“Arabic is dead – and yet it keeps living” | Karina Karatamakova | 9273 Roots #40
Russian UX writer Karina Karatamakova runs the Telegram channel Karatique, documenting her journey through the Arabic language. She shares why Saudi Arabic holds a special place in her heart and how a 16-year study timeline gave her peace.
What connects a career in UX writing, the practice of crafting text for digital interfaces, and a degree in law with a passion for Arabic?
For Karina Karatamakova, author of the Telegram channel Karatique, the thread is a love of meaning, of how it takes shape in words, and how it passes between people. From exploring the handwritten depths of Nizar Qabbani’s poetry to experiencing the incredible hospitality of Saudi Arabia as a student at the King Salman Global Academy, she has turned her language journey into an inspiring daily practice.
In this new installment of 9273 Roots, the ongoing interview series on Arabic for Nerds, Karina shares her love for Saudi Arabic, explains why she brought the sharp snap of khalas into her everyday Russian vocabulary, and reveals why discovering it might take her 16 years to master the language only made her appreciate it more.
Karina Karatamakova
كارينا كاراتاماكوفا
The Moscow-based UX writer blending a legal background with a deep passion for Arabic linguistics and culture.
Karatique is a blog about Arabic and the things that excite me while learning it: linguistics, calligraphy, books, travel, and cultural details. I write there mostly in Russian.
Where is Orsk? Karina Karatamakova was born in a region few Western travellers ever reach. Orsk (Орск), in Russia’s Orenburg Oblast near the border with Kazakhstan, is a city of steppe landscapes, Ural geography, old trade routes, and heavy industry. Founded in the 18th century as a fortress, it later became a working industrial city, but it also has a more unexpected side: Orsk jasper, a colourful semi-precious stone from nearby Mount Polkovnik, and a local culture shaped by the meeting point of Europe and Asia. The city is also known in the chess world as the birthplace of Aleksandra Goryachkina, one of the strongest female chess players of her generation.
How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn’t know you?
I usually introduce myself as a UX-writer by profession, a legal specialist by degree, and an Arabistat heart.
What was your first Arabic grammar book?
It was Arabic for Beginners, a Russian textbook by E. V. Yakovenko. This textbook is used at MGIMO, a well-known Russian university with a highly respected language school.
Russian Drill for Serious Learners
This is not an Arabic textbook built around cheerful shortcuts. Ella Vladimirovna Yakovenko (Элла Владимировна Яковенко), a female Arabist and MGIMO Arabic specialist, starts with the machinery of the language: script, sound, reading discipline, and grammar as structure. Her Arabic Language Textbook for Beginners: Book 1. Introductory Course (Учебник арабского языка для начинающих: в 3-х кн. Вводный курс) was first published in Moscow in 2017 by Nauka — Vostochnaya Literatura; a corrected and expanded second edition followed in 2023 as part of the three-volume course.
Its institutional setting explains the tone. MGIMO — the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, in Russian Московский государственный институт международных отношений, founded in Moscow in 1944 — has long been associated with Russian diplomatic training. The book reflects that world: methodical, demanding, and analytical, more drill ground than phrasebook. Copies are easiest to look for through Russian booksellers and marketplaces such as Ozon, URSS, Chitai-Gorod, Labirint, or specialist exporters; availability outside Russia can be uneven.
What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc.)?
My favorite book so far is Arabian Love Poems: Full Arabic and English Texts.
There are several reasons why I love it. First, Nizar Qabbani’s poetry is bright and expressive, and love is a topic everyone can understand. Second, there is a lovely detail in the book: the Arabic text is reproduced from the poet’s handwriting. It makes the edition feel very alive. Finally, Qabbani is widely known in the Arab world, so learning his poetry is a good investment of time.
Nizar Kabbani’s poetry has been described as “more powerful than all the Arab regimes put together”. In his poetry the harmony of the heart, and in his blood the melody of love”. Arabian Love Poems is the first English-language collection of his work.
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About Nizar Qabbani (نزار قباني)
Nizar Qabbani (نزار قباني) did not write poetry as if it belonged behind glass. Born in Damascus in 1923 into a merchant family and later sent around the world as a Syrian diplomat, he learned how desire, exile, politics, and public shame travel across borders. He became the Arab world’s great poet of love — but the sweetness was never harmless: his women speak, desire, accuse, leave, remember.
Then came the other Qabbani, the furious one, writing after defeat and dictatorship with the same clean blade he once used for romance. His books move from the intimate shock of Childhood of a Breast (طفولة نهد) and Drawing with Words (الرسم بالكلمات) to the aching directness of The Book of Love (كتاب الحب) and One Hundred Love Letters (مئة رسالة حب), and then to the political sting of Marginal Notes on the Book of Defeat (هوامش على دفتر النكسة).
