English to Arabic is the main problem. A lot of the web sites offer this but, I

need to know how something like "abd" - which means slave in English is

used with human chatel.

My last try was an embarassment to me. No research and no theme failed

the SOLD series. I wanted a story published fast. No longer...

The travel is from Turkey, via water, via the Suez Canal, to Qizan, a port

on the Saudi Red Sea coast. Then inland.......

Names: Except Ali - needs to be Arabic.

Daniel

Peter

Paul

Ali

Some German and French words may be needed - the text will be in English.

Anyone has been to Saudi Arabia might be of assistance also.......

Ron

You might want to try this website:

http://www.friendsabroad.com/en/register.htm

As for "Abd" meaning slave. It seems to me, that the WORD for "slave" does not carry quite the negative stigma as the WORD does in our language, or more accuratly our culture. For example, the hero Salah Ad-Din, introduced himself PROUDLY as a "slave of God" (abd-ullah).

I do not want to digress into a long dissertation of Arabic grammar here, but I HAVE to point out one little thing that most non-Arabic speakers do, that REALLY bugs me. It seems most anyone can comprehend that the "definite article" (i.e. Al) means more or less the same as "the" in English. But what most people MISS is that the AL becomes AS, or AT, or AD, when it is prefixed to a word starting with what the Arabs call a "sun letter." Basically, the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet are divided into "sun letters" (huroofat ash-shems) and "moon letters" (huroofat al-kumer). If you make the sound with the front of your mouth, like the sounds for D. N, S, T, then it is a "sun letter." So, for example, the famous and now dead President of Egypt, Anwar As-Sadat, his last name begins with S, so the AL of the definite article becomes AS, and when you pronounce the name it sounds like the "S" is doubled, or lengthened just a bit. If his name was Anwar Al-Kumer, the AL would REMAIN al, because you make the "K" sound with the back of the mouth. OK, guess I am anal retentive moron who has nothing more important in his life that to nit pick about Arabic pronunciation. It just ticks me off to hear people thinking they sound sooooooo intelligent and cultured when they BUTCHER the names of people and talk about the Egyptian President "Anwar AL Sadat." THAT is soooooo wrong! And by the way, his middle initial was NOT "L" like some people seem to think.

As for the Arabic pronunciation of "Peter," that would be "Butros," as in the name of the FORMER U.N. President Butros Butros Ghali. It is also the Arabic pronuciation of of Patrick.

For "Daniel" and "Paul," I am not so sure, I THINK Daniel would probably be pronounced almost identically, and Paul would probably be the same as the Greek pronuciation, "Paulos." By the way, the name "Joseph" in the Arabic language is the same as it is in Greek, "Yoosef."

Good luck with you writing.

Thanks.

The story is in my head now. I am going to do a lot of research on this one

and make it worth reading. My last attempt was trash.....

Ron