The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER The Linguist 7 thelinguist.uberflip.com FEATURES Thebig idea Q Aravrit is a script that combines Hebrew and Arabic. Where did the idea come from? A I grew up in the multicultural city Haifa. In Israel, the road signs are trilingual in Hebrew, Arabic and English, but I noticed that I was ignoring the Arabic, as if it was just decoration, and it really bothered me. I started observing signage in Israel and noticed that not a lot of attention is given to typefaces or the relation between them. I decided to do something about it using my experience in type design. I wanted closure – to force myself not to ignore the Arabic; and I wanted to convey this message that we live here side by side – this is our life, we should acknowledge it. I wanted people to be able to read the script in the language they feel most comfortable with, but for the other's script to always be present. Q What were the biggest challenges? A In Arabic, every letter has four different forms and I needed to design all the possible combinations, which came to over 600 letters. The important thing was not to change the meaning, spelling or grammar of the words, even if that caused some challenges, like different word length. Each time a word is longer in one language, I have to find a solution for how to place the extra letters, but these letters are still only on the top (in Arabic) or bottom (in Hebrew), because it would not make sense otherwise. Q Did you learn Arabic for the project? A Most Israelis study Arabic at school but, because I went to French school, I didn't. Of course, I approached the project from my own perspective, but it was important for me to learn some Arabic and not to be arrogant about it. A classmate who is a native Arabic speaker helped me. At the time, I had a daily commute to Tel Aviv and every time I heard someone speaking Arabic I would approach them and ask if I could show them words in Aravrit. The feedback was extremely helpful; they would get out a pen and draw marks, so it was a collaborative process. Today I have a consultant from Lebanon, and when I need an Arabic translation I ask a few people to make sure it's correct. Q What are the practical uses for Aravrit? A I get a lot of requests for logotypes. I think it can work in all the places we come across in our daily lives: in streets, stores… There's huge potential. But for municipalities there is a lot of bureaucracy involved. Later on, I am thinking about making a typeface that people can purchase, but it's technically complicated and I need to work out if it's feasible. Q How have you promoted Aravrit? A I'm the only designer and I haven't had much time to think about it strategically, so everything is slow and steady. I started this project six years ago but it really got attention when it was on a TV show in Israel. I also do a lot of lectures and workshops, which gets the discussion going and spreads the word. Typeface designer Liron Lavi on her unifying script that can be read by speakers of Hebrew and Arabic simultaneously Q How have people responded to it? A It really touches people. The first reaction for people who know Arabic or Hebrew is that they solved a puzzle. And then they start understanding the message behind it. It's important that it doesn't come from a politician but an independent designer, and it's so everyday that people really relate to it. It highlights our daily lives from a new angle. Q Are you looking to take on staff? A As the project progresses and becomes more complicated I will need some help. There is no place to teach typeface design in Israel (I studied an MA in the UK), so I'm up for teaching designers how to do this, and especially promoting women designers. Q Could the concept be applied to other languages? A I recently got a request about two Indic scripts, but combining scripts in this way – using the top and bottom – either works or it doesn't; it depends on the nature of the two scripts. www.lironlavi.com