Arabic Tutoring
I want to help you learn Arabic. And why not? Studying and using Arabic professionally for the past 15 years has been one of the defining enterprises of my adult life thus far. As a native English speaker—and, specifically, as a stereotypical American who once contended with what might generously be called an abysmal understanding of my mother tongue’s grammar—I know deep in my bones the frustration you feel contending with Arabic’s alien vocabulary and arcane syntax.
I’ve been there. I get it.
But I am proud to say that, with talented teachers, hard work, and great opportunities, it is a frustration I was able to overcome. With apologies to Herman Melville, I played Ahab to the white whale of Arabic; monomaniacally pursuing it across the seas, I spent a year in Jordan and a summer in Yemen as part of my undergraduate minor in Arabic, and a year in Syria—well before the war—as part of a master’s in professional studies of Arabic.
Unlike Ahab, though, my story has a happy ending: following those five years of intense study, I have worked as a translator, editor, and cultural advisor for the past decade. I am fluent in Modern Standard Arabic, have advanced proficiency in Syrian dialect, and am particularly well-placed to help you with Arabic related to media, politics, and security.
If you live in the Washington, DC metro area and would like help on your own voyage with Arabic from a fellow native English speaker who has made the journey and come out the other side flourishing, please get in touch using the form below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
I can also be reached at austiniyaat@gmail.com. I also offer a free 20 minute phone/FaceTime consultation to discuss your goals and feel out whether I am the right tutor for you.
My session rate is $50/hour