Abdulmajeed Al-Duwaini Okaz/Saudi Gazette MADINAH —Traders in Madinah have made more than financial gains as a result of dealing and mixing with pilgrims of different nationalities. Many of them have become multi-lingual. Ahmad Sulaiman, a gold trader, said initially he suffered from the language barrier while dealing with pilgrims. However, this increased his desire to learn and he acquired skills in many languages within a short period. Nabeel Abdulrahman, a hardware trader, said that he learned Urdu, Turkish, Farsi, Nigerian, Indonesian and English. He can recognize the nationality of pilgrims from their faces and he starts conversing with them before they begin to talk. Fahad Al-Sa'di, a watch trader, said he prefers to employ young men who speak many languages, so they can deal with the pilgrims, instead of depending on the sign language. In Madinah, many Saudis with just a middle school education are found speaking fluently different world languages. The head of Medinah Haj Directorate, Mohammad Al-Bijawi, said the daily dealings with Haj pilgrims and visitors in Umrah seasons are two contributing factors that help traders acquire multi-lingual skills.
