Photos = Khalid Al-Osaimi and Salfa Al-Sukran  

The Arab world has witnessed a surge in demand for Korean-language education driven by the widespread popularity of Hallyu but a shortage of related educational resources in Arabic has made things challenging. 

Khaled Al-Osaimi, a Saudi Arabian teacher of Korean, and his student Salfa Al-Sakran wrote the book "Moon Talk" to teach basic Korean to Arabic-speaking students.

Korean-language teacher Khaled Al-Osaimi and his student and translator Salfa Al-Sukran of Saudi Arabia are seeking to resolve this issue through "Hadeeth Al-Qamar" (Moon Talk), a comprehensive Korean-language learning resource for Arabic speakers. 

The following are excerpts from an Aug. 15 interview with the two via email.

Briefly introduce yourselves. 
Al-Sukran: I am the co-author of the book "Hadeeth Al-Qamar." I work at a Korean-language institute for Arabs and have a bachelor's in e-commerce. 

Al-Osaimi: I did my undergraduate and master's studies in Korea and discovered its amazing culture. After returning to Saudi Arabia, I pursued a career in university teaching.

How did your journey with Korean culture and language begin?
Al-Sukran: My interest in Korean culture started in 2008 through K-dramas. My first steps in learning Korean began with Mr. Al-Osaimi.

Al-Osaimi: Studying in Korea was a significant part of my journey. I chose to study there to master the language and deepen my understanding of the culture.

Describe "Hadeeth Al-Qamar." 
Al-Osaimi: This book focuses on the literary translation of texts from Korean to Arabic and vice versa. Initially, our translations were limited to written content on social media and incorporated media and simple designs of inspirational phrases. Our work expanded to audio and visual materials on topics and sources that resonated with our audience. Years of effort culminated in the publication of a book for Arabs struggling with the lack of Arabic resources for learning Korean.

How did you come up with the idea for the book? 
Al-Sukran: As a teacher and a student, our motivation was to enrich Arabic content related to Korean-language education. Early on, such content was almost non-existent unlike today, which makes us proud to be part of the solution. Our goal wasn't limited to simply providing language lessons as we covered topics of interest to students to increase their knowledge of Korean culture.

The authors say their book stemmed from their desire to enrich Arabic content related to Korean-language education. 

Why did you put inspirational phrases in Korean in your book?
Al-Sukran: Spreading hope and comfort is our approach in "Hadeeth Al-Qamar," and we believe in the profound impact of these phrases. We receive daily messages from our followers telling us that they got the phrases at the right time or how much they needed them. So we want to include these phrases to encourage learners to continue their journey with enthusiasm.

What language is Korean expressions closer to when translating, Arabic or English?
Al-Sukran: Personally, I consider Korean to have the unique trait of possessing an "underlying meaning" unlike English, which is pretty straightforward. Therefore, we try to ensure that the meaning of the original text aligns with Arabic. 

What advice do you have for Korean-language learners?
Al-Osaimi: Perhaps the most important advice is patience. Learning a language is challenging at first but with persistence, it gets easier over time. Learners should focus on the basics, use multiple educational resources, engage in listening and speaking, and practice daily. Embrace the challenges and make the most of each experience to improve your skills.

This story is the translation of the original Arabic article posted on Sept. 1 on Korea.net's main site: https://arabic.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=237955.

msjeon22@korea.kr

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