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The issue 6 of Effat Muse magazine. Look through for articles on literature, linguistics and a variety of artsy reads. Featuring Edgar ALLAN Poe's short story 'Silence - A Fable'
Citation preview
1
The Caveman’s
Hi, Life - A
Short Story
MH370 - A Poetry Tribute
To The Lost Airplane
Effat’s Travel Writer
shares her Egyptian
Nights
Can Video
Games be used
as a learning
tool?
Effat Students Meet
International
Scriptwriters
Art Reviews in
this Issue!
What Makes a
Translating
Software Useful?
Issue No. 6, April, 2014
2
From the Editor’s Desk Dear Reader,
We hope you find this Issue 6 of Effat Muse a delightful read
and enlightening. Our magazine is a tribute to HRH Queen Effat
whose vision and efforts are the backbone of this University.
We, the writing community of Effat University, aim to positively
represent our university through our aspiration to achieve.
Working on this issue was truly a learning process for me and
the rest of the team. I would like to thank everyone who dedicat-
ed their time and effort and a special mention goes to Dr. Sanna
Dhahir, the Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Scienc-
es, for all her encouragements and appreciation for our maga-
zine. She is a truly a role model for all of us.
In this issue we are introducing many new features. I Volunteer
is a column for volunteers who want to write about their experi-
ence. The Travel Writing column invites students to share their
travel memories with the reader and to expand our knowledge
of the cultures and communities in the world. A similar new section is A Page From the Journal of
*Student Contributor’s Name*. This section is part of the effort to encourage writing by allowing
students to contribute their thoughts and musings - almost like a diary entry.
In the third section of the magazine, Ling Wing, we have introduced Lexical Investigations. This is
a feature from Dictionary.com and the name, images, articles in that particular column belong
wholly to the Dictionary.com blog.
The last section of Effat Muse, The Classic Writer, is my personal favorite. In every issue we will
dedicate that section to a renowned writer by including their authentic work. Due to copyright
considerations we will focus on sharing public domain works. This issue features Edgar Allan
Poe, the inventor of the modern detective story.
I’d like to thank you for choosing to read Effat Muse and I hope you share this magazine with
those you know.
Sumaiyya Naseem
3
Dear Reader,
Here we are at our sixth issue! In this issue we came out with
new material, lots of creative input, and most importantly a
new name, "Effat Muse". Staying true to our colors, Effat
Muse aims to enrich the community with new creative liter-
ary content and expose new talents. Read through the voice
of women and college students to discover a new taste for re-
ality. I always leave you guys with a quote, this time I will
celebrate the human capability to wonder as Socrates put it
"Wonder is the beginning of wisdom".
Afnan Linjawi , Co-Editor in Chief.
A Message From The Dean Dr. Sanna Dhahir
With the hard work and dedication of Sumaiyya Naseem, Afnan Linjawi, and all Ethos’ brilliant editors and contributors, yet anoth- er issue of our student publication has emerged full of youth and splendor. The magazine has matured over the years and birth cy-cles, transforming into a full-fledged Effat Muse. This number re-flects a Spring term well on its way to a triumphant conclusion. It highlights institutional and departmental achieve-ments, which have sparkled all around us ranging from conferences, seminars, and workshops to stu-dents’ assiduous efforts to bond with each other and the larger community. I am proud to be a part of both faculty and student worlds, and for the latter I surely have such a soft spot! Effat students, you are awesome. You have done so much this term. You are creative and out-spoken. You are leaders and role models. You are all I wanted to be when I was your age. Continue to car-ry the banner of success and maturity.
Dr. Sanna Dhahir, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
4
Contributors Fadia Maghrabi
Lujain Ajeenah
Esraa Ghouth
Sumaiyya Naseem
Alaa O. Bamashmoos
Nimra Naqvi
Mariam Daffa
Meral Khan
Yumna Anasri
Lina Babsail
Hiba Al-Wazani
Saad Naseem
Reemaz Hetaimish
Asmaa Awad
Rawan Balahmar
Wed Nasser
Dictionary.com
Hawazen Madani
Rawan Najjar
Nadeen Al-Wazani
Salma B. AlJuhani
Faculty Supervisor
Dr. Sanna Dhahir
Design
Shafna Abdulmajeed
Hadeel Milyani
Sumaiyya Naseem
Afnan Linjawi
Reporters
Sumaiyya Naseem
Fadia Maghrabi
Interviewers
Afnan Linjawi
Abrar Jehad Sweilim
Editors-in-Chief
Sumaiyya Naseem
Afnan Linjawi
5
6
Mother Teresa once said that “every time you smile at someone, it
is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing”. It was-
n’t just this quote that inspired Mariam Daffa to initiate this cam-
paign. It was observed that individuals on campus and all around
us had somewhat decided to give in and not smile despite the daily
happenings. The initiative was taken to remind all those around us
to smile despite the grey areas on the daily routine whilst trying to
change for a better tomorrow.
The campaign started with a simple conversation and soon enough
the Student Government was very enthusiastic along
with a very fervent bunch we call the
Student Government Friends. Under the
lead of Mariam Daffa, Rawan Aldrees,
Marwa Ismail, Hiba Abbas and Meral
Khan a plan was hatched to turn those
frowns upside down. As cheesy as it
may sound, the simplest things can light
up your world which in turn can light up
someone else’s. Consider it a simple Pay
It Forward.
We initially started with distributing
paper smiles with lollipops to wake the
inner child and gain insight on how sim-
ple acts can
change the
mood. We re-
ceived a very
gleeful response
and therefore
decided to do
the campaign
once more, this
time with a
louder exclama-
tion. Second
time round, we collaborated with the Psychology Club and on the
day of their Annual Barbecue we distributed ribbons with the
word ‘Smile!’ on them and wanted to fly and make kites.
We put up a banner with the question ‘what makes you smile’
which received a positive response, as even the readers of other
answers started smiling and laughing at how little can make a dif-
ference to a person. We also had a mini photo booth that most of
the onlookers en-
joyed taking pic-
tures in. All in all,
it was an event for
everyone to enjoy
in one way or
another. Despite
the weather not
being on our side,
we still managed
to get
smiles from the students, coffee stained as they may
be; we had a louder and more enthusiastic response.
We hope to do a third appearance soon. Stay tuned
and remember, smile! It’s Sunnah!
Meral Khan and Mariam Daffa
KSAALT, stands for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Asso-
ciation of Language Teachers, initiated by passionate
educators with a promise to improve language teach-
ing in 2006, in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
Following KSAALT criteria, monthly workshops or
seminars are held throughout the academic year. With a variety of
topics on methods and techniques for teaching various languages
thereby making it beneficial for different levels of language teach-
ing. Local members and often international speakers present these
seminars. An international annual convention is held on the first
Thursday of May of each year and it hosts academic professionals
in huge numbers.
The fifth annual convention of 2012 was held in Jeddah
under the title “Engaging and Motivating Students in Language
Learning”, also hosted by Effat University .
…..Continued..
SG Muse: The Smile Campaign
KSAALT at Effat University
As cheesy as it may
sound, the simplest
things can light up
your world which in
turn can light up
someone else’s.
7
The former representative of KSAALT 2012-2013, Ms.
Fatima Mohammad, and a former English instructor in the EEA,
spoke about her experience saying "It's definitely not a one man's
job; it needs a team to make it this successful.", when asked about
the challenges they faced, "We owe it to those who advised us,
worked with us, and encouraged us throughout."
"Working on the convention with Laila Alkhateeb
(former English instructor in the EEA) as the representative of
Jeddah Chapter in 2011-2012 was a unique experince", adds
Ms. Fatima about the convention of 2012, "It was a great evi-
dence of the success of team work. It was a tense period for us;
to invite hundreds of people who may have not heard of
KSAALT yet and to get sponsored was a great challenge, but
we never gave up." Regardless of their dilemma, the convention
gained an exceptional attention, with sponsors such as Oxford
University Press, Cambridge, Pearson, and The British council,
and a huge number of attendees, from different parts of the
Kingdom.
More future plans await KSAALT in Jeddah, says Reem
Madani, the current Manager of Communication and PR in Effat
University. "We held the first workshop for this year in November,
and we had 230 attendees!"
"I believe in the message
KSAALT is spreading; we, as
educators, are in constant need
to improve ourselves and learn
new techniques to give our
students a better educational
experience." Ms. Reem expressed her vision for KSAALT, "It
is enabling us to create a growing community locally so we
can all share and benefit from each other. We aim to reach a
bigger number of schools and educational institutes every year
to spread our message."
- Fadia Maghrabi
I Volunteer: My Mocha at 21, 39
Jeddah Arts
A sweet experience that I’ll always remember is taking a
5 minute walk across the parking lot to the Coffee Bean and
Tea Leaf franchise in front of Gold Moor Mall. That was
my 15 minute break during the 6 days that I volunteered at
the 21, 39 Jeddah Arts event. It is an amazing col-
laboration that has brought con-
temporary Saudi art to the pub-
lic of Jeddah.
