Are you comfortable with Arabic?

Most of the expatriates living in the UAE are unable to speak or understand Arabic, which according to an expert, is because it's difficult for non-Arabs to come into contact with the local community.

Even expatriate children who grow up attending Arabic as a second language in schools fail to speak or write Arabic with fluency.

Dr Eli Abi Rached, who holds a Ph.D in Education and is also the Managing Director of the Eton Institute of Languages, says there are several reasons as to why expatriates fail to learn the native language of this country.

"Even if you come into contact with other Arabic speaking people, they usually speak other languages like English through which they communicate with," Rached says.

"The Eton Institute, which focuses on teaching the 'real' spoken language in the classroom, tries to overcome this difficulty by organising interactive fun activities like excursions to places like restaurants where the institute pre-arranges a waiter to only speak in Arabic when students order for their menus."

"Students who have learned sufficient Arabic also find it difficult to retain their Arabic. Raif Taha, an Arabic language teacher at the Eton Institute says, "Even as an Arabic language teacher, I end up speaking English in this country most of the time."

He advises his pupils to visit places like Sharjah, Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah where Arabic is more widely spoken.

Dr Rached says one of the reasons why an expatriate cannot speak the language is the area he lives in. "There are sheltered communities, like the Marinas or Greens, where you don't come into contact with any Arabic speakers".

Zita Koevy, an Arabic language student at the Eton Institute and a Hungarian national living in Dubai for over a year recalls a time when she went to an Arabic restaurant, and in order to practise Arabic, she asked for the check in Arabic.

She says: "I was very excited to finally practise my Arabic so I asked the waiter for my bill but he didn't understand. So I repeated it several times till I finally found out that my waiter was an Indian who couldn't understand Arabic!"

"Generally speaking, the other reason is that English speakers do not make much effort of learning a second language," explains Dr Rached.

"Expatriates living in this country, especially in Dubai, might not find it necessary to learn Arabic since everybody can speak English and even the UAE nationals are fluent in the language.

"However, it is still beneficial for expatriates to learn Arabic since it opens up more opportunities relating to work for them. Expatriates also get to have a better understanding of the culture, customs, laws and decrees of the UAE through Arabic."

"This is what language centres like the Eton Institute are targeting. We say, yes we know you've always wanted to learn a language, it's about time to do something about."

The students who wish to learn Arabic do it for different reasons. Some like Fatima Behardien, Charlotte D'souza and Ece Okumus are students at the Eton Institute and have come from as far as South Africa, India and Turkey and are visitors in this country.

Fatima, from South Africa wanted to learn Arabic during her visit to Dubai because as a Muslim she wanted to understand the holy Quran. She says, "I could read the holy Quran but not understand what was written".

Eco Okumus, from Turkey is a translator by profession who wanted to get "a taste of what Arabic was like". She speaks English, German and Turkish fluently and plans on pursuing Arabic in the future.

Charlotte D'souza, a visitor from India, is studying Arabic for work-related purposes. Charlotte, who aspires to be an air hostess, says speaking Arabic would give her a competitive edge.

Beatrix Rakosi, a resident of the UAE, says she wanted to learn Arabic because as a physiotherapist who could communicate in Arabic she would be able to find more work opportunities in the region. Jean Yau an expatriate from Hong Kong wished to learn Arabic in her free time to better understand the culture and customs of this country.

Eton Institute also has a small percentage of UAE nationals learning advanced Arabic.

Dr Rached explains: "We have UAE nationals who have travelled abroad to study and who come back wishing to strengthen their Arabic."

He says the reasons why students don't speak Arabic in schools is because the teaching methods and curriculum are outdated.

"Ideally, the younger you are the quicker you can learn Arabic," says Dr Rached.

"But your social background plays a big role too. If you have stress in your life from your job or from relocating or changing schools, all these factors determine your ability to learn the language."

"There are many language centres and even universities across the UAE which offer Arabic. At Eton, you can enrol yourself or your kids in small group sessions which cost Dh1,250 or individual courses, which can cost Dh3,500.

The University of Wollongong also offers an intensive Arabic language programme in the summer for part-time as well as full time study.