Learning Arabic Typing

One of the most important aspects of communicating in Arabic is learning to type in Arabic. But for many Americans, and indeed most people outside the Middle East, typing in Arabic is impeded by a lack of an Arabic-ready keyboard, formatting and word-processing problems, and generally not knowing how to type the language in the first place. Knowing how to overcome these obstacles is an important part of effectively communicating in Arabic.

Keyboarding

Arabic keyboarding is somewhat different from keyboarding in English or other Western languages. First, the superscript keys---those accessed by holding the shift key, such as $ or & over 4 and 7, respectively---are much different. Some superscripts are letters in their own right (at least at certain points in the word or sentence) while others are diacritic marks intended to show different pronunciation and meaning of a word. The easiest way to overcome this keyboarding issue is to purchase a bi-lingual keyboard. These run for around $20 and can be purchased easily online from retailers such as Amazon and fits most computers easily. The beauty of this method is that you can easily switch between Arabic and English.

Virtual Keyboarding

Some people opt to use a "virtual keyboard" instead of purchasing a real keyboard. A virtual keyboard is a computer program, usually on an Internet site (see Resources) which allows you to use your existing keyboard, but translated the keystrokes into Arabic letters complete with correct formatting (right to left, rather than left to right as in English).
Another type of virtual keyboarding, though clumsy and cumbersome, is to use Microsoft Word's "Insert Symbol" function. This allows you to place an Arabic word into an English sentence or, if you have time to spare, create an entire document in Arabic without changing settings. Simply click on "Insert" and then "Symbol" and scroll down to the Arabic letters provided. Microsoft Word, particularly the 2003 edition, has a slight bug that prints the Arabic letters in the incorrect order the first time you insert the Arabic symbols. This is easily cleared up by tapping the "Backspace" button and retyping the word.

Overlay

There are a number of inexpensive computer keyboard overlays that allow you to basically take your multilingual keyboard with you wherever you go. Typically, these are made from a soft plastic material such as Lexan, and lay over a standard keyboard. The typical price for these is around $10 (see Resources).

Schooling/Learning

Some colleges which teach Arabic also sometimes offer courses on how to type in Arabic. These courses are fairly expensive and may not be offered every semester.There are a number of online, free typing tutorials (see Resources) such as the one offered by Salwan allows you to learn at your own pace and to set up your computer so it is comfortable for you.

Expert Insight

Arabic keyboarding is a different skill set than learning to speak or read the language, much like in English. Patience and multiple learning and keyboarding methods will probably be necessary, in addition to a lot of practice. Take your time and be patient with yourself; remember that it takes time to learn to type in English, even if you are a native speaker.

Resources

• Virtual Arabic Keyboard
• Keyboard Overlays
• Arabic Typing Tutor