Those walks to get my steaming
White Chocolate Mocha and
some cake, coupled with short
conversations that I had with
random visitors were always my
favorite moments during my
time as a volunteer. Everyone
loved the experience of viewing
art display in Jeddah, something
that people are not used to.
They loved all of it, from paint-
ings in Past is Prologue to works of poetic art in Moallaqat.
I loved watching them entranced because as much as I love
art, I love knowing that it has touched others like it did me.
21, 39 is a two month long initiative which was inaugurated
on 4th February at Gold Moor Mall and will end on 4th April.
The event is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the
country’s burgeoning cultural scene.
For the geographically keen readers, “21, 39” is indeed the
geographical co-ordinates of the Jeddah city, the Queen of
the Red Sea.
I often felt like I
needed a specific
perspective in mind
to be able to grab
hold of the message
the artist tried to
convey.
We, as educators, are
in constant need to
improve ourselves
8
It was my pleasure to volunteer those days in early February. I
would start at 4 in the afternoon and leave at around 10 in the even-
ing. My tasks were registering walk-ins and attendees for work-
shops, answering any of their questions and promoting other exhibi-
tions under the exhibition’s wing.
People who came to see the exhibition
were often surprised to know that it
was for free. In my time, when the
crowd wasn’t too thick, I myself
would wander the halls, which had
tough floors and walls of concrete, and
rooms that captured art in the raw en-
vironment. I would gaze at the art
works for a long time, trying to cap-
ture the thought of the artist that was
right in front of me. I often felt like I
needed a specific perspective in mind to be able to grab hold of the
message he artist tried to convey. It was neat and lovely and an ex-
perience that I’d always craved.
The first exhibition titled Moallaqat featured established
Saudi artists like Ahmed Mater, Saddek Wasil, Manal Al Dowayan,
and others. Their inspiration was the pre-Islamic era of Jahilliya and
poetry tradition of that time period. The second exhibition “Al-Madi
Kamukkadima”, translated to Past is Prologue, showcased painting
works of various renowned modern masters of art in the Kingdom
like Mohammad Siam, Safia Binzagr, Abdullah Radwi and Abdul-
lah Hammas, amongst others.
I personally recommend art enthusiasts at Effat University to grab
the opportunity and visit the exhibitions in Gold Moor mall or to
visit www.21-39.com for information on other exhibitions under the
same initiative. It will be an experience you might rave about for
days.
- Sumaiyya Naseem
Moallaqat featured
established
Saudi artists
like Ahmed
Mater, Saddek
Wasil, Manal
Al Dowayan
All the pictures in this page were taken personally
at the Gold Moor Mall Exhibition.
9
Effat University organized trips to the Ithra’a 1001 Inventions
Exhibition. It was a truly inspiring experience that I shared with my
friends. The exhibition that was open for the public from 16th Octo-
ber to 28th November of 2013.
We were thrilled and excited to be at the exhibition and we were
organized in groups. It was a great opportunity to know more about
the history of Islamic inventions and culture.
Our supervisor and guide was Dr, Akila who decided to start our trip
with the live performance about Alemat Ra’edat from the Golden Era
of the Islamic Civilization. Dr. Salim Al-Hassani, the presenter, who
is the author of the book 1001 Inventions talked about the heroic
women of the past who were leaders and who brought about change
in the Islamic heritage. He also talked about Fatima Fehey’s contri-
bution to the building of a mosque and her condition that the struc-
tures would be made from what the country already has. This made
the work authentic and contributed to the local economy.
Dr. Salim talked about Sateta AlMahamly the pioneer in the field of
algebra. Her influence and contribution was so notable and admired
in Baghdad’s society after she passed away huge amounts of people
gathered to honor her and for her burial.
The exhibition changed my opinion and perspective of women. I
chose to talk about these two women because I was deeply affected
by their story and proud that the Islamic history had powerful and
intellectual women. I personally used to consider women weak be-
cause I thought women could not stand up for their rights and speak
up for themselves. Women are persons too and they can create and
invent and leave their fingerprints upon the world.
After we finished the valuable presentation by Dr. Salim, we went
out to the tents to know more about inventions and the past cultures.
There were inventions from all over the world, it was so much that
we couldn’t even count, so it was impossible to see everything in one
day. But we were happy we spent our day so well and got to know
our history.
I write with passion, love and proud feelings for these legends and
Queens and for all their inventions. We women are leaders of the
present and of the future. The truth is that women are not just created
to be sisters, daughters, wife or a mother. Woman was created to be
the owner of her opinion, a lady of the society , and a source of pow-
er for herself and those around her. Women were made capable of
achieving great things and history and our past shows that women
have achieved wonders.
There are countless women in history who contributed to the society
in amazing ways, not just Sateta AlMahamly and Fatima Fahey. As
the famous saying goes, behind every accomplished man is a woman.
I say that beside every accomplished man is an accomplished wom-
an.
- Lujain Ajeenah,
Edited by Sumaiyya Naseem
Two Inspiring Women in
History
Woman was created to be the owner
of her opinion, a lady of the society ,
and a source of power for herself and
those around her.
The images in this page were taken from
1001inventions.com
Effat Muse does not claim to own them.
10
Workshop Diaries: Scriptwriting Workshop by AFAC
The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture recently organized a
scriptwriting workshop for aspiring film-makers and writers in KSA.
The 5 day workshop took place from April 1-5 at the Nesma Train-
ing Centre, in collaboration with the Saudi Film Association (SFA).
The E&T department organized a trip to the workshop under the
supervision of Dr. Sanna Dhahir and Dr. Ahmed Khuddro.
The professional film-makers, Jacques Fieschi from France, Ali Es-
safi from Morocco, and Ahmed Maher from Egypt, gave master clas-
ses and held interactive discussions that focused on scriptwriting and
film-making. The classes were extremely useful due to the profes-
sional backgrounds of the scriptwriters. Participants learned a lot
about the process of writing a script, the considerations a writer
makes, and the importance and essential qualities in creating back-
grounds of a character. The workshops also focused on how im-
portant it is to know the character you create and how influential
personal background becomes in the process of writing a story.
An interesting aspect of the discussions was the cultural influence in
the films. Mr. Ali Essafi stressed on the fact that most Arabian mov-
ies use western elements in their stories while disregarding the rich
Arabian culture and history. An example was given of the horror
films that usually feature vampires and zombies even in the eastern
industries. However, when an Arabian or eastern person writes a
movie, they should look at the history of folk tales and legends
like the Arabian Nights, the Genie, and the mystical aspects that
arise as a result of their culture and beliefs.
Mr. Ahmed Maher conveyed a similar message when he talked
about the diversity which occurs within the same country, culture
and even family. Every person’s experience and the society
around them, including their background, shape the way they
think and behave. The exact philosophy is applied to characters in
movies.
Mr. Jacques Fieschi discussed various aspects of scriptwriting and
film-making. He has written over 30 films and he’s directed two
of them which were received very well by the audience. One of
the two aspects of his discussion that stood out was how there
shouldn’t be a strict line between good and bad between characters.
Moralizing characters is
not an effective manner
of storytelling, especial-
ly considering the fact
that most characters
have a reason for the
way they are. Another
striking aspect of his
talk was the fact that
when if you’re working
with a director it’s best
to choose the director you’re most comfortable with. Scriptwriters
and directors don’t always agree, and there is a possibility that a di-
rector creates the film in a manner that the writer does not feel satis-
fied with. Working with directors you understand, and connect with
on some levels, is really important.
The workshops were extremely helpful for me, and I ended up writ-
ing a short film script by the end of the entire 5-day event. The event
was also a great place for networking with other film-makers, pro-
ducers and writers. The teams of AFAC, SFA and Nesma Training
Centre were also really encouraging and enthusiastic regarding the
initiative. Despite the absence of a concrete film industry in KSA,
there are countless persons with a passion for the moving picture and
its creation process.
Editor’s note: AFAC plans on organising workshops in the future. To
know more about their organization, future plans and social media
links visit their website: www.arabculturefund.org
- Sumaiyya Naseem
Moralizing characters is not an
effective manner of storytelling,
Despite the absence of a
concrete film industry in
KSA, there are countless
persons with a passion for
the moving picture.
11
The FSTC and Effat University Project
On Monday 7th April, Professor Salim TS Al-Hassani, founder and
President of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisa-
tion (FSTC), and Professor Mohamed Al-Gomati, Chairman of the
FSTC, visited the university to speak about the project that they
initiated in collaboration with Effat University.
They FSTC is fast gaining popularity around
the world for their 1001 exhibitions. This year
they held three major exhibitions in Malaysia,
Spain and KSA.
The significance of the exhibitions lies in the
fact that it represents the Golden Age of the
Muslim Civilization and all the inventions and
discoveries that were made during this era.
