I just thought you might be interested to see how some typical American products are packaged for sale in Saudi Arabia. Written in both Arabic and English, the product name, description, and directions (below) are clearly marked. We have bought other products, like Campbell’s soup, that just have a sticker in Arabic placed over the English. Obviously I prefer the preprinted packaging in both languages better for my needs.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is KSA's 2nd largest city and is located on its west coast, right on the Red Sea. I moved here in 2007 with my Saudi hubby and teenage son. This journal reflects the things that I see here, life through my eyes, my lens.
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It’s so cute, the attention to detail in the directions…even my untrained eye can tell the tip for cake-like brownies is italicized in the Arabic as well… 🙂
This is very interesting to see. I had wondered if you were able to get this kind of product. Our packaging has English and Spanish.
Very interesting, thanks! I find things like this fascinating.
I’m amazed at how many countries include English as well as the native language.
Good thing for me because I’ve always had problems with languages other than English. (6 years of French and I need a dictionary to understand written French. Forget about spoken French!!)
My hat is off to people, and I know a few, who have command of several languages.
I too admire people who can speak several languages – I know how difficult it is to try learning another language. Glad you liked this post.
I just trying to imagine a “typical” Saudi family making Betty Crocker brownies from a box mix ……
They do have many products like this. I would say on the whole though that more foods are cooked from scratch here than in America where many people just buy pre-prepared heat and serve items any more.
What’s funny (though not at all surprising) about this is that verbs are gendered in Arabic, and the verbs here–preheat, stir, bake–are clearly aimed at women. God forbid a man enter the kitchen, let alone bake some brownies. Ha!
Thanks for pointing that out – I would not have known. The gender nouns and verbs in other languages really throw me. I still don’t understand how inanimate objects are considered male or female and what makes them either one.
Here we have solved that problem by making instructions in the plural instead of feminine.
I like the “with chololate chunks.”
Interesting. Now I know the numeral 3 in Arabic!