CultureTalk Egypt Video Transcripts: http://langmedia.fivecolleges.

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Teaching English to Middle School Students

Egyptian Arabic transcript:

;D8 ‫رس‬:‫ ﻡ‬F4‫ آ‬2‫ﻥ‬IJ .‫ا‬: ;8‫ة =(ی‬:‫ =(ال ﻡ‬+A2,B 7C ‫ وا‬،‫اي‬% ‫ و*)(رت ا‬،+,-./‫ و‬0‫ر دا‬234 ‫ ا‬567869 : ‫ا‬
;4‫ی‬:‫ ﻡ‬+J F8D,X2J .+4C‫ ی‬KL ‫ ا‬.DM ،.DM F4‫ وآ‬،K.L7N‫ و‬OPQ ;4Q 2P‫ی‬R* ،‫ن‬2‫ زﻡ‬K‫ ﻡ‬FU*‫ و‬،;‫ی‬%.8V‫ﻥ‬W‫ا‬
;D8 ‫ت ا‬2‫ای‬:B ;P8) ‫ ا‬58C4B ،:N24B ،;‫ادی‬:A‫; إ‬Q‫ر‬:‫ ﻡ‬+J F4‫ وآ‬،2, : ‫ل ا‬27X +J Z‫ ﻡ‬+J ;4‫ی‬:‫ دي ﻡ‬،‫ط‬2.‫ دﻡ‬237Q‫ا‬
+‫] إن ه‬8A ‫(رة‬3^‫ط دی_ ﻡ‬2.‫ دﻡ‬،+4C‫; ی‬8.7 ;4‫ی‬:‫ ﻡ‬F‫ﻥ‬2‫ آ‬+‫ وه‬،_‫ط دی‬2.‫ دﻡ‬K‫ ﻡ‬F8R4*‫ وا‬،D,X‫ة أ‬:‫ت ﻡ‬:Ca ،;‫ی‬%.8V‫ﻥ‬W‫ا‬
;4‫ی‬:‫ ﻡ‬.‫ث‬2cd‫ آ ا‬7C,B‫ و‬،23.J ‫آ‬24B + ‫ة إ‬:e27 ‫; ا‬f‫ وأو‬،‫ت‬2‫ (ﻥ‬2Z ‫ف ا‬h 7C,B ،F.P ‫ع ا‬2,B ‫ث‬2cd‫ ا‬،_‫ی‬j ‫ إل‬7C,B
،lP^‫ ﻥ(ع ﻡ‬O‫ ﻡ‬+4C‫ت ی‬2‫(ی‬89 ،;.BD ‫ ا‬m‫ ﻡ‬،;.a^ ‫ت ا‬2‫(ی‬8k ‫ ا‬K‫ ﻥ(ع ﻡ‬7C,B +‫ن إن ه‬27‫ آ‬234A ‫(ر‬3^‫; أوي وﻡ‬8.7
،_‫ت دی‬2A24Z 2B ‫(رة‬3^‫ ﻡ‬،+4C‫ن ی‬n‫] ا‬,9 ‫ط‬2.‫ا دﻡ‬: ‫(ر‬3^‫ ﻡ‬+‫ ه‬،‫وة‬oRB ،;8.7 0:‫ =ی_ آ‬،_L‫ هی‬237Q‫; ا‬29 23.J
‫وج‬%*‫ أ‬Pa ،;RX +J +8‫ی‬2‫ زﻡ‬K‫; ﻡ‬A(7V‫ ﻡ‬O‫ ﻡ‬:A2a F4‫ آ‬2CP= ‫ن‬d 23.J ‫(ط‬LP‫ ﻡ‬F4‫ وآ‬،;‫(ی‬X 0:‫ك ﻡ‬24‫ت ه‬:Ca K‫ی‬:CB‫و‬
،‫ة‬.P‫ی; آ‬a +J D,X‫أت ا‬:B ‫(ا‬fB‫ و‬،+4C‫ى ی‬N‫ی; أ‬s‫ و‬ot‫; زي ﻡ‬uJ2k‫ ﻡ‬+4C‫ ی‬،‫ى‬N‫ أ‬vJ2k‫ إ ] ﻡ‬F8R4*‫ ا‬.+4C‫ی‬
5.8C, ‫ ا‬+J ،_‫س دی‬24 ‫ ا‬58A‫(ا أ‬fB ‫ت‬:Ca‫ و‬،578C,B ‫ن‬:‫ ﻡ‬+J 578C,B ‫ى‬a +J 538‫ آ‬58C,,B Z‫ ﻡ‬+J ‫ة‬w‫ﻡ‬o, ‫وآ ا‬
،0:‫ آ‬Pa 5.8C* ‫ن‬2‫ آ‬.;C‫ﻡ‬2V ‫(ل ا‬N‫ د‬Pa +‫ ه‬+ ‫ إ‬،;‫ﻥ(ی‬2t ‫; ا‬Q‫ر‬:7 ‫ ا‬،_‫ی‬d ‫ یوح‬y 2) ‫ ا‬0:‫ آ‬:CB (‫ن ه‬2‫ وآ‬،‫ادي‬:AW‫ا‬
F‫ﻥ‬2‫ وآ‬،0:‫ آ‬Pa ‫ش‬2‫(ه‬78C,‫س ﻡ‬24 ‫ة‬:‫ی‬: ;D 58C,* 2,‫ إﻥ‬l‫ إﻥ‬،:‫ی‬:X :3 ‫وز‬2A ‫(ا‬fB ‫ن‬2‫ آ‬،‫ادي‬:AW‫ ا‬5.8C, ‫ ا‬+J ‫ن‬2‫آ‬
;4Q ‫ آ‬+J‫ و‬،23Q‫ر‬:.B‫ و‬،y,6 ‫ ا‬K‫ ﻡ‬K.C7‫ آ‬5‫ آ‬:N2.PJ ،;*o* ]RB K‫ی‬:CB‫ و‬،K.4Q OB‫ن أر‬2‫ آ‬0:‫ آ‬Pa ‫ادي‬:AW‫ ا‬5.8C, ‫ا‬
K.4Q ‫ت‬o* ‫ی_؟‬j +‫ ه‬+ ‫ إ‬،_‫ی‬j +‫ ه‬+ ‫ﻥ(ی; إ‬2t ‫; ا‬897 ‫ ا‬mU‫ادی; وی‬:AW‫دة ا‬23^ ‫] ا‬8A Zk‫ ی‬2‫ی; ﻡ‬2D ‫ و‬،Kk,7.B ‫ی_؟‬j
;D8 ‫أو ا‬...‫ن‬2‫; آ‬.‫ﻡ‬2C ‫; ا‬D8 ‫ن ا‬d 5.8C, ‫ ا‬+J ;B(CZ ‫} ا‬CB ‫ك‬24‫ن ه‬2‫ ووآ‬،‫ن‬26‫ا ﻡ‬w6B F8R4*‫ ا‬2J .;C‫ﻡ‬2V ‫(ل ا‬N‫| د‬PL*
‫(ة‬A‫ د‬m.8‫] ﻡ‬RP‫ي ی‬%.8V‫ إﻥ‬58C* 27 23‫ إﻥ‬،;D8 ‫ ا‬+J ‫ی‬:k ‫(ب ا‬8Qd‫ ا‬OP,,B F‫ﻥ‬2‫س آ‬2‫ك ﻥ‬24A‫ و‬،y8D,B F‫ﻥ‬2‫; آ‬.4=( ‫ا‬
‫وز‬2A ،€ 2N +BC 2B 2‫(ة أﻥ‬A‫ د‬m.8‫ إن ﻡ‬،+4C‫ ی‬t‫ﻡ‬d‫ ودي ا‬+4C‫=; ی‬2^PB‫ و‬،€ 2N +BC 2B ‫(ة‬A‫ د‬m.8‫ ﻡ‬،+BC 2B
.X‫ أ‬d ،‫ب‬2,‫ آ‬0‫(ل _ دا‬a‫ أ‬m‫ ﻡ‬.‫ب‬2,‫ آ‬0‫(ل _ دا‬a‫ب وأ‬2,‫] آ‬8A _ ‫ور‬2^B ،‫ب‬2,‫ آ‬،‫ب‬2B ]8A _ ‫ور‬2^PJ ‫ب‬2B _78A‫أ‬
y 2= ،‫ج آ(ی‬2,‫ ﻥ‬O8).B ‫ن‬2‫ آ‬B ،‫ي‬:X :3 :N2.B ‫ن‬26J ،+4C‫ا ی‬w3 K.CV^7 ‫س ا‬24 ‫ ا‬:9‫ أ‬F4‫ آ‬2‫ﻥ‬2J ،€ 2N +BC ‫ا‬
...+BC 2B ‫ش‬6-.P‫ﻡ‬

