Empowering communication: App bridges gaps for Arabic-speaking deaf community

Reem Turky, the founder of Tawaasuly. (Supplied)
Reem Turky, the founder of Tawaasuly. (Supplied)
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Updated 13 October 2024
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Empowering communication: App bridges gaps for Arabic-speaking deaf community

Reem Turky, the founder of Tawaasuly. (Supplied)
  • Reem Turky’s Tawaasuly aims to elevate the disabled customer experience to a new era

RIYADH: The creator of an Arabic sign language translation app has spoken about how she aims to improve accessibility for deaf people, helping them integrate into society.

Reem Turky, the founder of Tawaasuly, has created a significant tool for the deaf community in the Arabic-speaking world. The app serves as a bridge between deaf and hearing people, offering dual communication channels.

Tawaasuly translates Arabic speech and text into Arabic sign language using 3D animation and converts sign language gestures back into spoken or written Arabic.




By collaborating with experts in the field, the app adapts to the nuances and variations of Arabic sign language, ensuring contextually appropriate translations. (Supplied)

“We aim to realize service providers’ visions by elevating the disabled customer experience to a new era,” Turky told Arab News.

Tawaasuly facilitates communication, engages the Arabic deaf community in society and enables users to live independently from their families and translators. It also helps service-driven enterprises gain recognition as innovators in customer experience while addressing environmental, social and governance issues.

Turky’s journey to create Tawaasuly was deeply personal. “I witnessed the challenges faced by my colleague, who struggled to communicate in social and professional settings,” she said.

We utilize a combination of machine learning and voice-to-text recognition technologies to translate between Arabic language and Arabic sign language.

Reem Turky, Founder of Tawaasuly

“This experience ignited my passion to create a solution that bridges communication gaps.”

Recognizing that existing tools for the Arabic-speaking deaf community were inadequate and culturally misaligned, she was motivated to develop Tawaasuly.

“Our mission is to empower the deaf community by providing accessible communication that promotes inclusion and understanding,” Turky said.

“We utilize a combination of machine learning and voice-to-text recognition technologies to translate between Arabic language and Arabic sign language.”

By collaborating with experts in the field, the app adapts to the nuances and variations of Arabic sign language, ensuring contextually appropriate translations.

Feedback from users has been positive. Many have expressed gratitude for the app’s user-friendly interface and accurate translations.

“It significantly enhances their ability to communicate in various settings, from education to social interactions,” Turky said.

But she said she had faced challenges in trying to raise awareness of the app.

“The prevailing stigma around deafness and limited awareness of available technologies has been our main challenge,” she said.

The team is dedicated to educating both the deaf community and companies about the app’s benefits. Its impact is measured through user feedback, social engagement and usage statistics.

Turky said: “One user shared that Tawaasuly helped her engage frequently with hearing communities after years of isolation.”

She hopes that in five years Tawaasuly, with increased functionality, including more languages and dialects, will be the go-to communication tool for deaf people across the Arabic-speaking world. She said she also planned to launch an enterprise version of the app to help companies serve deaf customers better.

The company is currently pursuing partnerships with startups focusing on AI and text-to-speech technologies, as well as collaborations with educational institutions and nongovernmental organizations that advocate for disability rights.

“We prioritize sustainable practices in our operations, such as green IT and community outreach programs,” Turky said.

She believes that technology plays a crucial role in improving accessibility for disabled communities.

“It can enhance communication, provide access to information and create inclusive environments for disabled individuals,” she said.

Witnessing the positive impact of Tawaasuly on users’ lives has been rewarding for Turky.

“Knowing that Tawaasuly helps bridge communication gaps is my motivation,” she said.

 


Saudi Ardah folk dance sets Guinness World Record in Riyadh

Saudi Ardah folk dance sets Guinness World Record in Riyadh
Updated 59 min 27 sec ago
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Saudi Ardah folk dance sets Guinness World Record in Riyadh

Saudi Ardah folk dance sets Guinness World Record in Riyadh
  • Performed on special occasions, the dance form showcases Kingdom’s heritage
  • It begins with recital of a poem, followed by drummers setting rhythm for dancers

RIYADH: The Founding Day celebrations set a Guinness World Record for the largest Saudi Ardah performance in Riyadh, with 633 participants showcasing this traditional dance.

