Dutch Language in Iraq

The absence of translators in Baghdad, and the request for learning the Dutch language in Kurdistan

Ahmed Mohammad

Ahmed.muhmad@gmail.com

Nihad Center for Certified Legal Translation is the first registered and recognized center in Iraq, posting in the front glass many signs indicating to the languages ​​for which the Centre can provide its services, including the Dutch language.

One of the employees says : "we translate from the Dutch language into Arabic and vice versa, but this translation is not subject to ratification by The Iraqi Translators Association", and she mentions the reasons for why the Association is not giving license to the respective translator "because they don’t have the ability to test the translator" she explains. And without this license, the translator can’t work officially in Iraq.

And she added that people are rarely visiting the centre to learn the Dutch language or to ask for translation from or into Dutch Language, or to make correspondence or seek for seats in the Dutch universities to complete their study.

And The Iraqi Translators Association in Baghdad explains: "the Association has one licensed Dutch Translator only, but he is outside the country for the moment, where he works as a translator at the Iraqi Embassy in Amsterdam" noting that he returns to Iraq every two years.

Nazim Sheikhan, at the 40s, lived seventeen years of his life in the Netherlands, and spent eight years in teaching the Dutch language for the non-Dutch individuals, he returned to Iraq a year ago, and he works now as a sworn translator by the Ministry of Justice of the Kurdistan Regional Government - Iraq and expertise in translating Arabic, Kurdish, and Dutch languages, and he teaches the Dutch language at the World Languages Institution ​​in Erbil the capital of Kurdistan Region in the north of Iraq.

"There is no license to work as a translator in the Kurdistan Region" he said, mentioning the reasons which is due to the absence of an Association for translators in Kurdistan Region, but meanwhile "a group of University Professors and Translators think to establish an Association for the translators in Kurdistan" and he pointed to the absence of a relationship with the Translators Association in Baghdad.

And he also explained "most of the demands for learning the Dutch language by the students is for the reunification" as the laws in the Netherlands imposes learning the Dutch language upon the applicants who request admission to join their spouses or family reunion by the parents to the children or the opposite, describing the movement of learning the Dutch language in the Region by "The Good" and giving an example by saying "One of the students attend to learn the language from Kirkuk City" (93km south to Erbil City), because she is expected to marry a person who lives in the Netherlands.

And he says that the curriculum adopted by the students is (ofweg) and (Nederland Book) which contains information about the Netherlands, and is the adopted Approach by the Dutch Ministry of Justice in doing the examinations regarding to the Dutch language.

And he pointed out that those who wish to do such exams or request for visas have to go to one of the neighboring countries of Iraq because the Embassy in Baghdad doesn’t provide such services.

Mohammed Khidhir, 27 years, from Hawija City (55km from Kirkuk City) a trainee journalist in The Independent Media Center in Kurdistan (IMCK) extended to The Dutch Press Naw Organization, and worked as an Interpreter for many of the Dutch journalists, he says: "I used to deal with them in English, and now I wish to communicate with them in their own language", and he also wishes to visit the Netherlands.

Mohammed prefers to use the Internet more than books and pamphlets in learning the language, and that’s because he “learns translation and he is not an academic student" explaining that the website he use is (www.livemocha.com) and he also uses the translation services at Google's famous website "for translating texts and articles" and he intends to buy DVDs as well to learn the language.

It is worthy mentioning that there is no any special department or branch to teach the Dutch language or its literatures at any recognized college or university by the Ministry of Higher Education in Iraq.