English translation:

Man: I will talk to you today about my job and … ah … how it progressed, and my work
for a very long time. I used to be an English teacher and … ah …. I graduated a long time
ago, in 1957. I was young, I mean, so I worked in a city called Demyat. It’s a city in
Egypt, to the north of the Nile Delta, and I was in a middle school … ah … I taught
students the basics of English. I worked for a while and moved out of Demyat. It was a
beautiful city, I mean, Demyat … ah … famous for what? For making home furniture
like living room furniture … ah … and … ah … dining rooms, where we eat -- all types
of furniture. It’s a very beautiful city, and also known for making a certain type of
oriental sweets, not western. Sweets, I mean … ah … with net designs, very beautiful
things … ah … baklava. Demyat is very well known, until today I mean, is well known
for these crafts, I mean. I lived there for a while, and I was very comfortable. I lived with
a group of my colleagues in an apartment before I got married, I mean. Then, I was
transferred to another city; I mean … ah … or like … ah … for example, another state, I
mean. I also started working in a town. And all students in Egypt learn; even in towns,
they learn; in cities, they learn. And … ah … I taught those students in middle schools,
where students then moved [on] to secondary schools … ah … before they enter[ed] the
university stage.
Before that, education was general. Middle school education required endless efforts
from you because you teach a new language to people who have never learned it before.
Middle school education used to be for four years, and then it became three. So it requires
a certain number of books, and they [the students] study, and each year they take a final
exam, until they earn their middle school diploma and enter the high school stage, which
is what? Three years before they enter a university.

So, I moved among different places, and I faced some difficulty while teaching, because
the dialect or the official language prevailed. And there were people who adopted a
modern method in teaching the language. Teaching English has nothing to do with
Arabic, has nothing to do with Arabic at all. It’s the safest and easiest way, I mean, to
separate it [English] and Arabic completely. If I want to teach him [any student] how to
say “door,” then I refer to a door; “a book,” [then] I refer to a book, and tell him it’s a
book. I don’t use Arabic at all. So I was one of the people who encouraged this method, I
mean. It required a huge effort, but its reward was nice, I mean -- for a student to speak
English.

About CultureTalk: CultureTalk is produced by the Five College Center for the Study
of World Languages and housed on the LangMedia Website. The project provides
students of language and culture with samples of people talking about their lives in the
languages they use every day. The participants in CultureTalk interviews and discussions
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Smith College and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

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