Arlette Joakim
Translator and media expert
Arlette Joakim is an Egyptian woman pioneer. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the Department of English Language and Literature at Cairo University, then worked in the radio, before working as a translator for the United Nations. In the interview, she shared her educational journey, and the milestones of her career path in the fields of radio and translation.
Arlette attended the American College for Girls, where she earned her French baccalaureate certificate. She recalled her school’s attention to teaching the Arabic language. Among her teachers, she particularly remembered her Arabic teacher, Dr. al-Eter, whom she described saying, “he was blind, but he was an exceptional teacher, well-read, and well-spoken. He taught us oratory, and how to master elocution.” Arlette also mastered the French and the English languages during her school years, saying that the similarities between the two languages made it easier for her to acquire both at the same time, adding, “I was proficient in French, and of course a lot of the French and English words are similar. My strong command of the French language paved the way for me to reach a very good level of English in a very short period of time. I always topped my class.” Arlette also recalled her teacher Ms. Fatma Hamza, “a great woman,” who was the first to notice Arlette’s distinction and talent for languages, and helped develop Arlette’s language skills. Due to her great success at school, Arlette skipped the fourth preparatory grade, and joined the fifth grade after obtaining the baccalaureate certificate. She was surprised, because, as she put it, “it was extraordinary for anyone to skip a year of school at that time.”
After graduating the American College for Girls, Arlette got married and started her own family. She studied the German language for four and a half years to be able to help her children with their studies. She decided to earn the British GCE to qualify for college, then attended the Department of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University. Upon her graduation in 1968, Arlette was advised by her professor Dr. Angele Samaan to embark on a teaching career, but Arlette did not want to work as a teacher. Arlette recounted the conversation with Dr. Samaan, saying, “I told her that I could not do it. I had no talent or ability to teach, but she insisted that I expressed myself and my conscience clearly. But for me, my mind and my heart were into translation. My passion for languages was beyond imagination. It was a hobby, an obsession.”
As soon as al-Ahram announced a call for translators and broadcasters to work in the radio, Arlette applied and got a job. She recounted this experience saying, “I passed the pre-employment test, and was offered a freelance position. At that time, we had to wait for a government-issued decision via the Ministry of Labor and Manpower in order to get appointed. But because I got the top score at the selection test, I was offered a freelance job, and got paid per task, or what was called a bonus. This was from February to June 1969, when I received my official job offer from the Ministry, and got formally appointed at the radio.” Arlette worked at the radio until 1976. When her husband fell sick, she went on an unpaid leave of absence for six years, before resigning from her post at the radio. Arlette earned her translation diploma from the American University in Cairo, and embarked on her independent career path as a translator.
In the year 1974, The United Nations had declared the Arabic language its sixth language along with English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Mandarin. Arlette decided to prepare herself to apply for a job as a translator for the United Nations. She hired an Arabic language teacher to tutor her at home, and help polish her Arabic language. Arlette recounted, “when the teacher asked me what exactly my objective was, I told him that I wanted to receive lessons in oratory, elocution, and structure, so that I could express myself and my conscience well.” Arlette also made good use of every opportunity she had to advance her command of the Arabic language, adding, “when Anwar al-Sadat died, the television aired nothing but the recitations of the Qur’an. I used to lay on the couch, listen to the Qur’an to learn the immaculate delivery of the Arabic language, then check the interpretation of the difficult words. I worked hard.”
When Arlette applied for the job at the United Nations, she passed the test, and was offered the job at the same instant, as she put it. She had to turn down a full-time position because it required her traveling abroad, and leaving her family behind in Egypt. Arlette explained, “they wondered what I was here for if not for a full-time job. They were seeking a candidate for a permanent position. I told them that I came to introduce myself, and to let them know that I had no problem working on temporary assignments for two months or so. Actually, in less than a month, the UN offered me a job in their environmental projects. I worked with the UNEP for over twenty years.”
Arlette also learned the Spanish language by watching Spanish television channels. Her work conditions and responsibilities allowed her to travel the world, visiting over 90 countries. She found a new passion for traveling, and visited more countries at her own expense, outside her work capacity.
