Update: go to Part II, blog after next, for more musings on culture and communications.
This follows on my previous post: Migrants and refugees: As I was employed by a local distributor, I had a contract written in Arabic. I met a Liverpudlian converted to Islam c/w new name, Emirati wife and two young children, who kindly translated it for me... He warned me however that contract wasn't worth the paper it was printed on! Why? Arabic is a symbolic language, and words can have various meanings depending on circumstances. Arabic culture is still based on desert heritage and tribal leaders, they have majlis (not to be confused with masjids root of mosque) or men's councils... and the Kuwaiti parliament cancelled itself last 2010, as all it was doing was rubber-stamp princes' decrees!