Course Text on extremism in social media

[Mohammed]

Homework 12
Translate this text into English. You can use the alternative text method if you find sentences too long.



1. Trainee's Attempt:
According to the rapid changes which are lived by our Arabic world: Rapid events and the emergence of revolutions which provoked social, political and psychological changes, the Arabic society has become full of phenomena that affected the society's structure and beliefs. Intellectual extremism is above all of these phenomena. Intellectual extremism is an inherent phenomenon in human life and as old as the societies themselves. However, it grew recently as it has become a part of the dominant culture for some. Extremism goes along with the existing social troubles which are faced by the societies. (Alshmaimla, 2016, P.1)

Extremism is one of those concepts which are difficult to determine or to make generalizations about, given what the linguistic meaning of extremism refers to as the exceeding moderation. Moderation's limit is relative and varies from one society to another since moderation and extremism are bound to environmental, civilizational, cultural and political changes which go with the society. (Rahi Wrahi, 2015)

Extremism, as a concept, is used to refer to departing from the common intellectual norms, values, societal standers and common behaviors inside the society, expressed in isolation, negativity and withdrawal or adopting odd values and standards. Defending those values and standers may result in resorting to violence in every organized individual or collective behavior in order to make change in the society and force their opinion violently on others. (Alkhawaja, 2017)

Communication and information transfer technologies have become a mainstay and an important pillar in building the social, economic, political and cultural human system under the knowledge transformations and developments in this age. Human societies witnessed rapid and sequential developments in information technology during the late decade of the last century which contributed in facilitating human and civilized communication. And perhaps the most important of which is Global Information Network '' Internet'' which is one of the most important findings of modern science. Internet is also one of the most valuable human achievements in the age of information. (Almjali, 2007)

2. First round of edits (light)
Given the rapid changes which are lived by our Arab world because of rapid events and the emergence of revolutions which caused social, political and psychological changes, Arab society has become full of phenomena that affect its structure and trends. Intellectual extremism is above all of these phenomena. Intellectual extremism is an inherent phenomenon in human life and as old as societies themselves are. However, it has grown recently as it has become a part of the dominant culture for some. Extremism goes along with the existing social troubles which are faced by societies.
Extremism is one of those concepts which are difficult to define or to make generalizations about. The definition given by lexicons refers to extremism as something that exceeds moderation, but the degree which can be called moderate is relative and varies from one society to another since moderation and extremism are bound to environmental, civilizational, cultural and political changes which go with society. (Rahi Wrahi, 2015)

Extremism, as a concept, is used to refer to departing from the common intellectual norms, values, societal standers, and common behaviors in a society, with extremism manifesting itself in isolation, passiveness and withdrawal or adoption of different values and standards. In their defense of those values and standers, extremists may take it too far by resorting to violence in every individual or collective organized behavior, in order to make change in society and impose their opinion violently on others.

Communication and information technologies have become a main tributary to the building of the social, economic, political and cultural human system, given the knowledge transformations and developments in this age. During the 1990s, human societies have witnessed rapid and successive developments in information technology, which contributed to facilitating human and cultural communication. Perhaps, the most important of those is internet, which is one of the most prominent product of modern science. Internet is also one of the most valuable human achievements in the age of information.

3. Second round of edits
The Arab world is experiencing rapid changes as a result of rapid events and revolutions that are erupting with their social, political, and psychological effects. It is as a result of this that Arab society is present with a multitude of troubling phenomena that have an impact on its structure and trends. There is one phenomenon that stands above all others: intellectual extremism. As ancient as societies themselves, intellectual extremism has always been a part of human life. Recent years have seen it grow in popularity, as it has incorporated into the dominant culture of some individuals, and as societies face social difficulties, extremism follows suit.
Extremism is a difficult concept to define and generalize. The lexicon would describe extremism as something that exceeds moderation, however the amount that can be termed moderate varies from society to society. Extremism and moderation are both affected by environmental, civilizational, cultural, and political changes throughout society.