Ironically, this time period of 1000 years is
referred to as the Dark Ages due to the “lack”
in intellectual, scientific and educational substance. The aim of
the FSTC is to clear this misconception by
exhibiting the creations of that era and bringing to light the immense
and essential contribution that the Muslim Civilization made to-
wards the modern technologies and inventions.
In an interview conducted for Effat Muse, Dr. Salim stressed on the
fact that the idea is not to assert religious, racial or political superi-
ority, in fact, that is not even their consideration. The focus of the
FSTC is to educate the world about the importance of the “Dark
Ages”. This has already created a space for interaction and under-
standing between countries and nations.
In the discussion, Dr. Salim pointed out that European and western
names are extremely common when one passes through a school
textbook. However, the names of the brilliant minds and inventors
of the Golden Age are almost never mentioned. Interestingly, many
modern devices and technologies like the airplane, camera and auto-
mobiles had their models created from basic concepts that were first
devised in the Golden Age.
The Effat University project is incorporating the knowledge of the 1001 inventions into some courses. The idea of the project is for instructors and professors to pick out relevant inventions and infor-mation from the Golden Age and to incorporate it in their course material. In courses like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology or other ECE courses, students are already witnessing the integra-tion.
Dr. Salim and Dr. Mohamed talked about the importance of know-
ing about the inventions and the inventors. Once a person knows
about the history and the influence that lies in their cultural back-
ground, they begin to respect themselves more and they appreciate
their roots more. A lot of young people from the Arabian and East-
ern cultures feel lost and they don’t feel appreciated. They need to
develop a sense of worth and humanity.
The project aims to educate the students of Effat University and to
expand their knowledge. It also aims to
create a platform where inventors of Europe are men-
tioned alongside inventors of the Mus-
lim Civilization.
In the interview, Dr. Salim advised
teachers to “tell stories” instead of giv-
ing information in white and black.
When story telling becomes a part of
education, it develops interest in stu-
dents and it makes the classroom envi-
ronment stimulating. But more im-
portantly storytelling is a highly effec-
tive manner of passing on long term
knowledge.
Dr. Salim and Dr. Mohamed were extremely inspiring and their
discussion truly broadened my perspective of the role that the Mus-
lim Civilization has played during it’s Golden Age.
- Sumaiyya Naseem
The project aims to create a
platform where inventors of
Europe are mentioned
alongside inventors of the
Muslim Civilization.
12
There is a strong link, in people’s minds, between video games and violence. Many people think of playing video games as a source to acquire aggression. Also, some studies show that playing video games can affect one’s health. For instance, it is very com-mon for a video game player to have some sort of muscle pain, attention problems…etc. Moreover, some of video game players suffer from obesity and sleep deprivation. However, Yumna Ansari conducted a research which tries to show that video games are ac-tually not bad things. The following is an interview I conducted with Ms. Ansari through e-mail .
Tell us a little about yourself. What are your interests and your aim as a person?
My name is Yumna Aziz and I’m a Computer
Science student in my junior year. Some random
things about myself: I’m a dreamer, I’m an ex-
pert in procrastination and I have an odd obses-
sion with cute things, especially cats and stuffed
seals. I’m an avid reader and I love reading all
types of books that catch my interest, although
fantasy novels are a particular favorite. I consid-
er myself a gamer – and almost failed sixth
grade because I found defeating The Page Mas-
ter a lot more interesting than reading my text books.
Over the past year, I’ve realized I have an interest in changing the
way the educational system is currently implemented and I hope I
can contribute to such a change through my passion for video
games. My dream is to become the best at what I do and make my
parents proud of me, inshaAllah.
Your presentation at the L&T Conference was about Video Games
and learning. What led you to pursue a research in the subject?
It all started after I decided to present video games as a solution to
the problems in the educational system in one of my research
courses. I began by having an abstract idea of the game based off
of the educational games I played as a child. As I delved deeper
into the subject, scrolling through research papers, articles and
books, I realized that video games have a huge potential of being
used as teaching tools, in theory and in practice. I also realized that
commercial games – although primarily being sources of entertain-
ment - have a lot to offer when it comes to learning from them.
This finding made me re-think of all the games I’ve played/still
play in a new light. When I heard that this year’s L&T would be on
MOOCs and I might even have the opportunity to participate as a
speaker, I decided to concentrate my research on a single genre. I
chose Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games because
not only do such games develop problem solving skills, but they
also develop team working and communication skills. And these
skills are exactly what are needed in the workforce today.
What was the main focus of your research? What results did you
obtain?
My research mainly focused on the appeal of MMOPGs as teach-
ing tools and the skills that can be learned through them from a
student’s perspective. I had students fill out a questionnaire online
and also passed out hard copies of the questionnaire at Jeddah
Prep. The results showed that majority of the students that play
MMOPGS said that
they developed team working, problem solving
and observational
skills as a result. It
also showed that
most of the students
believe that
MMOPGs should be
used in the classroom
to teach because it
would be a ‘fun’,
‘interactive’ method
of learning. They also pointed out that video games help present
information in different contexts and encourage the player to use
their imagination.
Do you plan on pursuing further study on the subject?
I certainly hope so. There is so much to learn and explore
in this field from the attitudes of teachers towards the subject to the
different ways video games can be used to teach. Another way of
looking at this topic is to ask whether the features of video games
can be implemented in real life. ...Cont..
Video Games and Learning
The results showed that majority of the
students that play MMOPGS said that
they developed team working, problem
solving and observational skills as a
result.
13
I believe it’s a wide known fact that where schools have failed to
grasp the student’s attention, video games have succeeded. And if
we were ever to revolutionize the educational system, we first
need to understand what drives a player to spend hours playing a
video game while neglecting their school work. And if educators
and game designers succeed in bringing those elements into the
classroom, then, and only then can the educational system trans-
form to match the needs of today’s learners.
What is your advice to students who are working on research?
Although research can be long and tedious at times, it is a re-
warding experience. I would suggest choosing a topic that inter-
ests you to ensure you don’t give up half way. And do lots and
lots of reading. Sometimes, people have certain biases on a topic
and reading can certainly change their perspective. Reading al-
lows one to open their mind to possibilities which would never
have been an option in the past. Reading the researches of others
also helps you formulate your own research questions and prob-
lems. It provides you with guidelines to help you get started on
your research and exposes you to different approaches. And final-
ly, I would suggest you start writing – even if you don’t feel con-
fident in your writing ability. Because you will never know what
you can and cannot do until you try.
- Abrar Jehad Swailem
Ali Essafi is a Moroccan film director with a unique Arabic
message. Effat Muse met Mr. Alsafi in a screenwriting workshop held
by AFAC company at Nesmah Center on the 2nd of April.
Tell us a little about yourself:
Well you know my name, Ali Essafi from Morocco. I make motiva-
tional and realistic films, not really the fictional type. I am very curi-
ous to explore and film the historical sites in the Kingdom.
You mentioned in your talk that you have longed to come to Saudi
Arabia, how do you feel that you are here?
This is my first time to Saudi Arabia and I have only been to Jeddah. I
am very happy to be here because I was very curious about Saudi
Arabia. We hear a lot about it from afar and we come across some
clichés. So I have been very fortunate to come here and have such an
exchange with Saudi youth.
How did you find this workshop?
To be honest, I was very surprised to see such zeal and thirst for the
field of cinema here. It is very evident that the youth here is adamant
to discuss their social issues and has a great deal of curiosity towards
other cultures.
You mentioned that you had clichés about us, can you mention one?
Well we always here about the segregation between men and women
here in public places. We don’t know how to imagine that or what to
think of it. I used to think that there would be partitions everywhere.
But so far, from my stay in Jeddah, I found this to be untrue.
Our final question is, what is the message that you would like to con-
vey to anyone who would to pursue screenwriting or film directing?
As I have mentioned in my talk, as Arabs we must address our visual
sites and symbols in order to produce new and creative content. We
must look into our history and calligraphy. We must create our own
schools of art. There must be a unique Saudi style.
- Afnan Linjawi
….Video Games and Learning
Reading allows one to open their mind to
possibilities which would never have been
an option in the past.
An interview with Mr. Ali Essafi
Picture taken from the internet.
14
Literature Corner At Effat
15
A question readers are often asked is whether they prefer reading
physical, tangible books or online versions which can be carried any-
where, read on most smart devices and are easily accessible. Personal-
ly I’ve always been partial (I absolutely detest ebooks) to an actual
book that definitely takes up a lot of space in my handbag. People
who prefer ebooks have the advantage of reading wherever they go,
even at a boring wedding where the bride shows up at 2 in the night.
(Not a party rocker? Flip out your phone and pretend you’re busy
while you catch up with your favourite character!) If you’re someone
who is adamant on reading from paper, you will agree that it’s not
easy getting your hands on any book you like in this part of the world.
