Browse Tag
The Netherlands
5 posts
The Netherlands (هولندا): A country in Northwestern Europe, known for its flat landscape, extensive canal systems, tulip fields, windmills, and cycling routes.
When the German Machines Run Over Elephants: Arabic Football Nicknames at the World Cup
Arabic football headlines do not always name the teams. Germany become machines, Côte d’Ivoire become elephants, Morocco roar as lions — and one verb, تَدْهَسُ, makes the match sound like a factory crashing into the pitch.
How the Oxford Arabic Dictionary Was Made: A Conversation with Tressy Arts
Tressy Arts, Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford Arabic Dictionary, shares insights into compiling the most up-to-date Arabic dictionary. She discusses translation challenges, including tricky words and cultural nuances, and how human expertise and linguistic data shape dictionary entries.
“Being a lexicographer is a lifelong sentence” | Jan Hoogland | 9273 Roots #31
He's the Dutch Arabist whose work forms the core of the legendary Oxford Arabic Dictionary. Jan Hoogland shares the inside story of its creation, his decades-long passion for Morocco and its Darija dialect, and why a single word's entry with 47 collocations is his absolute favorite.
A Life-Long Learner’s Guide: Marco Rateitschak’s Arabic Language Tips
Many Arabic learners lose motivation, but Marco Rateitschak has learned the language for over 20 years. This guest article explores his journey, including early challenges in Cairo and Riyadh, encountering diglossia in Dubai, and discovering new learning "magnets."
“The relatives are scorpions” | Nikolaos van Dam | 9273 Roots #21
He was the Dutch ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey, and is a world-renowned authority on Syria. Dr. Nikolaos van Dam shares insights from a lifetime in diplomacy, his love for Palestinian Arabic, and his favorite, cynical proverb about family.
