In an effort to become more accessible to its customers, Oman Air has launched its Facebook page in Arabic, French, Italian and German. With its diversified set of destinations, including Europe, Oman Air now flies to over 41 different destinations and has been steadily increasing its operations, especially in Europe. It currently flies to London, Milan, Paris, Frankfurt and Munich and is soon to launch Zurich in December.

“Our presence in social media is very important to us,” says Mr. Philippe Georgiou, Chief Officer Corporate Affairs,  Oman Air. “It is a platform for customers and well-wishers who can use it to talk to us directly, give us their feedback and engage with us in ways that are comfortable for them. For us, it is an opportunity to share a whole range of our activities, not just in terms of our flights, destinations and offers, but also in terms of our other activities, such as our promotions and sponsorships. These include strategic alliances with successful sport teams on the field of sailing and motor racing, our various participations in events. Additionally, we want to share our pride at winning international accolades and awards.

“We launched our official facebook page over two years ago and it has been steadily growing ever since. With the launch of facebook in four new languages (Arabic, French, German and Italian), we are now expanding our wings to reach out to our customers in the language of their choice,” adds Mr. Mohammed Al Shikely, General Manager Marketing, Oman Air.  “We will also be doing an online contest in November, and we welcome our customers around the globe to log in to our facebook pages and win exciting prizes, which can be won by fans of all language pages including English, as we value their loyalty towards us. We encourage you to join in to enjoy many online benefits and enhanced customer service with Oman Air in the future”

Oman Air has recently been in the news for winning 21 international awards that it has received over the past two years. From being voted the Best Business Class Seat and earning the Best Middle East Staff Service Excellence award by Skytrax, to the best airline flying out of France and the best luxury airline in the Middle East, Oman Air is on a sustained journey to improve all aspects of its operations and continues to exceed its customers’ expectations.

ABU DHABI — Kalima, the translation project of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), published the Arabic translation of the book ‘Fear of Small Numbers: An Essay on the Geography of Anger’ written by Arjun Appadurai.

The book was translated by Mufida Mnakiri Labyadh, a professor of English at the National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology at the University of Carthage in Tunisia. She is a researcher in Applied Linguistics and an expert translator at legal and international bodies.

Appadurai is a specialist in social sciences, a professor at the New School University, and Senior Advisor for Global Initiatives. He is one of the founding editors of the journal ‘Public Culture’. He has worked as a consultant for a wide range of public and private organisations, including UNESCO, the World Bank and the National Science Foundation.

The book deals with the theme of violence spreading extensively in our time, explaining the close relationship between violence and terrorism, discourse with the phenomenon of globalisation and its role in the regulation of policies, markets and ideas.

It seeks to understand what makes an era dominated by the free flow of capital, liberal ideas and the vigorous expansion of human rights to produce new forms of hatred, ethnic cleansing and genocide ideology.

The book also highlights new types of political organisations which are not governed by traditional laws of policies and countries, suggesting that globalisation could reveal a dangerous flaw in ideologies. It analyses the close connection between the concept of the state and the idea of belonging to a national ethnicity, and the link the latter has to generate social mistrust. It also shows how globalisation sparks this uncertainty between ‘us’ and ‘the other’ and undermines the borders of the sate-nation and its influence.

Through his studies for the development of Muslim minorities in India and other small groups in the world, the book asks the question over anger toward minorities, whose small number did not save them from being the subject of suspicion, fear and anger. It is normal for the few to fear the many, or for the weak to fear the strong. But it is odd how the most violent, aggressive and far-reaching events are those triggered by the fear of the weak, and fear by the majority of the minority.

What distinguishes this book is the keenness of the author to use sociological and anthropological tools whose concepts are derived from a different discipline, namely the medical field to develop a new theory which explains social phenomena (such as terrorism and mass violence), which until recently seemed difficult to explain. 

Online initiative aims to expand reach and enhance service levels for women customers in the region

July 27, 2010

Jotun Paints, one of the world’s leading producers and suppliers of paints and coatings, has launched an Arabic version of its ‘Jotun Lady’ website (http://lady.jotun.com), following the successful launch of the English website last year and demands for a localised online portal from women customers in the region. The online initiative, which incorporates features to guide users on the latest design trends and help them update the overall appearance of their homes, is aimed at further expanding the website’s reach and enhancing service levels provided for regional customers.  Designed as a new contact point between the ‘LADY’ brand and its target users, the highly interactive portal provides users with extensive product information, advice on colour psychology, as well as on how to decorate their homes.

The Arab world is continually witnessing increasing usage of the Internet, with majority of sectors in the region recording rising online dependence for both information and connectivity. Combining this growing trend with the insight that almost half of the users of the famous online networking site Facebook in the region utilises Arabic as their primary language according to latest reports, Jotun has identified the potential in launching the ‘Jotun Lady’ website in the vernacular.  The website also links to ‘Colour Advisor’, Jotun Paints’ revolutionary, easy-to-use online colour visualisation tool that lets users enjoy a more realistic experience through the extended interactivity and accessibility to more colours.

“Having the website in Arabic allows us to talk to Arab women without any barrier and directly in the language that they feel, think, and use to communicate naturally,” said Trine Finnevolden, General Manager, Jotun Paints UAE. “With the growing affinity of Arab women towards using the Internet, we have been inspired to communicate with them through technology in a platform that will revolve around inspiration, colours and advice for choosing the right paint products and colours, which enables them to make better planning and painting decisions. In addition to the website, we are also looking to launch domain names in Arabic, as a testament to our focus on the regional market.”

Celebrating Arabic Typography and UNESCO’s Year for Rapprochement of Cultures

WinSoft’s CEO, Kamel Gaddas

Multi-lingual software developer WinSoft is launching the Arabic Typography Design Contest, with ten prizes worth more than $16,500, at this year’s GITEX exhibition in celebration of UNESCO’s International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, 2010.

Typographers, graphic designers, calligraphers and artists are being invited to illustrate in text their vision of a world where a dialogue between cultures will be both natural and enriching. Read the full story

An exhibition of calligraphy and arts by young artists from the UAE and the Middle East is currently on at the Grand Atrium in Dubai Mall till October 3rd. The exhibition titled Letters has been sponsored by Montblanc is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. Read the full story

HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, has announced that Saudi telecom service provider STC will be the first operator in the Middle East to introduce the region’s first Android™-powered phone HTC Magic to Saudi customers. Read the full story

Comprehensive knowledge tool aims to benefit region’s gold supply chain

Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) today announced that it released the Arabic-language edition of the GFMS Gold Survey 2009, the single most comprehensive, independent and authoritative knowledge tool on the global gold industry. Read the full story