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September 27, 2005

Among the mind numbing things that makes one want to drink heavily

Translating balance sheets from Arabic (with eastern style numbers) into English or French.

First, no one has yet to settle on standard accounting terms in Arabic, so every goddamned school seems to produce its own highly idiosyncratic phrasing which even though one can usually get the sense of it, is bloody goddamned irritating. As for example, I can make out that a certain word that in classical usage meant to be worn away is being used by some very special accountant for depreciation (or something like that), it's more than a bit arch to revive a classical phrase for this concept when there are more ordinary substitutes.

Second, not only is eyeballing those annoying eastern numbers irritating, but then flipping them into the column western style adds a new level of irritation. Above all as it is easy to confuse which column you're working off as even from page to page this annoying fuck isn't quite consistent.

Oh what I would not give for some dictator to impose some degree of standardization on Arabic in these senses (not that there are not dominant usages... but every little two bit Islamic school schooled semi literate git accountant seems to want to revive some dead term to show off).

Fuck it, going to get drunk. Although that motherfucking 7 am meeting tomorrow is very unsporting. 7 am, who the fuck meets at 7 am?

Posted by The Lounsbury at September 27, 2005 08:02 PM
Filed Under: Perso-Expatedness

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Comments

Posted by: eerie at September 27, 2005 10:17 PM

Posted by: The Lounsbury at September 28, 2005 12:47 AM

Posted by: zenpundit at September 28, 2005 04:49 AM

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