This achievement underscores the Ardah’s deep-rooted significance as a national tradition, reflecting pride in Saudi identity and a commitment to preserving and promoting cultural heritage globally, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Organized by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the Principality of Riyadh Region from Feb. 20 to 23, the Founding Day event attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from diverse backgrounds.

Performed on special occasions, the performance showcases the Kingdom’s heritage. It begins with the recital of a poem, followed by drummers setting the rhythm for the dancers.

The group leader then takes the stage, wielding a blade and demonstrating precise movements that mirror those of warriors in battle.


Tales of Founding Day come to life at Diriyah celebrations

Tales of Founding Day come to life at Diriyah celebrations
Updated 24 February 2025
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Tales of Founding Day come to life at Diriyah celebrations

Tales of Founding Day come to life at Diriyah celebrations
  • Theatrical performances, music and educational exhibits tell nation’s story
  • Ancient Bedouin dance among highlights of three-day event

RIYADH: A tale as old as time, Diriyah, heart of the Kingdom and the setting of its first chapter, celebrated Founding Day with an array of musical performances, shows and historical exhibits that ended on Sunday.

Families and guests of all ages and nationalities were welcomed at Diriyah to learn all about the establishment of the First Saudi State.

History lessons were available through shadow theater performances, Kahoot quizzes, interactive screens and palace-side projections displaying the Kingdom’s journey.

Guests were tailed by musical groups singing traditional and cultural songs walking around Diriyah, carrying with them the songs of battles fought and won.

Vincent Pomer, a visitor from Boston in the US who is visiting a friend in the Kingdom, told Arab News: “I feel kind of a sense of contentment and peace, seeing how everybody is respectful of their past.

“I will equate it to, as me being American, the Fourth of July. We celebrate Fourth of July not so much as our freedom but it is our short-lived history … Founding Day is the equivalent here for Saudi Arabia.”

One of the highlights of the celebrations was a Samri show, a Bedouin dance and music that originated in Najd. About 300 years old, Samri was traditionally performed when families gathered on desert nights. Two lines of men would kneel, swaying and clapping while singing poetry and beating on a Daf drum.

The celebrations also included workshops for children and families on various skills, such as perfumery, sketching, painting and bracelet making.

Arab News spoke to Umar Sial, a Pakistani national who has lived in Saudi Arabia for the past six months, to ask about the highlights of his visit to Diriyah with his family.

“This is our first time here. We visited Bujairi Terrace and Al-Turaif area and I think it’s very interesting, especially the old heritage they are showcasing” he said.

“Culturally, it’s very enlightening for newcomers.”

Sial’s favorite attraction was seeing what the old houses were like in Salwa Palace and how people used to live, in addition to the singers and dancers presenting throughout the event.

According to Sial, foreign nationals could greatly benefit from attending such events to strengthen their cultural ties to the Kingdom.

“These (events) are very important to understand how things work here, especially if you want to integrate into their culture, you see how they are raised, how they speak, what their songs are like, how they eat, how their family systems work, you see their families are all around them.

“I think these are very important if you want to understand how culture works in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Saudi Arabia is known for being proud of its food and this was showcased by real Saudi families on every route.

Each of these families had their own booth and had prepared traditional dishes like saleeg, foul and more, given out freely to the wandering guests.

Historical figures such as Imam Mohammed bin Saud, the founding father of the First Saudi State, and his wife Princess Modi bint Khalid Al Saud were given center stage as their stories were told through performances during the Diriyah Remembrance segments of the evening, detailing Imam Mohammed bin Saud’s full journey in solidifying the early days of the Kingdom.

Melissa Sarawi, a guest from the Philippines in Saudi Arabia with her family, told Arab News that the most exciting aspects of Saudi culture for foreign nationals to see were the food and the people.

Sarawi said that as a Muslim it had been fascinating to learn about Islam from its birthplace and its historic associations with Saudi Arabia.

“Coming here and experiencing Founding Day is very good, it’s very new to me. I am a Muslim in nature and by birth, and learning more about these things in Riyadh, like learning about the history of Islam and all these historical places … (it’s) refreshing to know about these things.”

Contestants from the Rawi Al-Diriyah competition, a storytelling competition produced jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Diriyah Gate Development Authority for school students reciting historic Diriyah stories, were also featured during these narratives.

Other activities included a horse show and showcasing the Arabian horse, presenting traditional Najdi dress and live poetry sessions.