He spent his later years largely outside Syria and died in London in 1998, but his Arabic never sounded like an exile’s suitcase; it sounded like a city refusing to lower its voice.
How much time does a native speaker of English need to master Arabic?
Many people say that a native speaker of English needs about 2,800 hours of instruction to master Arabic. When I read that, I became curious: how long would it take me, as a native speaker of Russian?
I asked an AI to calculate the timeline based on my study pace. It turned out that it would take me 16 years!
At first, I was shocked, but then I made peace with it. My goal is not to learn Arabic as fast as possible. For me, it is a hobby, something I genuinely enjoy. So my goal here is to practise a little every day, to stay curious, and to find ways to admire the language that are available at my level.
Karatique (https://t.me/karatique) is a Russian-language Telegram channel about falling in love with Arabic step by step.
Karina Karatamakova, the author, learns the language from scratch and writes about everything that catches her eye: words, poems, calligraphy, books, Saudi culture, small jokes, and strange little discoveries that make Arabic feel alive. She does not write like a professor. She writes like someone who opens a door, sees something beautiful, and says: “Look at this!”
Translation: The logo for the World Chess Championship held in Doha last year. I love how the letters form the shape of a chess piece (knight) 😍 Can you guess the word hidden in the logo? Answer: قطر / Qatar — the host country of the championship.
What makes the channel special is the way it turns small language moments into stories.
For example, Karina notices that بِنَفْسِي literally means “with my soul,” not just “by myself”.
She enjoys the Qur’anic phrase اصْبِرْ صَبْرًا جَمِيلًا from Sūrat al-Maʿārij — سورة المعارج, Qur’an 70:5 — literally, “be patient with beautiful patience”, but in meaning closer to “endure with grace, without falling apart or complaining”.
She also shares many examples of Arabic calligraphy, visual design, and creative uses of Arabic fonts — from poetic book covers to logos, posters, and lettering in public spaces.
The channel presents Arabic not as a difficult school subject, but as something to look at, taste, repeat, laugh about, and admire.
Literally, it means “written”, but it also carries the idea of fate: some things in life are meant to happen, as if they were already written for us. I love how simple it looks at first sight, and the philosophy it implies.
Which Arabic word do you like least?
I struggle with words that contain sounds which don’t exist in my native language. For example, ضَغْط.
It means “pressure”, and pronouncing it actually puts me under pressure. Every consonant in this word feels difficult for me.
Karina Karatamakova druing her visit to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Photo courtesy of Karina Karatamakova.
Which Arabic dialect do you like best?
Saudi Arabic, because it is connected to my warmest memories of the Arab world.
Saudi Arabia was the first Arab country where I could practise Arabic with local people, instead of just using English as a tourist surrounded mostly by expats. I spent two months on a free program at the King Salman Global Academy.
During that time, I experienced an incredible level of hospitality. So for me, it is the dialect spoken by my teachers who made me feel welcome every day, market vendors who insisted on giving us gifts, families who invited us into their homes, and an elderly man on my flight who shared his dates with all of us on board — complete strangers to him.
The Language Immersion Program of the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (مجمع الملك سلمان العالمي للغة العربية) brings non-native speakers to Saudi Arabia to use Arabic in real life, not just study it from a book.
The eight-week program has two tracks:
the cultural track accepts international Arabic students aged 20 to 35 with at least B1 Arabic;
the tourism track accepts applicants aged 20 to 40 with a bachelor’s degree and at least A2 Arabic, especially people interested in research, tourism, or media.
Participants study full-time, explore Saudi culture and heritage, practise Arabic in daily situations, and receive a certificate at the end. The program appears to be free or scholarship-style, but the official page does not clearly say which costs are covered, so applicants should check the details before applying.
What is your favorite Arabic colloquial word or expression?
Khalas (خلاص).
It can mean “done”, “enough”, “that’s it”, or “stop it”. For me, it sounds sharp, like the crack of a whip or a palm hitting the table. I have even brought it into my Russian speech. I say it when I mean: this has to stop. There is something satisfying about reaching the point where you are fed up with something and can finally say: khalas!
What is your favorite Arabic quote or proverb?
My favorite Arabic quote is from the opening lines of Nizar Qabbani’s poem I promised you I would not love you:
I promised you I would not love you.
…وعدتك أن لا أحبك..
Then, facing the big decision — I cowered.