The collection in Jeddah bookstores is sadly limited. However, regard-
less of all that, there is an interesting relationship between book lovers
and the online world.
While you may hop the Google
bandwagon to look for the ebook of your
desire, there is a deeper and more intricate
world out there for you to explore. The
world of online Literature magazines and
blogs. From readers, writers to editors and
publishers; everyone is involved in ex-
pressing their views about books and art
through Tweets, Facebook statuses, Insta-
gram posts, or even Tumblr shares. In this review I’m going to tell
you about an online magazine that I personally recommend, and
which keeps me in the modern Art and Literature loop.
Warning: This post contains highly useful information that may cause
an increase in your intellect and knowledge!
GRANTA: Found in 1889 by a group of Cambridge students, Granta
has come a long way to become one of the most wide-read Literature
magazines around the world. The magazine was named after the river
Granta near Cambridge in England, and retains it’s original name to
this day. Having featured new writings of celebrated writers like Syl-
via Plath, Michael Frayn, and Ted Hughes, Granta has established
itself in the online and print world and has become one of the hotspots
for lovers of the written word.
It includes archives of memoirs, essays, fiction, poetry and
modern photojournalism. It’s one of the best places where you can
find about upcoming new writers, interviews of reputable writers from
all around the world, and poetry and essays. In praise for the excep-
tional magazine, the Observer wrote: “Granta has its face pressed
firmly against the window, determined to witness the world.”
It’s super easy to create an account on the Granta website. You can
also subscribe to the monthly newsletter which can be read on your
smartphone, anywhere you go, anytime you like!
This online magazine is often my morning cup of coffee. I enjoy
browsing through it on my 20 minute car ride to Uni, and I suggest
you find your 20 minutes too! Granta 127 is the most recent issue
of Granta. It focuses on Japanese contemporary literature and is
available online on their website.
Granta Books is the official publishing division of Granta. Various
novels published by Granta Books have won awards for their liter-
ary excellence. Website: http://www.granta.com/
- Sumaiyya Naseem
“What is the secret to happiness?” we often ask ourselves that
question over and over again, but we don’t quite know how to answer
it. Some say money and success, others say family and friends. Rich-
ard Templar helps answer that question by saying:
“It is quite simply how you feel inside, how you affect people
around you, what sort of friend, partner, and parent are you,
what sort of impact you make on the world, and what sort of
impression you leave in your wake.”
His International bestseller book “The Rules of Life” is a life-
coaching book that helps and motivates a person to live a happy
and successful life. The book contains a set of 106 rules - each
rule with an explanation of why and how it will be useful in life.
It is also divided into four areas: Rules for the self, partnership
rules, family and friends rules, and social rules. Some of the
rules are common sense but Templar explains it in a way that
make you wonder, “Why haven’t I thought of it like that before?”
Granta—Online Literature World
Book Blabber: Rules of Life
“Granta has its face
pressed firmly
against the window,
determined to witness
the world.”
16
I have found all the rules interesting but here are some of the rules that
stood out for me:
Rule 4: Be flexible in your thinking. “Try to see life not as the
enemy, but as a friendly sparring partner.”
Rule 18: Aim to be the very best at everything you do – not sec-
ond best. “Failing is fine. Aiming for second
best isn’t.”
Rule 20: Don’t be afraid to dream. “Plans have
to be realistic; Dreams don’t.”
Rule 102: Be part of the solution not the prob-
lem.
Rule 103: Check what history would say about you.
-Esraa Ghouth
You didn’t kill me and so I love you. I was very afraid of life. I used to sit up hours in the night, in cun-
ning darkness, thinking about a lot of things that never mattered, con-templating and driving my energy away. It would tire me, and I would slump back to bed, only to do it the next day; all over again. Thank god that has mostly stopped. I'd have lost all my black hair of gore. That same ugly hair you now love. I'm not afraid anymore. I am breathing, curling, expanding and closing like a flower that blooms at 2 in the night. I used to mope around all day. Like Bella Swan, I'm afraid. I had hol-low eyes, I'd stare into space with a wall separating my vision and my sight. I'd make people feel sorry they talked to me. I didn't make any efforts to be lovely. I waited for people to leave me. I sat alone and when I felt someone approaching me, I'd take out a grave from my bag and bury myself in it. I wore headphones that played silence like a requiem. I looked like a person but I was actually a stick covered in flesh. I was an empty shell. There was a lot of depth about me, but none of it was deep or meaningful. I was a bottle of water with openings that leaked.
The dark under my eyes only became darker each week and looked more like me. I was bitter all the time. I felt like a fallen superhero. My life was a big tragedy. I needed change but never wanted it. I had become com-fortable in my pale skin. My clothes hung around me like beggars around a fancy car. I never got excited about anything other than haing the home all to myself. And as soon as everyone left, I'd switch off all the lights and write “Hi, Life” on my skin. Then I'd fall asleep after thinking a thousand things that were like a shovel upon my soul. I'd wake up in the dead of the night, have a can of coke while survey-ing the 50 missed calls on my phone. I'd left my family waiting out-
side the door until it had to be broken into. Once again. Life was fed up with me, but I thought it was the other way. I laughed when girls swooned over love songs and Johnny Depp. I thought Larry King Live was an old man taking his Monday Night Club too seriously. Harry Potter was a writer and J.K. Rowling his mother.
I was convinced I knew everything. I was convinced I had the world figured out all on my own and that everyone else was living it the wrong way. I knew I was right and during my moping sessions, I'd grrr about how people had no idea what fools they were. I was right and they were wrong and I was unhappy. One day I picked up the scissors and made a doll out of my hair. Then I walked right into you. Kind of bumped, actually. I swore at you, asked you to mind where you were going and said some other nasty things. Then you moved to the side to let me pass. I was facing a blank wall. I don't know how that bump in the corridor grew into a laugh on the swings. You told me my awful hair was nice, and I told you smelled like mice. You told me my quietness made me a poet, and I told you I wish we’d never met. You told me you loved me and I wrote you a note that went something like this…. Well, I’ve forgotten what I’d written but I remember you told me it was the nicest thing you’d read. My life was a silent, shaky town, but now I’m good at holding hands and the upside down frown. Many days have passed, and I still have my ugly hair and the terrible pale skin, except it blushes around you. Often my nights are spent in the dark and you write on my skin, “Hi, Life”. You changed me but you didn’t kill who I was. I wrote you this terrible poem that looks like a story; or maybe it’s a story that reads like a poem. But somewhere in the beginning there is an end and in the end, a beginning. Well, we’re at the end, so let’s begin another story.
Sumaiyya Naseem
Super Short Story: Hi, Life
I am breathing, curling, expanding
and closing like a flower that blooms
at 2 in the night.
What does
history say
about you?
17
The novel “Pride and Prejudice” was written by Jane Austen
in 1813. Jane Austen was an English novelist of romantic fiction and
is considered one of the most widely read writers in English literature.
Her writings began with epistolary novels and her most famous novels
are Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and
Emma. Different movies were based on “Pride and Prejudice.” One of
the distinguished movies adaptations of the novel is Pride and Preju-
dice of 2005.
The novel’s theme dis-
cusses marriage issues
related to social class
during 19th century, but
for the protagonists of the
novel, Elizabeth Bennet
& Mr. Darcy it is much
more than that. They ac-
tually face their pride and
prejudice, which act as obstacles preventing them from falling in love
and finally getting married. The movie tries to translate the written
words into visual projections to depict the novel’s theme as much as
possible. Thus, if we compare the 2005 movie production with the
original novel we can sense that the movie is faithful to the original
theme. The movie beautifully depicts the life of the 19th century with
its settings and wonderful costumes. The movie beautifully shows the
conflicts and growth of the
characters into their true
form. For example, the
scene in the rain where
Darcy and Lizzie have an
angry argument is the point
where the pride and preju-
dice of the two characters
fall apart and the true emo-
tions of love is revealed.
If we compare the original novel with the 2005 movie pro-
duction - not only through the theme, but also through the characters -
we will notice that they made the audience visualize the novel in their
heart and body.
In conclusion, I am in love with “Pride and Prejudice” and
consider it one of the greatest works of Austen that was adapted suc-
cessfully into a movie. The book and the movie let you experience the
19th century life by involving your imagination and enhancing your
viewing experience. I recommend everyone to read the novel and then
watch the movie.
- Alaa O. Bamashmoos
Boovie Review: Pride and Prejudice
Cut out your excessive nostrils, old male
& eliminate that spray deodorant of yours, as well
Intolerable odor; I'm smothered, a hypocrite aroma of rotten Ginger
ale
Don't you comprehend the extent of your own stink, reek, & smell?
