Global News Journal
Beyond the World news headlines
from Tales from the Trail:
U.S. State Dept. figures out how to say “Twitter” in Arabic
It took a while, but the U.S. State Department is now tweeting in Arabic.
With unprecedented political turmoil rocking Egypt and protesters turning to social media such as Twitter and Facebook, the mouthpiece of U.S. foreign policy wants in on the game.
Its first message? #Egypt #Jan25 تعترف وزارة الخارجية الأمريكية بالدور التاريخي الذي يلعبه الإعلام الإجتماعي في العالم العربي ونرغب أن نكون جزءاً من محادثاتكم
(Translation: "We want to be a part of your conversation!")
The new State Department Arabic Twitter feed, @USAbilaraby, joins a growing chorus of Twitter feeds describing and commenting on events in Egypt and across the Arab world, where social media is helping to broadcast political ferment.
The feed, which currently has a scant 161 followers, has passed along messages including President Barack Obama's statement that the future of Egypt is in the hands of the Egyptian people and Vice President Joe Biden's demand that Egypt immediately stop harassing journalists and scrap its emergency law.
