American Filmmaker with Arab Culture Questions

pmarshall · 04-04-2005, 02:27 PM

Hello.

I am at work on a film script. I have two simple questions at this point.

I need to translate the following phrase: "Dust of Life" into Arabic - Is there a simple word that would mean that?

In Arabic Culture - What do you call a half-breed child - a child who has an Arabic mother and a French or British father?

What kind of names might this half-breed child be given?

Thank you very much for your response and help.
Regards
Philip

moutarjem · 04-04-2005, 08:46 PM

Dear colleague Philip

You must have known that translationg words independantly taken out of text may be a unfair. In the first example you give, it is hard to know what the speaker is talking about, so I need the context. Otherwise find at the bottom the translation.
As for the other sentence, this is may be easier than the first one for in Arabic we do have the equivalent of what you have asked.
Anyway I did my very best to give what I think is the accurate translation although I am not aware of the context.
I avail myself of this opportunity to offer my services to you ( but not free this time)
Should you need to know any idea on my background please let me know.
Fayez
Dust of life:غبار الحياة, and I repeat: I need the context (this is the basic translation)
You can use either:
خلاسي
This is orignially given in Andalucia under the Arabs to the child from an Arab father and a Spanish mother.
Or:
هجين
Mother or father is Arab
I hope that helps, please let me know
Fayez

Nani · 04-04-2005, 11:39 PM

What kind of names might this half-breed child be given?

Hi ,

Am not gonna add much to what motarjim said , because actually , i don't know what a half arab and half french / American would be called in Arabic.

regarding the names given , well ,this depends for sure , sometimes he/she is given an Arabic name and other times , he/she would be given a non Arabic name. well , we have lots of people who are arabs with non arabic names . so , u find lots of Arabs called William , Tony and George .. Nancy , Sara , and Nadeen ... etc.

please Mr. movie maker .. don't stereotype the Arabic guy/girl making him/her look silly , because , we are so much different than we were 200 years ago , and also , when i see those movies , i feel very sad , that there are some people who still think of us this way.

Good luck with your movie ..

moutarjem · 04-05-2005, 12:27 AM

Hi Phili
Sorry I have to correct myself.
مولَّد is the woed that orignially was given in Andalucia under the Arabs to the child from an Arab father and a Spanish mother. In English I think it is Mowallad or so. Whereas خلاسي or هجين is what you are looking for.
As for your third question that I missed in my first reply, the name you that mayb e given to a half-breed child depends on what the parents want not on me (LOL). Anyways, and this is funny to say that the Kareem is the most common name in this case since I know more thant four persons bear this name and they are born Khulassi or Hajeen. I am very serious.

pmarshall · 04-05-2005, 12:50 PM

Hello all.
Thank you very much for your replies and information. I have very little knowlege or experience with Arabic cultures and appreciate your understanding if I say or ask anything that could be looked at as stupid or insulting.

In that regard I would like to resond first to Nani. I hold truth as the most important of all virtues and do everything in my power to prevent stereotypes from slipping into anything I am associated.

I am simply looking for a name for a character in my script. The scenario the character appears is a small part of the major story dealing with the first Gulf War. The character is a 13 year old boy who acts as a guide and helper for an American CIA agent working in pre-war Iraq. The boy is 1/2 Arab and 1/2 European - He has had a tough time growing up and has had to protect himself from people who resent or dislike him because of his cultural background. So I am looking for a "slang" name for him or an actual name that may be given to describe this individual.

The original script was set during the Viet Nam war. The character was named Dihn - and that meant - "Dust of Life" in the asian language. I am looking for a similar name with meaning for this character now set in Iraq.

I will be needing Arabic consultants if this project moves forward and will be very interested in contacting some of you in the future.

Thank you again for your interest and help.
Philip

moutarjem · 04-05-2005, 03:27 PM

Hi Philip

Gotcha! At last!
The slang name for that boy I WILL chose is : بندوق which it exactly refers to his status as half-half in slang and let's us say, in a rather sarcastic way.
Please note in that case the last letter of the name (in reality it is an adjective) should be pronounced as a Hamza and not as Kaf since this is the way to pronounce the Kaf in slang (Syria, Lebanon, parts of Irak, Jordan etc..)
I hope that works
Good luck

Jonne · 04-05-2005, 05:40 PM

...plus depending on the accent, in khaleejy they say qaf as g, in egypt as hamza, in morocco as qaf (as far as I know).