Typically, extremism is defined as deviation from intellectual norms, values, societal standards, and common behaviors in society, with extreme behavior manifested as isolation, passiveness, withdrawal, or acceptance of different values and standards. There may be times when extremists take it too far by resorting to violence in support of their values and principles, in order to make a change in society and impose their viewpoint violently on others.

Different, but equally relevant, developments take place on a different front. The use of communication and information technologies has become increasingly important in the building of social, economic, political, and cultural systems in the modern era. This is the unavoidable consequence of the knowledge revolution and the technological advancements that have profoundly changed human societies over the past century. In the 1990s, human societies witnessed rapid and successive technological advances that made it easier for people to communicate with one another, especially across cultural barriers. Perhaps the most significant of these is the Internet, which is one of the most prominent products of modern science. The internet has also proven to be one of the most valuable human achievements in the age of information.

[Nihad]

Arab society has experienced a wide range of phenomena that have an impact on its structure and trends as a result of the quick changes that our Arab world has experienced as a result of recent events and the advent of revolutions that generated social, political, and psychological upheavals. Extremism in the mind transcends all of these occurrences. Extremism in thought is a natural part of human existence and has existed for as long as cultures have. It has, however, expanded recently as it has for some integrated into the dominant culture. Extremism coexists with the societal problems that societies are currently experiencing.


One of the things that is challenging to describe or generalise about is extremism. The definition of extremism provided by lexicons states that it is something that goes beyond moderation, although the degree that can be deemed moderate varies from society to society and depends on the environmental, civilizational, cultural, and political changes that occur along with society. (2015) Rahi Wrahi


Extremism is defined as a deviation from a society's common intellectual norms, values, societal standards, and common behaviours, with extremism presenting itself in isolation, passiveness, withdrawal, or acceptance of different ideals and standards. Extremists may go too far in their support of those beliefs and standers, resorting to violence in every individual or collective organised action in order to effect change in society and force their opinion brutally on others.

Given the changes and advancements in knowledge in this era, communication and information technologies have developed into a major tributary to the construction of the social, economic, political, and cultural human system. Human societies experienced the swift and continuous advancements in information technology during the 1990s, which helped to improve cross-cultural and interpersonal communication. The internet, one of the most well-known products of modern science, is possibly the most significant of those. One of the greatest human achievements of the information age is the internet.

[Mohammed]

I have difficulty following you, Nihad, due to your long sentences and vague expressions. Consider retranslation.

[Mohammed]

Elham's attempt:

Due to the rapid changes which Arab world is going through and the occurrence of revolutions causing social, political and psychological changes, this society has witnessed phenomena that have an impact on the structure and directions of society. Intellectual extremism is the most significant phenomenon, as it is inherent in human life, and is as old as societies themselves, but it took an ascending dimension nowadays being a component of the prevailing cultures for some people, and it has become an issue accompanying the social problems facing societies.

As a concept, extremism is hard to define or make generalizations about. Linguistically, extremism indicates exceeding the limit of moderation which is relative and differs from one society to another. Moderation and extremism are subject to the environmental, civil, cultural and political changes society is going through.

The concept of extremism is used to refer to depart from the intellectual pillars, values, standards and behavioral methods which are common in the society and is expressed by isolation, negativity or withdrawal, or by adopting different values and standards defended by violent tendency in each individual or organized group behavior to make changes in the society or to impose views by force.

Communication and information transfer technologies have become a key source and an important pillar in constructing human social, economic, political and cultural system in light of current changes and developments. In the last decade of the twentieth century, human societies witnessed rapid and successive developments in communication and information technology, which facilitated human and civilized communication, and perhaps the most important of which is the global information network "the Internet", which is one of the most important human achievements in the information age.

Light edits:

Due to the rapid changes which the Arab world is going through and the occurrence of revolutions causing social, political and psychological changes, Arab society has witnessed phenomena that have had an impact on the structure and directions of this society. Intellectual extremism is the most significant phenomenon, as it is inherent in human life, and is as old as societies themselves. However, intellectual extremism has recently taken an ascending trend to the extent where it has become a component of the prevailing cultures for some people, and it has become an issue symptomatic of social problems facing societies.
The concept extremism is hard to define or make generalizations about. Linguistically, extremism indicates exceeding the limit of moderation, which is relative and differs from one society to another. Moderation and extremism are subject to the environmental, civil, cultural and political changes society is going through.

