News

Twitter Now Supports Correct Arabic Feminine Form

Twitter has announced that it will allow Arabic-speaking women to be addressed in the feminine form instead of the default masculine form.

Published

1 year ago

June 22, 2021

Joanna Melki

Twitter

Professional translators don’t have it easy because various languages don’t just use different words to express the same notions — they also sometimes work completely differently. In Arabic (as well as several other languages), grammatical structures change depending on the gender of the subject.

Now imagine you’re a translator, and your job is to translate the word “Tweet” into Arabic. Do you choose the masculine form or the feminine form? When Twitter first added support for the language, it went with the former option. Now, the social network has also added support for the latter.

“We’re adding this language support to Twitter.com and working to bring it to Twitter for iOS and Android as well. We’re committed to using inclusive language at Twitter, regardless if it’s written down, shown on our site and apps, or embedded in our code,” write Carla El Maalouli, Head of Business Marketing at Twitter MENA, and Fabien Ho Ching Ma, Twitter Software Engineer.

رحبوا بالعربية (مؤنث)، لغة العرض الجديدة على نسخة الويب من تويتر. #أتحدث_بالمؤنث pic.twitter.com/MQL7qkou2K

— Twitter MENA (@TwitterMENA) June 15, 2021

The steps to switch from the default masculine form to the feminine form are very simple:

How To Switch To Twitter’s Arabic Feminine Form

Log in to Twitter.com.
Go to Settings and privacy.
Navigate to Accessibility, display, and languages.
Select Languages and Display language.
Pick the Arabic (feminine) option from the Display language menu.

Twitter will then address you using the feminine form. If you still see the masculine form, log out and log in again.

Also Read: Twitter Verification Badge Is Now Available To The Public

Alongside the support for the feminine form, Twitter is also launching a campaign titled #FeminineArabic أتحدث_بالمؤنث# to encourage other tech companies to follow suit.

“We know there’s more work to be done for our service to reflect the variety of voices around the world, and we’ll continue to share what we learn and how we update Twitter based on your feedback,” states the official press release.

News

UAE Comes Out Strongly In Guinness World Records 2023

Guinness, the renowned cataloger of record-breaking events, has released its latest annual, after sifting through 40,000 applications — and the Arab world is heavily featured.

Published

11 hours ago

September 30, 2022

Nour Nasir

Guinness

Guinness World Records, the authority on record-breaking global achievements, has just announced its latest release, “Guinness World Records 2023 (GWR2023),” which will be available online and in physical stores across the Arab region from today.

As usual, GWR 2023 features all of the latest achievements from around the world (and space!), with special features and updated graphics to bring the stories to life.

So why the interest in the latest Guinness installment? Well, it turns out the Arab Region is strongly represented in the book, with more than 50 records featured in the new edition, which is no mean feat considering the volume of competition.

“We’ve sifted through nearly 40,000 record applications over the past year to bring you Guinness World Records 2023. People from all walks of life continue to be fascinated by extremes, and we’ve received claims from across the planet – indeed, even from space! This is why I’ve said the new edition is out of this world,” says Craig Glenday, Guinness Editor in Chief.

Of interest to readers of this platform, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both get to flex their record-breaking muscles.

World’s Deepest Swimming Pool

Saudi Arabia claims the title of “Largest LED Structure and Suspended Ornament” courtesy of the Noor Riyadh Festival, as well as other weird and wonderful titles, including the “Largest Lego Formula 1 Car”, as well as perhaps more prestigious honors, such as “Largest Mirrored Building”, “Largest Clock Face”, “Tallest Lighthouse” and the “Largest Geodesic Dome”.

World’s Largest Mirrored Building

Also Read: Fan Spends 7 Years To Create Super Mario Bros 5

Not to be outdone, the UAE has claimed several humanitarian record-breaking titles, including the “Longest Video Livestream” (by The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and pan Arab influencer Hassan Suleiman), the “Largest Donation for Medical Treatment”, and the “Most Awareness Ribbons Made in One Hour”.

World’s Longest Video Livestream

On the tech front, the UAE also claims several prestigious firsts, including “First 3D-Printed Laboratory”, while the world-renowned Burj Khalifa hangs on to its title of “World’s Tallest Building”.