Landon

WOW! All I can say is "wow!" I've just spent the last 2 or three hours browsing over these forums. This place is great! Anyway...

A very special friend of mine has just started learning Arabic. I'm going to start learning it with her, as it's a great activity for us both. She's far better than I, though, and also speaks other cool languages like Turkish. Of course, she has had about 5 months of Arabic practice, so I'm having to play "catch up"! I have a poem for her, and I though that instead of just giving it to her, I could write it in Arabic for her. However, I'm so bad, that I don't think I can get it done before she'll be leaving. I realize that rhyming will not translate, and that is okay, the meaning is MUCH more important! Here's the poem:

"THANK YOU FRIEND

Thank you for being a friend,
for being there for days on end.
Thank you for finding the laughter through my tears,
for helping me to conquer any of my fears.

Thank you for the kind words and smiles,
for the hugs I can feel across the many miles.
Thank you for making me see when I am wrong,
for telling me I don't always have to be strong.

Thank you for the good times we've had,
for being there with me through the good and bad.
Thank you for knocking me off my stool,
for letting me know when I've been a fool.

Thank you for the love you have shown,
for showing me what I may have never known.
Thank you for sharing your time with me,
for being a friend no other can be.
Thank you........"

I'd like it in actual Arabic writing (but when I try typing Arabic in the forum, it just shows up as ?????s). But I've seen some of you do it. How?
This would mean the world for me (and for her)! Although... now I may have to wait a couple days before telling about this site so that she doesn't figure out I cheated!

Also, some other sites you all might enjoy:
Arabic Text-to-speech!!! http://demo.acapela-group.com/
Type in Arabic to get English translations: http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/translation/
Another great English-Arabic dictionary: http://www.lingvosoft.com/English-Arabic-Dictionary/

Thanks in advance!
-Landon

chicham

Good morning Landon! and Welcome!
I enjoyed reading your message
You seem really nice!
I wish you good luck in learning arabic!

For the poem, im sorry but i dont have enough time to translate it now..
Maybe I would later, unless someone else does it

Good day.

Landon

Thanks Chicham!

I realize translating a poem isn't like asking how to say a word or phrase. Heh, trust me, I've spent a couple hours trying to translate it. If you want to copy and paste it, maybe work on it throughout the day like I do, you can e-mail me bits and pieces to schouser@davidson.edu. Again, thanks for participating in this site, it truly is wonderful; and thanks for your wishes in my pursuit of Arabic. I'm using the text book Alif-Baa, which is pretty good, but I'd be open to suggestions of other Beginner Arabic texts.

-Landon

versatchi

Salam:
Hal intah Katabith Hazah Alchieer

Ana Ahbabtahou Kaseeran

Translation to the above:
did you wrote that Poem
I loved a lot..

chicham

Hey
Sorry didnt get back to you soon.
But this week I was so sick,
then I had an Exam. Was at the hospital.....

So im Gonno seriously start up, and send you paragraphs each time.

versace, it is quite lovely ( hal anta lladhi katabta? )

Landon

Thanks all! I really enjoy the duel-translation posts (putting it in English and Arabic). I'm making good progess, slow, but good. I've got the alphabet & numbers done, and I'm starting on the basic words. I'm trying to figure out how to post in Arabic (the lines, not the English letters or phonetics), but when I type it, I can see it, but the forum just displays ?????? Any thoughts?

chicham

Ur Pc..
Arabic-enabled?
I dont know about deeply technical stuff, but,
does it read arabic elsewhere?
Like the email I sent you, can you forward it to me? maybe it will show me arabic characters..