04-04-2005, 02:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
pmarshall Junior Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 9 pmarshall is an unknown character at this point	American Filmmaker with Arab Culture Questions Hello. I am at work on a film script. I have two simple questions at this point. I need to translate the following phrase: "Dust of Life" into Arabic - Is there a simple word that would mean that? In Arabic Culture - What do you call a half-breed child - a child who has an Arabic mother and a French or British father? What kind of names might this half-breed child be given? Thank you very much for your response and help. Regards Philip
(Offline)

04-04-2005, 08:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
moutarjem chevronné (experienced) Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 136 moutarjem came out of the blue	Dear colleague Philip You must have known that translationg words independantly taken out of text may be a unfair. In the first example you give, it is hard to know what the speaker is talking about, so I need the context. Otherwise find at the bottom the translation. As for the other sentence, this is may be easier than the first one for in Arabic we do have the equivalent of what you have asked. Anyway I did my very best to give what I think is the accurate translation although I am not aware of the context. I avail myself of this opportunity to offer my services to you ( but not free this time) Should you need to know any idea on my background please let me know. Fayez Dust of life:غبار الحياة, and I repeat: I need the context (this is the basic translation) You can use either: خلاسي This is orignially given in Andalucia under the Arabs to the child from an Arab father and a Spanish mother. Or: هجين Mother or father is Arab I hope that helps, please let me know Fayez __________________
(Offline)

04-04-2005, 11:39 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nani Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,439 Nani has a spectacular aura about	What kind of names might this half-breed child be given? Hi , Am not gonna add much to what motarjim said , because actually , i don't know what a half arab and half french / American would be called in Arabic. regarding the names given , well ,this depends for sure , sometimes he/she is given an Arabic name and other times , he/she would be given a non Arabic name. well , we have lots of people who are arabs with non arabic names . so , u find lots of Arabs called William , Tony and George .. Nancy , Sara , and Nadeen ... etc. please Mr. movie maker .. don't stereotype the Arabic guy/girl making him/her look silly , because , we are so much different than we were 200 years ago , and also , when i see those movies , i feel very sad , that there are some people who still think of us this way. Good luck with your movie ..
(Offline)

04-05-2005, 12:27 AM	#4 (permalink)
moutarjem chevronné (experienced) Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 136 moutarjem came out of the blue	Hi Phili Sorry I have to correct myself. مولَّد is the woed that orignially was given in Andalucia under the Arabs to the child from an Arab father and a Spanish mother. In English I think it is Mowallad or so. Whereas خلاسي or هجين is what you are looking for. As for your third question that I missed in my first reply, the name you that mayb e given to a half-breed child depends on what the parents want not on me (LOL). Anyways, and this is funny to say that the Kareem is the most common name in this case since I know more thant four persons bear this name and they are born Khulassi or Hajeen. I am very serious. __________________
(Offline)

04-05-2005, 12:50 PM	#5 (permalink)
pmarshall Junior Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 9 pmarshall is an unknown character at this point	Hello all. Thank you very much for your replies and information. I have very little knowlege or experience with Arabic cultures and appreciate your understanding if I say or ask anything that could be looked at as stupid or insulting. In that regard I would like to resond first to Nani. I hold truth as the most important of all virtues and do everything in my power to prevent stereotypes from slipping into anything I am associated. I am simply looking for a name for a character in my script. The scenario the character appears is a small part of the major story dealing with the first Gulf War. The character is a 13 year old boy who acts as a guide and helper for an American CIA agent working in pre-war Iraq. The boy is 1/2 Arab and 1/2 European - He has had a tough time growing up and has had to protect himself from people who resent or dislike him because of his cultural background. So I am looking for a "slang" name for him or an actual name that may be given to describe this individual. The original script was set during the Viet Nam war. The character was named Dihn - and that meant - "Dust of Life" in the asian language. I am looking for a similar name with meaning for this character now set in Iraq. I will be needing Arabic consultants if this project moves forward and will be very interested in contacting some of you in the future. Thank you again for your interest and help. Philip
(Offline)

04-05-2005, 03:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
moutarjem chevronné (experienced) Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 136 moutarjem came out of the blue	Hi Philip Gotcha! At last! The slang name for that boy I WILL chose is : بندوق which it exactly refers to his status as half-half in slang and let's us say, in a rather sarcastic way. Please note in that case the last letter of the name (in reality it is an adjective) should be pronounced as a Hamza and not as Kaf since this is the way to pronounce the Kaf in slang (Syria, Lebanon, parts of Irak, Jordan etc..) I hope that works Good luck __________________
(Offline)

04-05-2005, 05:40 PM	#7 (permalink)
Jonne Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 994 Jonne came out of the blue	...plus depending on the accent, in khaleejy they say qaf as g, in egypt as hamza, in morocco as qaf (as far as I know).
(Offline)

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