ثم أمام القرار الكبير، جبنت
I promised I would not return,
وعدتك أن لا أعود…
and I returned.
وعدت…
And not to die, longing for you,
وأن لا أموت اشتياقاً
and I died.
ومت
I love this quote because Qabbani manages to say something that is very hard to formulate yourself, even in your own language.
Actually, I love the whole poem. I even tried to translate it into Russian. One line was especially interesting to translate:
I promised you that I would not…, and would not…, and would not…
…وعدت بأن لا.. وأن لا.. وأن لا…
In Russian this structure would sound broken, but in Arabic it works. For me, this is the greatest pleasure of learning a foreign language: to be touched by the beauty of a phrase and at the same time to realize that your native language shapes the same thought in a different way.
What is the best thing that was ever said about the Arabic language?
What is meant here is Fusha or MSA. It is “dead” in the sense that no one acquires it from birth as their first language, no one speaks it as their natural, effortless, everyday language. And yet it is still used every day: in the news, religion, education, science, culture, literature, etc.
What is the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Which three people would you like to invite for dinner?
The following three:
Irvin Yalom, an American psychotherapist and writer. His books Staring at the Sun and Hour of the Heart felt like a revelation to me. I would ask him how he finds such powerful metaphors for his books and how it is possible to stay so inspired after so many years in the profession.
Nicky Case, a game developer. My favorites are The Evolution of Trust and We Become What We Behold. I love how these games explain complex ideas through play, intuition, and emotional experience. I would ask Nicky about the creative process behind explanations that are so clear you can actually feel them.
And one of my great-great-grandparents, maybe even someone whose name I do not know. I would ask who they were, what they dreamed of, what they worried about, and what warmed their heart. I find it meaningful to know family history in such a personal way.
Written in Irv Yalom’s inimitable story-telling style, Staring at the Sun is a profoundly encouraging approach to the universal issue of mortality.
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“For me, this is the greatest pleasure of learning a foreign language: to be touched by the beauty of a phrase and at the same time to realize that your native language shapes the same thought in a different way.”
Karina Karatamakova
What was the last great meal you had?
It was vak belish (вак бәлеш) — a traditional Tatar dish, small baked pies filled with meat and potatoes. My granny came to visit us, and we cooked it together.
YouTube video on how to prepare vak belish.
I do not really enjoy cooking, but this is the recipe I want to keep in the family and one day teach to someone younger.
What is your favorite city?
Doha (الدوحة).
Because it is beautiful, modern, clean and safe. And at the same time, it feels cozy, and it is full of local identity. I love the National Museum of Qatar, shaped like a desert rose — very authentic and touching.
Doha (الدوحة), the capital of Qatar and home to around 1.2 million inhabitants, is situated on the east coast of the Qatar Peninsula along the Persian Gulf. Picture Credit: Karina Karatamakova.
Which book would you give to a dear friend?
Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.
It consists of short, gentle, and wise stories about almost everything: love, friendship, work, beauty, eating, talking… They are pleasant to read, and they can also support you in difficult times.
The Prophet is the most well-known work of spiritual fiction of the twentieth century, and it is based on Kahlil Gibran’s own experience as an immigrant.
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Filmmaker Christopher Nolan takes us on an epic science fiction journey. Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway join an acclaimed crew as members of an interspace exploratory team that overcome the impossible.
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What music do you listen to?
Here are three of my favorite pieces that might be interesting for language nerds.
In Arabic: “Ya Mostafa” by Moustafa Hagag. I love this song for its joy and energy. For me, this liveliness is one of the most precious things in Arabic music.
Source: YouTube
In Russian: “Mayak” by Splean. The lyrics are a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky, a major figure in Russian poetry. This song is based on one of his most beautiful poems of love. Its mood reminds me of the Qabbani poem I quoted earlier: the same vivid imagery.
Source: YouTube
Without words: “La Terre vue du ciel” by Armand Amar. I love listening to it on a plane, looking out of the window. I first heard this music while watching the 2018 Olympics, during the winning performance of Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot. Since then, I associate it with that performance: flawless, breathtaking, pure art. And also with Aljona’s story of not giving up: it was her fifth Olympics, and finally her first gold!
Source: YouTube
When were you happiest?
Every time I share moments of genuine connection with people I love. When we have a good dinner together, discuss something interesting but completely impractical, or just look at the stars together in silence.
Drißner, G. (2026, July 18). “Arabic is dead – and yet it keeps living” | Karina Karatamakova | 9273 Roots #40. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-karina-karatamakova/
Published: July 18, 2026
Please check the citation before use, especially if your style guide has local requirements.
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