The first shift in the shop
A short text in Arabic at level A2. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. In our shop the work goes in shifts, and for the first time I am in the morning shift. First they gave us a briefing…
Text
- في ورشتنا عمل في وردية، وأنا لأول مرة في الوردية الصباحية. أولا أعطونا إرشادات وملابس العمل بعلامة المصنع. عملي أن أفحص كل مصنوع قبل وضع العلامات. إن كان في القطعة عطل، أضعها جانبا وأكتب الرقم التسلسلي. وقت الظهر توقفت الماكينة، وصار توقف العمل ساعتين. أصلحه التقني، وخرجنا في الوقت المناسب.фи варшатна ʿамаль фи вардийя, ва-ана ли-аувваль марра фи аль-вардийя ас-сабаахийя. ауввалан аʿтаунау иршаадаат ва-маляабис ааль-ʿамаль би-ʿаляамат аль-маʿмаль. ʿамальатий анн афхас куль маснуʿ габль вадʿ аль-ʿалаамаат. ин кян фи аль-гитаʿ ʿаталь, адаʿха джаанибан ва-актуб ар-ракм ат-тасальсулий. вакт аз-захр тауаккафат аль-маакина, ва-саара тауаккуф ааль-ʿамаль сааʿатаин. асляхху ат-такний, ва-хараджна фи ль-вакт аль-мунаасиб.In our shop the work goes in shifts, and for the first time I am in the morning shift. First they gave us a briefing and work clothes with the factory's sign. My job is to check every item before the marking. If there is a defect in a part, I set it aside and write down the serial number. At noon a machine stopped, and there was a work stoppage for two hours. The technician fixed it, and we left on time.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- What did they give at the start of the shift?
- What does he do with an item with a defect?
- What happened at noon?
- When did the shift end?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Arabic?
A2. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
How to read a text in an unfamiliar language usefully?
First all the way through without peeking at the translation — just to catch the familiar words. Then with the translation. Then all the way through again: the second pass brings noticeably more, and that feeling matters more than any rule.