Through a wide open mouth and streaming cold saliva, I severely
inhaled
Pausing my lungs, fully occupied, wide, and set still
I rushed fleeing away from you & such surrounding filth
Brushing greens, under refreshing light, I stopped on the land's hill
& coughed out the excessive trapped air that was built
Oh, how much it made me extremely appalled and merely ill
But as of now, cleared from waves of windy weather, hit by wind-
mills
My system, distant away from your scent, had felt once again so
swell
- Salma B. Aljuhani
“Be positive”, a phrase that we often
hear from people in certain situations.
Well, it’s easier said than done, espe-
cially when we face difficulties or when
in distress. We can be positive when
things are going as desired but once when we face serious issues,
negative thoughts start haunting us. The actual question is not how
to be positive but rather how to “remain” positive.
I think it is really important to ask ourselves this question and come
up with answers because once we do; I assure you it will definitely
be a turning point.
I have come up with an answer myself. I have come to realize that
being thankful works like magic because - what is actually happen-
ing? You are focusing on the good and this gives you a rest from
thinking of the difficulties you are facing.
I wake up everyday embracing my blessings and thanking God for
everything. This helped me change the way I look at things. It made
me reach a level of satisfaction of who I am and everything that I
have. Nonetheless, It did not stop me from striving to be better. It is
something that pushes me.
So here is a thought to consider: Choose something to be
thankful for everyday and this will become a habit.
The Poetics : Alpha Male
A Page From the Journal of -
Remaaz Hetaimish
Being thankful
works like
magic
18
It’s summer 2012, and with both my elder siblings in London, my
parents and I have no plans of going out of Jeddah for the summer.
Then one day, I was told I have a flight to Egypt in less than 12
hours. – A surprise from my father that got me all perked up.
And so, the 4 day trip began.
Day 1: The Giza Pyramids
As the sun was setting we saw the breath-taking Pyramids. We stood
in a balcony so we could get a good view. High up in the sky the wind
was blowing in my face. With shaky legs, goosebumps, I had tears
rolling down my face, I watched the most amazing way anything has
ever lit up. Pink, Green, Blue and a wide variety of shades of colours
reflected on the Pyramids. Artificially dressed up mummy dummies
danced around with the most unique kind of scary grace. Bold Egyp-
tian voices narrated the Pharaoh's legendary stories. Spectacular Egyp-
tian instrumental music was pouring into my ears and would some-
times reach deafening levels. Lights playing with the
pyramids enhanced the beauty of the view. The Sun and
Light Giza show changed my world. I lived a dream
with eyes wide open. I no more believe in the phrase
'Nothing's perfect', because the Sun and Light Giza
Show was.
Day 2: Exploring Cairo
It was now time for a reality check. From the wonder,
the pyramids, stooping down to the real business. The
local places. Down to the core of Egypt we went and started our jour-
ney of the second day. Narrow crooked and rough paths. With humidi-
ty on our skin and the sounds of shop keepers shouting out glorious
deals, “Free free! Two on one free!” we roamed around the local mar-
kets in this blazing heat. Streets had a peculiar smell, like that of a
thousand workers sweating. Among the items being sold was hand-
made pottery and tiny little mummy sculptures. Then we proceeded to
the modern areas like the busy malls and community hotspots. We
visited shops with the most amazing paintings and historic sculptures.
I sat on an original
throne and saw actual tombs.
Day 3: History at its best
With the early morning breeze and breakfast in bed, the day began
calm and beautiful. Little did I know my day would end up
with Mummies gawking at me. Today was the turn for several hours
of exploring the Oldest Museum in the world. The coffins, the shields,
enormous earrings, rings, and even bullets made of gold. All belonged
to kings and queens of Ancient Egypt. Oh boy, the feeling you get in a
room full of Mummies with you being the only one not dead since a
1000 years. Left alone in a dark, cold room, with a heavy, manly his-
toric voice bursting from overhead speakers, coming out of nowhere
to tell me the history of each mummy. It was pure adrenaline rush. I
could hear my pulse throbbing in my ears. We saw the most historic,
the scariest, the most fascinating, and the most unbelievable sculp-
tures. Carved with ancient skills. We ended the day with an early sup-
per. Feasting on barbecued chicken marinated with Egyptian herbs.
Mouth watering, sizzling dishes arrived at our tables and the smell
filled the air around us. We dug in like hungry tired tourists.
Day 4: The River Nile
“Beautiful.” for the Nile is an understatement. I was be-
neath the sky and the moon followed me. It was our last
day and we spent it in our hotel packing up and our night
cruising The River Nile. There were tall and short build-
ings all around us. Right in the middle of the city, the
river Nile was flowing. Moonlight bounced off of the
water as I stood at the edge of the cruise breathing it all
in. It was as if the waves beneath me were not beneath
me but flowing within me. I felt the movement beneath
my feet. I stood at the deck and around me were few people; some
couples taking pictures of the great river and themselves. A little mur-
muring as people exchanged remarks on how exquisite the view is.
Colourful lights that were placed on the harbour reflected into the
water. Red and blue shades of lights cascaded on palm trees that sur-
rounded the river.. I was at peace. I knew these were the last few mo-
ments I had in Egypt. I sunk it all in, the smell of salt water, the sound
of waves timidly hitting our boat and the majestic view around me.
- Nimra Naqvi
Travel Writing: I Welcomed Egypt In-
to my Heart
Streets had a
peculiar smell,
like that of a
thousand
workers
sweating.
19
Art Reviews:
A Hunger After a Thousand Year
Nap
Review by - Lina Babsail
The Hunger After a Thousand Year Nap is a surrealistic
painting created digitally by Marcin Jakubowski. The painting covers a lot of life's philosophical aspects. The human head, which it looks too tired yet so relieved, represents the insides of earth. Despite the unbearable pain given by corruption, the deterioration was expected and somehow known. Humanity paved it’s path to corruption and created their own fate. The meas-ure of the arrogance of the human race was destroying the world, without them realizing it.
It asks each human to take a step back to real-ize how badly they affected mother earth. It seems like the earth was craving salvation or it was asking for mer-cy from humans before it came out with this enormous amount of rage. The artist drew this corruption and arro-gance in these buildings. What I find really interesting is that some buildings are white while the others are col-oured, depicting that earth or its insides had enough with humanity and its corruption, and it has been going for many years. These old buildings were placed on the back of the human head to give the artistic piece more meaning to. It shows that the pain and sufferings of mother earth was there long time ago, then it expanded and forced itself on humanity. Finally, this piece also supports the idea of earth waking up after thousands of years for vengeance, to make humans become obsolete, and it will give calmness to nature and its harmless creatures. The beauty of this peace is that it can be expressed in different ways, some see it as: man’s obsession with civi-lization, or how a man can seclude himself in his own world.
Editor’s note: Surrealistic art feasts on the unconscious and
explores dreams as a valid reality. Check out René Magritte, Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo and Paul Delvaux.
Alwarsha and Power Reviews by - Nadeen Alwazani
“Alwarsha” is the title of this painting that is done by Tamara Alhus-seini. This Arabic title means “workshop” which is a sarcastic
way of explaining what is happening in modern society. The portrait is clearly about brainwashing children’s minds with many things in life, for example, our parents who raised us mostly through seeking approval and ac-ceptance from our society, rather than seeking our true selves without being affected from our surroundings. The brainwashing initiates at childhood and has become robotic and systematic throughout our adulthood. This truth is almost tangible in the painting; such feature is portrayed in the baby’s eyes, though he looks like a toddler, his eyes contradicts that. Moreover, the asym-metrical shape of his face portrays a more realistic look of the toddler, and the drawing technique of the tod-
dler’s skin is clean and semi-professional. I observed the sharp and bright colors of his brain are more pronounced compared to the rest of the painting. This might metaphorically represents the strong effect society has on children even at a very young age. It is always admired when an artwork is cleanly painted and has a clear and has a relatively easily understood theme.
(Review a painting or art piece that interests you and send us your work for an opportunity to get published!)
The
brainwashing
initiates at
childhood and
has become
robotic and
systematic
throughout our
adulthood.
20
“Power” is a distinguished painting done by Dina Hijazi. As commonly known among Arabs, the eagle symbolizes power and strength, hence the title came from. This painting portrays a sophisti-cated way of combining two different looks as one, meaning the ea-gle’s eye is shown as the man’s eye somehow, which is a clever way of revealing the theme of power that both man and eagle share. This artwork symbolizes the assumed strength and power of man in this patriotically oppressed society. It incorporates different tech-niques of drawing, including acrylic and water colors, which is done in a harmonious way.
The first thing that caught my attention was the eagle’s eye which is the focus of this painting. I have perceived that the combination of brown, black and white colors contribute to the warm atmosphere of the painting. Generally, the light used in the painting is organic and soft in nature –there is no sharp contrast of light, but rather a gentile distinction is clearly shown in the image. I have observed the curved lines in the man’s forehead portray natural and rhythmic feeling. Lastly, the man and eagle are in the painting are in correct scale and proportion to one another.