The concept extremism is used to refer to departure from the intellectual pillars, values, standards and behavioral methods which are common in society. It is expressed by isolation, negativity or withdrawal, or by adopting values and standards that are deviating from norms and advocated for through violent by an individual or an organized group with the purpose of making changes in society or to impose own views by force.

Communication and information technologies have become a key source and an important pillar of constructing human social, economic, political and cultural systems in coping with current changes and developments. In the late 1990s, human societies witnessed rapid and successive developments in communication and information technology, which facilitated human and civilized communication, perhaps the most important of which is the global information network "the Internet", which is one of the most important human achievements in the information age.

Second round
Amidst the rapid changes affecting the Arab world and the subsequent occurrence of revolutions causing social, political, and psychological changes, Arab society has witnessed phenomena that have affected the structure and direction of society. Among these phenomena, intellectual extremism stands out as a phenomenon intrinsic to human nature that has existed since the dawn of time. In recent years, however, intellectual extremism has manifestly increased in an upward trend to the point where it has become a part of some people's cultures and indicative of the social issues that society faces.

Defining extremism or making generalizations about it can be difficult. From a linguistic perspective, extremism refers to an attitude or behavior that exceeds the limits of moderation, which vary from society to society. As society undergoes environmental, civil, cultural, and political changes, moderate values and extremist views are subject to change.

It is generally understood that extremism refers to a departure from the pillars of intellectual thought, the standards of behavior and the values that govern society. The act is characterized by isolation, negativity, withdrawal, or adopting values and standards that deviate from norms. It can be committed by individuals or organized groups with the intention of creating change in society or imposing their views.

Human social, economic, political, and cultural systems have become increasingly dependent upon communication and information technologies as society has evolved and changed. The late 1990s marked a period of rapid and sequential advancement in communication technology and information technology, resulting in more human and cross-cultural communication. The Internet is one of the most important accomplishments of this information age.

[John]

Here is my attempt to translate the Arabic.

“In light of the rapid changes our Arab world is going through, including fast-moving events, and the emergence of revolutions that have caused social, political, and psychological changes, our society has become increasingly unstable due to phenomena that not only have affected our society but have influenced its trends. The gravest of these is ideological radicalism, a phenomenon associated with human life and considered as old as society itself. However, in the present, it has escalated becoming a part of how some people think. Moreover, radicalism has become an issue linked to social problems societies regularly face.

Additionally, the concept of radicalism is one that is difficult to isolate or generalize. This is because the linguistic meaning of radicalism is exceeding moderation, and the definition of moderation is relative as it differs from one society to another. Hence, moderation and radicalism are contingent on environmental, civil, cultural, and political changes a society is going through.

It is worth noting the concept of radicalism is used to indicate an abandonment of ideological norms, values, criteria, behavior which are common in a society. This abandoning is expressed through isolation or negativism and withdrawal. It can also be conveyed by adopting a series of values and criteria the defense of which could lead to organized violent behavior, individually or collectively, with the objective of causing social change or forcefully imposing an opinion on others.

On the other hand, telecommunications and the transfer of information have become essential pillars and cornerstones in the construction of a social, economic, political, and cultural conglomeration of human beings. This is especially so considering the transformation and development of knowledge in this era, particularly over the last decade of the 20^th century as these societies were witness to an accelerated and continuous technological expansion in communications and information. And probably the most important manifestation of this advancement in human and civil communication is the world wide web, or “internet”, one of the most important human achievements in the era of information.”


Comments are in the attached document.

[Mohammed]

This is a tough passage for translation. The original author is not paying attention to how paragraphs should be interconnected. He also puts in lots of redundancies. Quite a big challenge! The comments file is attached to your post above.

[John]

Thank you, Professor. I have downloaded your corrections and am reviewing them.