New book provides deep dive into Saudi-Japanese business relations

New book provides deep dive into Saudi-Japanese business relations
Updated 24 February 2025
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New book provides deep dive into Saudi-Japanese business relations

New book provides deep dive into Saudi-Japanese business relations
  • Tokyo’s ambassador to Kingdom attends launch of ‘Descendants of the Samurai’
  • Author Khalid Al-Rashoud says it ‘provides insights into cultural differences, communication and negotiation styles’

RIYADH: As the Kingdom celebrates 70 years of diplomatic relations with Japan, dignitaries from the two nations came together in Riyadh recently for the launch of a new book that provides a deep insight into the world of Japanese commerce.

Titled “Descendants of the Samurai,” author Dr. Khalid Al-Rashoud told Arab News his work “provides insights into cultural differences, communication and negotiation styles, and building effective strategies for achieving professional success.”

The book, he said, “navigates business relations with the Japanese counterparts and provides fresh insights into the cultural norms, the stars of communications and successful strategic techniques for negotiations, holding meetings, resolving conflicts.”

Al-Rashoud, who has a doctorate in transformation management and development engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology and once worked as an adviser at the Saudi Embassy in Japan, said the book would help people to “understand the unique character of Japanese people and Japanese culture, which is tremendously rich.”

“(Japan) has a long-standing history that is full of knowledge, full of philosophy, full of science that we need to utilize … (but) often the language barriers and also the geographic variety, hinder its reach.”

Al-Rashoud, who is also the author of “Saudi-Japanese Relations,” said his latest work was mostly aimed at business people, but would also benefit government officials and those working at nongovernmental organizations or as researchers or students.

He said he believed it could help bring Japan closer to the Kingdom and the Arab world in general.

Among the guests at the launch was Japan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Yasunari Morino.

He told Arab News: “Japan and Saudi Arabia enjoy long-standing friendship and great relations in all areas including the economic and cultural. To further deepen the relationship, mutual understanding between the people is extremely important.

“So this work … is a great contribution to further deepening mutual understanding between the two people and deepening friendship between the two countries.”


Saudi Ardah sets Guinness World Record in Riyadh

Founding Day celebrations set a Guinness World Record for the largest Saudi Ardah performance in Riyadh. (SPA)
Founding Day celebrations set a Guinness World Record for the largest Saudi Ardah performance in Riyadh. (SPA)
Updated 24 February 2025
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Saudi Ardah sets Guinness World Record in Riyadh

Founding Day celebrations set a Guinness World Record for the largest Saudi Ardah performance in Riyadh. (SPA)
  • Performed on special occasions, the performance showcases the Kingdom’s heritage
  • It begins with the recital of a poem, followed by drummers setting the rhythm for the dancers

RIYADH: The Founding Day celebrations set a Guinness World Record for the largest Saudi Ardah performance in Riyadh, with 633 participants showcasing this traditional dance.

This achievement underscores the Ardah’s deep-rooted significance as a national tradition, reflecting pride in Saudi identity and a commitment to preserving and promoting cultural heritage globally, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Organized by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the Principality of Riyadh Region from Feb. 20 to 23, the Founding Day event attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from diverse backgrounds.

Performed on special occasions, the performance showcases the Kingdom’s heritage. It begins with the recital of a poem, followed by drummers setting the rhythm for the dancers.

The group leader then takes the stage, wielding a blade and demonstrating precise movements that mirror those of warriors in battle.


Manga Productions wins Saudi Media Forum Award for ‘Future’s Folktales 2’ anime

Manga Productions wins Saudi Media Forum Award for ‘Future’s Folktales 2’ anime
Updated 24 February 2025
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Manga Productions wins Saudi Media Forum Award for ‘Future’s Folktales 2’ anime

Manga Productions wins Saudi Media Forum Award for ‘Future’s Folktales 2’ anime

RIYADH: Manga Productions, a subsidiary of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, or Misk, has won the Saudi Media Forum Award for the second season of its anime series “Future’s Folktales.”

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the award, in the media communication activities category, recognizes the company’s dedication to creating Saudi content that strengthens national identity and reaches audiences worldwide.

The recognition follows a large-scale communication and media campaign accompanying the series’ launch, which featured three global premiere screenings — two in Riyadh and one in Tokyo.

The campaign also included a global public relations initiative that generated 477 news articles across the Arab world and Japan, SPA reported.

On social media, a comprehensive digital campaign garnered more than 151 million views, complemented by prominent advertisements in major streets throughout Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province.

* This article originally appeared on Arab News Japan