Our deteriorating lethargic bodies, rusting minds, and solitary fast forward lives are all obvious symptoms of technology taking its toll on us. So why do we disregard it's degenerating effect and continue to use it?
Technology is fast becoming the focal point in our lives. Without tech-nology, we feel as if there is no light guiding us. Can't you see that technology is slowly taking over our thoughts, replacing them with lethal efficiency? Technology is creating a growing army of dull-eyed slow-witted people who cannot think for themselves.
Technology weaselled itself into our lives and now it has the upper hand in every matter, a parasite that has latched itself on us and weaved its way into our daily life. Nowadays, we drive automobiles, watch television, constantly open the Internet to check out what our friends are upto, or simply even to read an article or a book. We live through tech-nology, and that's not truly living. There was connectivity in the past, but not as chaotic as it is today.
I would be first to admit that technology has its uses otherwise it would take me years to finish research instead of just a few weeks or months. The same goes for reading books. We finish reading faster now because our gadgets are always on us. Place is not an issue, and neither is time.
Technology is the kind of good thing that we should limit. It has its glamour and advantages, so we only see the pretty picture not what lurks underneath.
"Attention! Zombies were caught roaming in high schools!” If you have a desire to see a real zombie just go to any high school classroom and see the teenage students there. They walk around like they’re dead, unaware of their environment.
Today teenagers are the most dependent group on technology, for it has evolved in their generation. In my opinion, technology has ren-dered all teenagers lazy and petulant. When you walk in the class-room, you can see for yourself, the aloofness of their expressions, the glazed dullness in their eyes, and the iPhones and Blackberries glued to their hands. Teenagers rely entirely too much on technology, and if somehow that important asset vanishes, they wouldn’t survive the onslaught. For example, the recent ban on Twitter in Turkey had to be lifted because the youth took to the streets in rage. Internet and tech-nology has become a basic right for all human beings, and when taken away it would lead to unsurmountable chaos.
I concede that technology has made our lives infinitely easier and more efficient, but at the precious expense of our bodies and minds.
- Hiba AlWazani
Notes From Outside Effat: Lethal
Efficiency
There was
connectivity in
the past, but
not as chaotic
as it is today.
21
I was smiling at my shine, I could feel her holding my hand, With a similar promise of love, I could see her band, Intertwined with my fingers, I was under the stars, With flowers and fireworks, She walked down the aisle, She held my hand. I could feel her, next to me, I could feel her, in this fear, Comforting me, I closed my eyes, Wrapped in myself, I was fading, Tell her I love he-....
Our hearts are pounding, Hungry for light, We're screaming, can you hear us? Our tears are creating storms, Can you see us? We're ripping the tides apart, Desperate for closure, We're fading... Can you-... Somewhere we hide, From all the darkness in this world, Up above, down below, We're the lucky ones, Far away from all lies, We're fading... Can you find-.. I still remember, I dug my tiny nails into their fingers, Daddy took me in his arms, And we walked from window to window, When our house faded In the sky and I cried. I was scared and Mommy held me tight, I burst balloons and bothered people, I laughed when Mother shushed me, I cried for colours at the shop, I faked a cry to stay in your arms. I should've gone to school, I'm sorry Mother, I love you, I'll go to school every day, I'll be the best version of myself, Father, I'm scared and I miss your arms around me, I don't want the colours or the candy. Can I have your arms around me? Daddy I'm scared.
I'm fading... Mother I lov-…
- Saad Naseem
We recently conducted a short survey through the use of email, Face-book, and other social media networks. Our survey aimed at getting a rough idea of the favourite books of people around Jeddah. Much research needs to be conducted when it comes to reading and the soci-ety of Jeddah. As much as there are reading enthusiasts, there are those who have never picked up a book. Effat Muse plans on finding out why. Is your favourite book in this list?
Birds Without Wings, by Louis de Bernières, (Lisa Zuppé)
The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho, (Hanan M. Asghar)
The Working Theory of Love - Scott Hutschins, (Noora Omer)
The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough (Imrana Hasan)
To The Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf, (Shadia Bakhsh)
The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks, (Laila Fatima)
The Secret - Paul Harrington, (Lugain B. Tayeb)
Paper Towns - John Green, (Muna A. Al-Shehri)
Diplomatic Baggage: The Adventures of a Trailing Spouse - Brigit Keenan, (Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed)
P.S. I Love You - Cecelia Ahern, (Hadeel Milyani)
Veronica Decides to Die—Paolo Coelho, (Nimra Fatima)
The Fault in Our Stars - John Green, (Asmaa Al-Sheikh)
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less - Jeffry Archer, (Karima Khadaker)
To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee, (Fatima A. Haroon)
The Secret History - Donna Tartt, (Sumaiyya Naseem)
Don’t Be Sad - ‘Aidh Ibn Abdullah Al-Qarna, (Wed Nasser)
World Without End - Ken Follett, (Fawzia M. Hersi)
Hopeless - Colleen Hoover, (Basma AbdulMajeed)
The Good Son - Todd Strasser, (Fatima Hatim)
The Kite Runner - Khaled Husseini, (Jasna Usman)
Bastard of Istanbul - Elif Shafak, (Huda Merchant)
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, (Tina Ann Thomas)
The Time Keeper - Mitch Albom, (Asia Bukhari)
The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly, (Malak Fatani)
The Historian - Elisabeth Kostova. (Mariam Daffa)
Happy Reading!
Poetry From Outside Effat: MH370
We're the
lucky ones Is Your Favourite Book in This List?
22
Linguistics At Effat
23
Linguist at Effat: Dr. Luai Hayajneh
Dr. Luai Hayajneh is a
professor in the English and
Translation department where
he teaches various courses on
Linguistics, Translation and
evening Editing and Publish-
ing.
Can you tell us a little bit
about yourself?
I have a B.A in English Lan-
guage and literature and M.A in
translation and interpretation from Yarmouk University/Jordan and
Ph.D in Linguistics: translation studies from Salford University/UK. I
have worked at Dhofar University in Oman and Jadara University and
Al-albyat university in Jordan. I am also lan-
guage consultant and translation project man-
ager, Oxford International Group. My research
interests are: technical translation, medical
translation; subtitling; translation studies: cul-
tural, referential, stylistic, and lexical gaps and
their effects on Arabic – English translation;
discourse analysis.
In your opinion, what is the most important specialty or research
area in linguistics? And why?
It is hard actually to give a fairly precise answer. It is a circle. If you
follow one direction you will simply find yourself going round in a
circle to meet other directions. Theoretical or applied linguistics do
stand in a complementary distribution. Other sub-branches- phonetics,
syntax, morphology…etc. or language teaching…etc. can’t be
categorized in terms of most important to less important. Yet,
you don’t need to capture or understand all of them. They all,
however, have in common what is called the Core Concepts.
You can’t say that cardiology is more important than neurolo-
gy or radiology. They do complete one another, and they do
need each other.
In your opinion, what makes a good linguist and what
makes a bad linguist?
Many factors do actually decide this. My most important factor is the
time given for reading. If you don’t read you don’t actually update
yourself, you don’t update your skills, you don’t know what is going
around you, you don’t develop yourself…etc. I remember the yellow
pages of one of my professors during my B.A. She spent around 17
years in the university teaching the same materials and using the same
yellow pages!!! So to read or not to read is what makes a linguist good
or bad.
What advice do you have to give for a novice in the field?
One of my favorite proverbs or sayings is: if there is a will, there is a
way, i.e. if you truly want to do something, you find a way to do it, in
spite of all obstacles. Start with a thorough understanding of the Core
Concepts of your field. Read as much as you can, practice as much as
you can, never say it is impossible and that it can’t be done.
- Afnan Linjawi
“That’s not what I meant!” Have you ever wondered how many times
we say those words to people? Those words are said when there is a
misunderstanding between
two people.
I will tell you about my per-
sonal experience. I went to
have a coffee at a café.
Before I ordered, I
asked about their new
beverage. I asked them
how much it is for, and
then I ordered my Mo-
cha Latte. They gave
me the receipt which
said “Hot Beverage”, so I waited for my order.
The waiter served me my drink and left. But when I tasted it, I imme-
diately realised that it was not the Mocha Latte that I had ordered. I
also realised that they had misunderstood my order. The cashier
thought that I wanted the new beverage. I called the waiter and told
him I didn’t want the new beverage, I was only asking about it. He
took my cup and apologised.
After a few minutes, he brought back my cup and it
had the new beverage in it. Once again. I quietly
laughed to myself and left the café disappointed.
I knew every time I had tasted my cup that it was
not what I had ordered. These things happen be-
cause of miscommunication and it may not seem
like a problem. But according to history, miscom-
munications on a bigger level have caused wars.
- Rawan Balahmar
That’s Not What I Meant!
I quietly
laughed to
myself and left
the café
disappointed.
To read or not
to read is what
makes a linguist
good or bad.
On the Next Page:
Read about India’s official language. India has
hundreds of languages and dialects.
