The TART Bites experience
WELCOME TO TART Bites
The first podcast in the world dedicated to Arabic-English translation! I'm Bouchra
Rebiai, Founder of Aurora Hikma, proud host of this podcast, a mother, bilingual
wordsmith, lifelong learner, creative at heart, and your one-stop shop for all things
Arabic and digital marketing. Sounds like your vibe? Then buckle up, this is just the tip
of the iceberg. Let's get this show on the road. 
We’re not here to be just another podcast in your queue. In a world oversaturated with
content, we’re serving up bite-sized, brain-tickling episodes that stick. At TART Bites, we
bring in experts from all over the world to talk about their journeys with English-Arabic
translation. This isn’t just for business folks, it’s for the creatively curious, the
knowledge-hungry, the polyglots, and the explorers.
Expect:
Whether you're a total newbie, a seasoned professional, a wandering word-lover, or just
someone who loves picking up new things, you’re in the right place. Translation tips and tricks
Industry-specific insights
Tricky Arabic translation challenges
A peek into Arabic culture and nuance
Handy tools to lighten the workload
...and a dash of humor
Why TART Bites? Our podcast name is a culmination of everything that makes us who we are. A little
wordplay, a bit of a descriptor, but above all, something memorable. TAR stands for Translation of ARabic (since the language code for
Arabic is “AR”). ART stands for, well, art. Because like so many things in life, Arabic translation is an art form.
One to be admired, inspired by, and never rushed. As a whole, the word TART is a little reminder
of how life, translation projects, and my favorite lemon bars can sometimes be sweet and sometimes
sour. Either way, always worth a bite. Come along, and let’s explore the enchanting and truly delectable world of translation
together.
33. Across MENA: Naming Ministries #2 Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra further expands on regional differences in written Arabic when it comes to naming conventions for governmental departments and entities.
32. Formatting in Word Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra shows us the importance of using Word's built-in formatting features to produce professional translations.
31. Using Google Translate Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra shows us how to use Google Translate to improve your translation efficiency.
30. Tricky Words: Bachelor's Degrees Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra shows us how to tackle the translation of a tricky phrase: bachelor's degree.
29. Language Mastery #2 Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra talks about unusual ways of achieving language mastery.
28. Interview with Elsa Sarkis Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra interviews Elsa Sarkis, a Lebanese interpreter, translator, coach, and educator. A true Jill of all trades, she has created a unique career for herself by combining these four – generally independent – careers.
27. Periods Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra discusses the use of periods in Arabic.
26. CAT Tools: Why I Love Them Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra discusses the reasons she loves computer-assisted translation tools.
25. Faster Than Light Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra talks about her experience translating a science fiction novel into Arabic.
24. Across MENA: Naming Ministries #1 Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra talks about the regional differences in written Arabic when it comes to naming conventions for governmental departments and entities.
23. Time Tracking Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra shows us how to be productive while translating using time tracking.
22. Using Context Reverso Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra shows us how to translate more efficiently using an online tool called Context Reverso.
21. Tricky Words: Toothbrushes Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra shows us how to tackle the translation of a tricky word: toothbrushes.
20. Language Mastery #1 Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra talks about the importance of language mastery in translation.
19. Interview with Sawad Hussain Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra interviews Sawad Hussain, a literary translator originally from Pakistan.
18. Spacing Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra talks about the use of spacing in Arabic.
17. CAT Tools: A Crutch? Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra discusses another case when CAT tools weren't very helpful.
16. Editing Manuals Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra tells us the story of how CAT tools weren't the quickest way to edit product manuals.
15. Across MENA: Government Offices Bouchra Rebiai In this episode, Bouchra talks about the regional differences in written Arabic when it comes to naming conventions regarding government offices and jobs.
14. How to Juggle Being a Jack of All Trades with Context Switching TART Bites Episode 14: Context Switching Organize your work so you switch tasks within the same context. Instead of switching tasks from context to context. – Bouchra Rebiai
13. Open a Dictionary, Expand Your Vocabulary TART Bites Episode 13: Online Dictionaries I'm a translator, not a dictionary. You cannot expect to know every single translation for a certain word. – Bouchra Rebiai
12. Street talk vs Book Talk: How to differentiate dialects from formal Arabic TART Bites Episode 12: Baby Bottles In some countries, such as in North Africa, including Egypt, they use the French term for baby bottles. This is a valid translation, but is not to be used in written Arabic, only in spoken Arabic. – Bouchra Rebiai
10. Exploring the World of Literary Translation with Nema Alaraby TART Bites Episode 10: Interview with Nema Alaraby I don't think it’s possible [to be replaced by machines]. For literary translation, for example, where you just need human creativity. And you can never find this creativity in machine translation. – Nema Alaraby
9. Same Symbol, Different Rules: Comma Placement in Arabic TART Bites Episode 9: Commas Always remember that Arabic and English are two separate languages with completely different grammar and punctuation rules. – Bouchra Rebiai
9. Same Symbol, Different Rules: Comma Placement in Arabic TART Bites Episode 9: Commas Always remember that Arabic and English are two separate languages with completely different grammar and punctuation rules. – Bouchra Rebiai
8. Computer-Assisted Translation Boosts Efficiency TART Bites Episode 8: CAT Tools: SmartCat I like to use [SmartCAT] for long, repetitive texts as it makes the translation process much faster and much more efficient. – Bouchra Rebiai
7. Tying Up the Loose Ends: Lessons from Computer-Generated Translations TART Bites Episode 7: Shoelace Fabric I went back to the original English only to find out that it was supposed to be lace, which somehow Google had translated as shoe laces for some reason. – Bouchra Rebiai
6. Colloquial Arabic & Regional Dialects: Translating Hospitals & Clinics Episode 6: Across MENA- Hospitals & Clinics Arabic is a language with different dialects that not only differ from country to country, but could even differ from city to city. – Bouchra Rebiai
5. The Trick to Efficient Project Management: Task Batching Episode 5: Task- Batching Task batching makes work less stressful because you can focus on one type of task, finish it, and then move on to the next type of task – Bouchra Rebiai
4. Productivity Tip: Write First, Refine Later: Using Placeholders Episode 4: Placeholders Progress is perfection. If you apply this rule to translation as well, you will find yourself finishing projects ahead of time because you won't be worried too much about how stuck you are on a particularly... – Bouchra Rebiai
3. Breaking Down Tricky Translations: "Breast Pump" TART Bites Episode 3 In the previous episode, we took into consideration the cultural context. Here we're applying it by making a decision to use the word with lesser impact, because you cannot compare breast pumps to industrial pumps. – Bouchra Rebiai
2. Mastering Cultural Context: A Non-Negotiable for Translators Tart Bites Episode 2 Don't ever, ever make the mistake of assuming. – Bouchra Rebiai
1. Welcome to TART Bites, an English-Arabic translation-focused podcast in the MENA region TART Bites Episode 1 I believe that translation is an art that can be mastered by anyone who would love to practice it. – Bouchra Rebiai
