English in Oman

chillibreeze writer — Anju Bassam

The population of Oman is basically divided into two categories- Natives and Residents. The natives are the local Omani people and residents are mostly expatriates from all over the world. The expatriates are the major part of the work force and since English is the common language of usage for all of them you would see both English and Arabic languages in co-existence in Oman. All the work in Government offices and Ministries is done in Arabic but English is widely used commercially. Most of the important business documents are in both the languages. The younger generation of Oman is fluent in both the languages as English is taught as second language in schools.

The hobby of reading and profession of writing is rather in a sordid state as there is nothing much to encourage both. There are no public libraries; most of the reading material is imported from abroad and hence expensive.

At present there are three English newspapers and the journalists are mostly from India as there is no college or institute locally that teaches journalism. Unlike Dubai, there is a scarcity of homegrown reading material available in Oman. A weekly English newspaper dedicated to entertainment, a weekly family magazine and a monthly bilingual magazine for women is all that is available here. Most of the articles are reprints from elsewhere. This can be attributed to the fact that writing is not a paying profession in Oman unless you work with a newspaper. Most journalists are restricted to covering local events and news. There are one or two business correspondents and a columnist who contribute to the newspaper regularly. Two of these publications are distributed free so they do not bother about having quality content and contributing articles to them too is an unpaid hobby.

The school books are not written, printed and published locally as the there are various schools catering to specific communities. Schools follow their own curricula and they bring their own books from their respective home countries.

Some of the advertising agencies do have their own copywriters but until recently web designing was outsourced mostly to India and web content too was developed by Indian writers. There are not many freelance writers and there is no standard rate but the occasional assignments are paid at anything between R. O. 5.000 to R. O. 20.000 per page (Rs. 500 to Rs. 2000 approx.) depending upon the content as well as the writer’s qualifications. An average writer with a certificate is preferred over a brilliant writer who has copies to prove his expertise but no certificate. (This of course could be a biased opinion based on my experiences.)

Government does not seem to have any policies against outsourcing to India or elsewhere.
This is a short summary of the world of English writing in Oman. It is a small world.

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Anju says "I live for those who love me, for those who know me true...For the heaven that smiles above me, and awaits my spirit too…"