24
India is a land of great history and diversity. The different Indian
provinces have different official languages. In example, Bihar in East
India has three official languages: Hindi, Urdu and Bengali. In addi-
tion to that, Hindi on its own has more than 13 different dialects.
The central government sees the need to set an official lan-
guage while constitutionally recognizing the other
languages of India. This puts pressure on the Indian
government as it does not want speakers of other
languages see its decision as an attempt to erase their
own language and culture. This linguistic diversity in
India credits to the many cultures invading India
throughout history, starting from the dominance of
the Moghul Empire over North India, bringing with
it their Persian tongue which was inherited from
their religion, Islam. The Moghul did not just bring a
new language to the land, they brought poetry and music. This junc-
tion resulted in the Hindustani poetry. The Hindustani poetry is based
on the Hindustani language which contains words from Arabic and
Persian and is written in Perso-Arabic script. The uniqueness of the
combination developed into the language Urdu.
After the collapse of the Moghul Empire, Britain colonized
North India which brought the English language to the country. At the
time, Urdu was used in official contexts. The change was caused by
the demand of nationalists to change the official language from Urdu
to Hindi, which is written in Indian script. Even those whose mother
tongue was not Hindi supported this argument. That change never
happened until British India was divided into two countries, India and
Pakistan. Urdu became the official language of Pakistan due to the
prevalence of the Muslim population and Hindi became the official
language of the non-Muslims which prevailed in India.
The Indian constitution has declared that English can be used
in official contexts but Hindi is the language of the country as it is the
most commonly spoken language in India and it dates back to the pre-
independence times in Indian history.
- Wed Nasser
Article Courtesy of Diction-
ary.com
The name March is derived from the
Roman Martius named after Mars,
the Roman god of war. In ancient
Rome, March 1st marked the first
day of spring, which coincided with
the beginning of the calendar year and the start of the military cam-
paign season—which may explain why soldiers “march into battle.”
The Roman ruler, Numa Pompilius, added January and February to
the calendar thus making March the third month of the year. While
many have adopted the Gregorian calendar, some cul-
tures and religions still celebrate the start of the
New Year on March 1st.
Hares mate during the month of March and a female
hare may be seen “boxing” (striking another hare
with her paws) off a male to prevent an act of pro-
creation – hence “Mad as a March hare”—a phrase
that appeared for the first time in Sir Thomas
More’s “The supplycacyon of soulys,” published in
1529. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, under the pseu-
donym Lewis Carroll, also referenced this annual event in 1865’s Al-
ice’s Adventures in Wonderland (often shortened to Alice in Wonder-
land) and the passage: “The March hare…as this is May, it won’t be
raving mad—at least not so mad as it was in March.”
The Ides of March is a reference to the date Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in 44 B.C. and is observed on the 15th day of the month. The above article was taken from www.dictionary.com for the purpose of education. The content completely belongs to the aforementioned website. Effat Muse claims no credit for the work.
The Official Language of India
The Moghul did not
just bring a new
language to the
land, they brought
poetry and music.
Lexical Investigations: Is There a
Connection Between the month
March and Marching?
The Ides of March
is a reference to
the date Julius
Caesar was
stabbed to death
in 44 B.C.
25
The Caveman’s Facebook
If you ever thought that ancient human beings didn’t have their own Facebook and text mes-saging, you thought wrong my friends! All these applications that we use every day to com-municate have been there all long, though not as fancy as it is now.
We can’t just stop thinking about how much has changed in our lives. History and human culture has evolved through the centuries that came before us. Man-kind went from being simple cavemen searching for food and shelter to the person sitting behind the computer, Google searching the internet, sliding down his very com-fortable chair until his head can no longer be seen!
It all started 3000 years ago when cave painting began. It was a sign that humans desired to connect and share ideas. They used mud and water to paint. Sometimes, they would cut themselves to use their own blood as ink (ouch! Thank God we have touch phones!). These cave paintings were a representation of past events, to tell stories of their victories, to teach hunting techniques and methods, and to ignite a legacy, a legacy that will be remembered for centuries to come. No matter what was the purpose of cave painting, it was their only way to document important events as writing wasn’t an option
yet. These days we have our smart gadgets and online hubs for that, like Facebook and Path.
Communication then started to improve a little bit. That’s when the Egyptian invited a new writing system called hieroglyph that uses pictures and symbols. It wasn’t just a language, but also a decretive
feature added to their buildings that marked their existence as a civili-zation.
(It reminded me of Emoji! Those faces are always fun to use!)
Then there are the Greeks. The role of the Greeks can never be forgotten as they were the first civilization ever to use alphabetic system which is quite close to the English letters, which we still refer to, for example in Mathematics.
Day after day our world has been transforming, humans did-n’t stop at creating new digital com-munication systems that have be-
come a part of our daily lives. We can’t go a day without checking our WhatsApp or Instagram. Tech-nology in all of its forms, whether it was internet or mobiles’ apps, has definitely made our lives easier. Who knows what will happen in the next few years. No matter what it is, it’s sure will be something worth waiting for.
- Asmaa Awad
Sometimes,
they would cut
themselves to
use their own
blood as ink.
The images on this page were taken from the
26
27
Google Translate Vs. Golden AlWafy
English is the first international language. It is the
second language for a lot of native speakers of other languages. A
huge number of people are currently engaged in learning English, and
it’s not easy. It becomes necessary to provide an easy way to learn.
Translating words of English that a person does not understand, into
the language they natively speak really helps a lot. There are many
softwares and online applications that help with that matter. Some are
useful and some are slow and inefficient and oft times inaccurate. The
following reports compares two programs for translation from
English: namely Google Translate and Golden Al Wafy.
Google Translate
Google Translate has been famous in the prefix as a Web site is a
service of the Google search engine services. It only translates
scientific words and words of the original English language. It can
also translate a text into different languages other than English.
Dozens of features have increased the benefits of Google. It has added
voice input method and pronunciation of words in most languages.
What distinguishes it from the rest of the programs is that it can
translate English slang. It also helps in translation by suggesting more
appropriate words to the user. Another useful feature is it’s ability to
recognize the language that you enter.
Golden Al Wafy software
One of the most famous software that has served consumers is the
Golden Al Wafy. It allows the user instant and accurate translation of
words.
Golden Al Wafy helps correct spelling errors by selecting the "spell
check for English text," and also explains the verb and the noun and
adjective of the word in case a word contains more than one meaning.
Golden Al Wafy also gives translation of names. Like Google
Translate, users can listen to the pronunciation of the words.
The Golden Al Wafy contains a dictionary of words to be more
accurate. The program was available after a paid fee, but later on
anyone could use it for free. Unlike Google Translate, Al Wafy is a
program that does not need to connect to the network.
The disadvantages for Google translation
Google Translation unable to translate long texts, causing errors
in grammar. It also does not work without the internet connection.
The disadvantages for Golden Al Wafy
The problems that have limited the use of the program Al Wafy
to the present day is that it is a program for computers only and cannot
be used in smart phones. It is also unable to translate Arabic texts into
English. Every software has disadvantages, it’s best to use the most
time efficient one.
The translation field is
ultimately a culture and
language field. In Transla-
tion Connect, we will fea-
ture some of the most use-
ful and important re-
sources for translators.
www.translatorscafe.com
Translation café is a website that has many advantages and helpful
features for people to use. The website offers a chance to communi-
cate with others in many different ways. Communication is an im-
portant thing for many translators it enables them to help each other or
to know about other languages. The website is not limited to the Eng-
lish language only. It features many languages worldwide. The web-
site offers job opportunities in translation and related fields in many
companies such as Bostico International Company, Cuttingedge
Translation Service, Transperfect and many more.
- Hawazen Madani
Translator’s Café
- Rawan Balahmar
28
Heard At Night
A talented Effat student Rawan Najjar sent us a beautiful piece written in Arabic. We decided to use that lovely writing
for a translation competition. Following is the text Rawan Najjar sent us:
أحيانا تأخذ الحياة منا أشياء ثمينة .. أشياء نحبها وال نتخيل أن نعيش من دونها .. لكن ربما أخذ منا هذا الشيء
لنكافئ بما هو أجمل وأفضل .. أو .. ربما أراد هللا أن يختبر صبرنا فيجازينا عليه بما نحب .. إن لم تكن الحياة
عادلة في نظرك .. فاهلل هو العدل .. لن يصيب قلبك بالحزن إال وله حكمة في ذلك .. وال تنسى أن هللا لو أراد
لك خيرا سيصيبك به ولن يمنع ذلك أحد من الخلق .. ولو أراد بك سوءا فسيصيبك به أيضا .. ال تجزع وال
تقنط وال تيأس .. حاول .. ادعه وأطلب منه .. قف بين يديه ليال فسهام الليل ال تخطئ ..
