The Arab Language Academy in Damascus Enters the Digital Transformation Era

The Arab Language Academy in Damascus Enters the Digital Transformation Era with a National Observatory for Modern Terminology

In a step that reflects a growing awareness of the importance of keeping pace with the accelerating digital transformations, the Arab Language Academy in Damascus, the oldest linguistic academy in the Arab world, is moving toward a new phase of institutional and technical development, through the launch of digital initiatives aimed at strengthening the presence of the Arabic language in the fields of modern science and technology.

This came during a recent meeting between His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Syria, Dr. Marwan Al-Halabi, and the council of the Arab Language Academy in Damascus, where the current situation of the academy and its needs were discussed, along with the challenges facing its performance amid the acceleration of technological innovation and the widening gap between the Arabic language and modern scientific terminology, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital technologies.

Digital Transformation at the Core of the Academy's Modernization Vision

This meeting comes within a broader governmental vision targeting the modernization of academic and scientific institutions, placing digital transformation as one of the key pillars for developing the performance of the academy, which was established in 1919 and has played a pivotal historical role in protecting the Arabic language, Arabizing sciences, and coining modern terminology.

Those overseeing the academy believe that the current phase requires transitioning from the traditional role of linguistic institutions to becoming an active digital participant in knowledge production, capable of interacting with global scientific developments at a faster and more flexible pace.

A National Observatory for Modern Terminology: A Digital Platform to Keep Up with the Times

Among the most prominent projects discussed during the meeting was the project to launch a national observatory for modern terminology, which is seen as the cornerstone in linking the Arabic language to global scientific and technical activity.

The Vice President of the Arab Language Academy in Damascus, Professor Marwan Al-Bawwab, clarified that the observatory will be developed in cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education, the Arab Language Academy, and the Information Technology Center for Promoting Digital Innovation in Damascus, to serve as an interactive digital platform connectable to universities and research institutions inside and outside Syria.

The observatory aims to:

Monitor newly emerging scientific and technical terminology
Propose accurate and approved Arabic equivalents
Accelerate the adoption of terminology in university curricula
Unify Arabic scientific terminology at the regional level

The importance of this project grows in light of the rapid advances in the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, and medical and engineering technologies, which pose unprecedented linguistic challenges.

Digitizing Manuscripts and Dictionaries: Preserving Heritage in the Language of the Age

In a parallel axis, the academy continues its efforts in digitizing the Arabic linguistic heritage, through a national project for the restoration and digitization of manuscripts, aimed at transferring linguistic and scientific content from paper archives to secure, searchable digital platforms.

Professor Marwan Al-Bawwab confirmed that the academy has made significant progress over the past years in digitizing:

Its scientific publications
Its periodic journal
A number of specialized dictionaries

These materials are being published successively via the academy's official website, as part of a strategy aimed at broadening access to knowledge and facilitating its use by researchers and students inside and outside Syria.

The academy also looks forward to employing advanced technologies in the future, such as:

Intelligent linguistic databases
Semantic search tools
Artificial intelligence technologies in linguistic studies

Technology as a Bridge Between Linguistic Generations

The meeting also discussed a fundamental challenge represented by the shortage of human resources and the need to inject young talent capable of working in a digital knowledge environment.

In this context, digital tools serve as an effective means of transferring the accumulated linguistic expertise of the academy's scholars to a new generation of researchers, through the involvement of:

Graduate students
Young researchers
Specialists in digital technologies

The Minister of Higher Education pledged to address the shortage of resources by supplying the academy with qualified scientific talent, thereby achieving a balance between deep linguistic expertise and modern technical skills.

Digital Publishing: A Strategic Solution to Financial Challenges

Amid financial challenges, especially those related to printing costs, digital publishing has emerged as a strategic option to reduce financial burdens while preserving the scientific value of publications.

The academy believes that the shift toward electronic publishing of its journal, dictionaries, and scientific research contributes to:

Expanding the reach of dissemination
Reducing costs
Keeping up with digital knowledge consumption patterns

While retaining print editions for publications of a documentary and historical nature.

A Balanced Digital Presence on Social Media

In the age of social media platforms, the academy is working to strengthen its digital presence by publishing:

Scientific lectures
Seminars and conferences
Linguistic awareness content

While taking care to maintain its scientific independence and sound methodology, to remain a trusted reference on Arabic language issues.

Arab Cooperation and Shared Databases

At the regional level, the Arab Language Academy in Damascus continues its cooperation with other Arab linguistic academies, whether through:

Annual conferences
Exchange of expertise and linguistic decisions
Creation of shared databases of terminology

The Vice President of the Academy indicated that several Arab entities have requested technical cooperation in building linguistic databases, and the academy has responded to these requests within the framework of supporting Arab integration in the linguistic field.

The Arabic Language: A National and Intellectual Cause

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Minister of Higher Education emphasized that protecting the Arabic language is no longer merely a cultural matter, but a national, intellectual, and strategic cause, reaffirming the Ministry's commitment to supporting the academy and developing its administrative and technical infrastructure, and strengthening its role in the age of digital transformation.

A Historical Overview of the Arab Language Academy in Damascus

The Arab Language Academy in Damascus is considered the oldest academic linguistic institution in the Arab world, having been established on June 8, 1919, during the reign of King Faisal's government in Syria, under the name "The Arab Scientific Academy," before adopting its current name in 1960.

Since its founding, the academy has undertaken the tasks of:

Reforming the Arabic language
Coining modern terminology
Arabizing education and institutions
Reviving the linguistic heritage

It participated in Arabizing state institutions and education, and contributed to establishing pioneering schools and institutes in Syria and the Arab world.

The academy currently consists of 17 active members, in addition to honorary and associate members, and works through specialized committees, such as:

The Terminology Committee
The Manuscripts and Heritage Revival Committee
The Contemporary Arabic Dialects Committee

The academy has been publishing a quarterly journal since 1921, and is an active member of the Union of Arab Scientific Linguistic Academies.

Between the Past and the Future

Between a rich history spanning more than a century and a rapidly changing digital future, the Arab Language Academy in Damascus stands at a pivotal stage, seeking to redefine its role, not only as a guardian of the language, but as an influential digital actor in the production of Arab knowledge in the twenty-first century.

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The Arab Language Academy in Damascus Enters the Digital Transformation Era

The Arab Language Academy in Damascus Enters the Digital Transformation Era