Google Promotes Arabic Content Online

The Arab culture is rich and diverse, and the Arab language is one of the most widely spoken in the world. In fact, counting the number of native speakers, Arabic holds the number five spot. Recognizing this, Google has launched an initiative that promotes Arabic content online. You and I may not read or speak the language, but the hundreds of millions of native speakers out there will surely appreciate this move!

Arabic Web Days

There is indeed a disparity between the amount of Arabic content online and the number of Arabic-speaking users. According to the guys at Google, there is only about 3 percent of Arabic content online. Compare that to the number of speakers (native and second language), and the initiative makes even more sense.

The initiative has been dubbed “Arabic Web Days”, and Google says that their goal is to build a “vibrant Arabic Web”. In line with this project, a program has been lined up for a month.

Highlights of Arabic Web Days

When Google launches an initiative to promote Arabic content online, they do so with a bang. Here are some events to look out for. Of course, Google products will play a large role.

• Google+ Hangouts – anyone who wants to participate can do so. Hangouts will feature topics such as using the Google translator toolkit. For domain owners, the ICANN hangout focusing on Arabic domain names is particularly interesting.
• Online Education Channels on YouTube – the Egyptian minister of education is the key figure here, with his plans of launching such channels on YouTube.
• TweetUp – go to Doha on the 15th of December to meet other denizens of the online world and learn how to make money through YouTube, as well as pick up tips to make viral Arabic videos.

Relevant sites

To learn more about Google’s promotion of Arabic online content, you can take a look at some of these resources.

• Arabic Web Days Google Blog Announcement
• The Google Arabia Blog
• The Official Site of Arabic Web Days
• Arabic Web Days on YouTube

Here’s a sample video from the YouTube channel to give you more insight.

[Images via Arabic Web Days & smartearningmethods]