Many students sent their entries for the competition. The one that stood out was done by Nadeen AlWazani. We congratu-
late all the participants for their effort, and many congrats to Nadeen for her work. The following is Nadeen’s entry.
Sometimes life deprives us of the most precious things .. things that we love and can’t live without .. but maybe life deprives us of these things in order for us to be rewarded with something better and more beautiful .. or .. maybe God wanted to test our patience so that we are rewarded with what we love .. if you believe that life is unfair .. God is indeed fair .. God will make you suffer of heartache out of Wis-dom .. and don’t forget that if God planned for you good life no one could ever stops Him .. and if God planned for you malady He shall do so, as well .. don’t dismay, despond, or despair.. try .. pray and ask God .. kneel before God at night praying, as prayers are surely heard at night ..
Translated by Nadeen AlWazani
- Rawan Najjar
Write What’s on YOUR Mind
29
Edgar Allan Poe 1908– 1949
And all I loved, I loved alone.
The Classic Writer
30
Silence - A Fable - Edgar Allan Poe
"Ours is a world of words: Quiet we call
Silence -- which is the merest word of all" - Al Aaraaf.
"Listen to me," said the Demon, as he placed his hand upon my head. "There is a spot upon this accursed earth
which thou hast never yet beheld And if by any chance thou hast beheld it, it must have been in one of those vigorous
dreams which come like the Simoon upon the brain of the sleeper who hath lain down to sleep among the forbidden
sunbeams --among the sunbeams, I say, which slide from off the solemn columns of the melancholy temples in the
wilderness. The region of which I speak is a dreary region in Libya, by the borders of the river Zaire. And there is no
quiet there, nor silence.
"The waters of the river have a saffron and sickly hue --and they flow not onwards to the sea, but palpitate forever
and forever beneath the red eye of the sun with a tumultuous and convulsive motion. For many
miles on either side of the river's oozy bed is a pale desert of gigantic water-lilies. They sigh one
unto the other in that solitude, and stretch towards the heaven their long ghastly necks, and nod to
and fro their everlasting heads. And there is an indistinct murmur which cometh out from among
them like the rushing of subterrene water. And they sigh one unto the other.
"But there is a boundary to their realm --the boundary of the dark, horrible, lofty forest. There,
like the waves about the Hebrides, the low underwood is agitated continually. But there is no wind
throughout the heaven. And the tall primeval trees rock eternally hither and thither with a crashing
and mighty sound. And from their high summits, one by one, drop everlasting dews. And at the
roots strange poisonous flowers lie writhing in perturbed slumber. And overhead, with a rustling and loud noise, the
grey clouds rush westwardly forever, until they roll, a cataract, over the fiery wall of the horizon. But there is no wind
throughout the heaven. And by the shores of the river Zaire there is neither quiet nor silence.
"It was night, and the rain fell; and, falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood. And I
stood in the morass among the tall lilies, and the rain fell upon my head --and the lilies sighed one
unto the other in the solemnity of their desolation.
"And, all at once, the moon arose through the thin ghastly mist, and was crimson in color. And
mine eyes fell upon a huge grey rock which stood by the shore of the river, and was litten by the
light of the moon. And the rock was grey, and ghastly, and tall, --and the rock was grey. Upon its
front were characters engraven in the stone; and I walked through the morass of water-lilies, until
I came close unto the shore, that I might read the characters upon the stone. But I could not decypher the characters.
And I was going back into the morass, when the moon shone with a fuller red, and I turned and looked again upon
the rock, and upon the characters --and the characters were DESOLATION.
"And I looked upwards, and there stood a man upon the summit of the rock, and I hid myself among the water-
lilies that I might discover the actions of the man. And the man was tall and stately in form, and was wrapped up from
his shoulders to his feet in the toga of old Rome. And the outlines of his figure were indistinct --but his features were
the features of a Deity; for the mantle of the night, and of the mist, and of the moon, and of the dew, had left uncov-
ered the features of his face. And his brow was lofty with thought, and his eye wild with care; and, in the few furrows
upon his cheek I read the fables of sorrow, and weariness, and disgust with mankind, and a longing after solitude. And
the moon shone upon his face, and upon the features of his face, and oh! they were more beautiful than the airy
dreams which hovered about the souls of the daughters of Delos!
And from
their high
summits,
one by one,
drop
everlasting
dews.
--and the
lilies sighed
one unto the
other in the
solemnity of
their
desolation.
31
"And the man sat down upon the rock, and leaned his head upon his hand, and looked out upon the desolation.
He looked down into the low unquiet shrubbery, and up into the tall primeval trees, and up higher at the rustling
heaven, and into the crimson moon. And I lay close within shelter of the lilies, and observed the actions of the man.
And the man trembled in the solitude --but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.
"And the man turned his attention from the heaven, and looked out upon the dreary river
Zaire, and upon the yellow ghastly waters, and upon the pale legions of the water-lilies. And the
man listened to the sighs of the water-lilies, and of the murmur that came up from among them.
And I lay close within my covert and observed the actions of the man. And the man trembled in
the solitude --but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.
"Then I went down into the recesses of the morass, and waded afar in among the wilderness
of the lilies, and called unto the hippopotami which dwelt among the fens in the recesses of the
morass. And the hippopotami heard my call, and came, with the behemoth, unto the foot of the
rock, and roared loudly and fearfully beneath the moon. And I lay close within my covert and
observed the actions of the man. And the man trembled in the solitude --but the night waned and he sat upon the
rock.
"Then I cursed the elements with the curse of tumult; and a frightful tempest gathered in the heaven where before
there had been no wind. And the heaven became livid with the violence of the tempest --and the rain beat upon the
head of the man --and the floods of the river came down --and the river was tormented into foam --and the water-
lilies shrieked within their beds --and the forest crumbled before the wind --and the thunder rolled, --and the lightning
fell --and the rock rocked to its foundation. And I lay close within my covert and observed the actions of the man.
And the man trembled in the solitude -- but the night waned and he sat upon the rock.
"Then I grew angry and cursed, with the curse of silence, the river, and the lilies, and the wind, and the forest, and
the heaven, and the thunder, and the sighs of the water-lilies. And they became accursed and were still. And the moon
ceased to totter in its pathway up the heaven --and the thunder died away --and the lightning did not flash --and the
clouds hung motionless --and the waters sunk to their level and remained --and the trees ceased to rock --and the wa-
ter-lilies sighed no more --and the murmur was heard no longer from among them, nor any shadow of sound through-
out the vast illimitable desert. And I looked upon the characters of the rock, and they were changed --and the charac-
ters were SILENCE.
"And mine eyes fell upon the countenance of the man, and his countenance was wan with terror. And, hurriedly, he
raised his head from his hand, and stood forth upon the rock, and listened. But there was no voice throughout the
vast illimitable desert, and the characters upon the rock were SILENCE. And the man shuddered, and turned his face
away, and fled afar off, and I beheld him no more."
_______________
Now there are fine tales in the volumes of the Magi --in the iron-bound, melancholy volumes of the Magi. Therein, I
say, are glorious histories of the Heaven, and of the Earth, and of the mighty Sea --and of the Genii that over-ruled
the sea, and the earth, and the lofty heaven. There was much lore too in the sayings which were said by the sybils; and
holy, holy things were heard of old by the dim leaves that trembled around Dodona --but, as Allah liveth, that fable
which the Demon told me as he sat by my side in the shadow of the tomb, I hold to be the most wonderful of all!
And as the Demon made an end of his story, he fell back within the cavity of the tomb and laughed. And I could not
laugh with the Demon, and he cursed me because I could not laugh. And the lynx which dwelleth forever in the tomb,
came out therefrom, and lay down at the feet of the Demon, and looked at him steadily in the face.
[This story was originally published in 1838 as "Siope - A Fable".]
************************************
And the man
trembled in
the solitude --
but the night
waned and
he sat upon
the rock.
32
There are some qualities- some incorporate things,
That have a double life, which thus is made
A type of that twin entity which springs
From matter and light, evinced in solid and shade.
There is a two-fold Silence- sea and shore-
Body and soul. One dwells in lonely places,
Newly with grass o'ergrown; some solemn graces,
Some human memories and tearful lore,
Render him terrorless: his name's "No More."
He is the corporate Silence: dread him not!
No power hath he of evil in himself;
But should some urgent fate (untimely lot!)
Bring thee to meet his shadow (nameless elf,
That haunteth the lone regions where hath trod
No foot of man,) commend thyself to God!
Silence
A Sonnet by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the Ameri-
can Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earli-
est American practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered the inventor of the detective
fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was
the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a finan-
cially difficult life and career.
Poe As a Character: The historical Edgar Allan Poe has appeared as a fictionalized character, often rep-
resenting the "mad genius" or "tormented artist" and exploiting his personal struggles. Many such de-
pictions also blend in with characters from his stories, suggesting Poe and his characters share identi-
ties.
- The above text was extracted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe
33
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