing. Others have already pointed out the lack of an alphabetized list of the words (preferably both in English and Arabic), but it's worth repeating since that lack makes the book too hard to use. Also, I noticed that on pp. 41-42, where words for various political situations and problems are listed, the book contains the word "hesitation" but not the word "crisis." That's a strange decision.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a reference book, and not much else., February 15, 2008

By 

Samuel Douglas (Fort Bragg, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Top 1,000 Words for Understanding Media Arabic (Arabic Edition) (Paperback)

Anyone who has spent significant time studying Arabic on their own will know that 90% of the learning materials out there are, for various reasons, not useful. Unfortunately this book ranks among the least useful of them. Its only justifiable use is for the rote memorization of terms. I bought this book as a reference for translating news articles, and foolishly assumed it would be arranged into some sort of logical order. While the forward claims that a thematic order has been imposed within the subjects of the chapters, and asserts that alphabetization "has a negative impact on the learning of vocabulary lists."

Any decent dictionary or comprehensive vocabulary builder could replace this book in terms of content and usefulness, while offering far more to the user besides. I would not recommend purchasing this book, and will not attempt to sell it for the same reason.