The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE), in cooperation with the Arabic Language Department at Al Jazeera Media Institute, organized a seminar on Arabic Language and Digital Challenges on the occasion of the World Arabic Language Day, which falls on December 18 of each year.
Moderated by Mohammed Krishan, a broadcaster at Al Jazeera Channel, the seminar aimed to discuss the challenges facing the Arabic language in digital media, analyze the reality of the Arabic language in artificial intelligence models, and the level of its presence in its applications, explore innovative solutions and methods for learning the Arabic language in the digital age, in addition to providing recommendations to enhance the presence of the Arabic language in the digital space, which would contribute to improving the use of the Arabic language in the media and digital education, and introduce learning the Arabic language at the Al Jazeera Institute and its contributions to supporting and enhancing it.
In her speech at the opening of the seminar, Director of the Public Relations and Communication Department at MOEHE, Maryam Abdullah Al Mohannadi stressed that the Arabic language faces challenges in light of the rapid digital transformations, which necessitates preserving the linguistic identity, preserving the ancient cultural heritage, keeping pace with the digital revolution, harnessing technology to serve the Arabic language, and enhancing its presence in the digital age.
Al Mohannadi highlighted the Ministry's efforts in promoting the Arabic language, represented in developing curricula, creating modern teaching methods, and encouraging research and initiatives aimed at enabling the language to keep pace with the digital age, calling for concerted efforts to keep the Arabic language an effective and vital element in the digital scene.
In turn, Director of Al Jazeera Media Institute, Iman Al Amri also noted that the seminar coincided with the celebration of the International Day of the Arabic Language, to open a window to contemplate the reality of our language in the age of technology and artificial intelligence.
Al Amri said that the presence of the Arabic language in the digital scene is still modest compared to other languages, noting that Arabic content on the Internet does not reach 1 percent of the total content published digitally.
She called for exploring ways to enhance the position of the Arabic language in the digital environment, developing digital tools that support it, and adopting innovative teaching methods that suit the rapid technological developments.
Al Amri explained that the objectives of the seminar go beyond mere discussion to presenting practical and innovative suggestions and solutions, and coming up with clear and applicable recommendations that contribute to restoring the status of the Arabic language as a language of science, knowledge and creativity, noting that developing the use of the Arabic language in the digital world is not an option, but rather a necessity to ensure its continued performance of its civilizational and cultural role.
She touched on the efforts of the Al Jazeera Media Institute in implementing various projects and events to enhance the status of the Arabic language, such as the "Learn Arabic" program and other programs.
For his part, Director of the Al Jazeera Center for Studies, Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar Al Khalil spoke at the seminar about the Arabic language in digital media - challenges and solutions, stressing the importance of language as an expression of thought.
He highlighted the challenges facing the application of digital technologies in learning the Arabic language, represented by the lack of Arab expertise in Arabic language technologies, the difficulty of convincing media institutions of Arabic language learning programs, and other challenges. (
