NATO is trying out another indigenous word in Afghanistan.
Following a number of its previous operations that had evocative Arabic-derived terms shared by both Pashto and Dari, the process of transition of security from NATO to Afghanistan's own security forces is called "Inteqal," or "transfer" in Afghanistan's two native tongues, in the sense of passing from one state to another.
However, something may have got lost in translation.
In Urdu, the version of the Hindustani language spoken in neighboring Pakistan, "inteqal" means "dead."
As a colleague extensively versed in the regional languages explains, in the original Arabic, "inteqal" also signifies death, as in "passing on to the mercy of God."
-- Ahto Lobjakas
Following a number of its previous operations that had evocative Arabic-derived terms shared by both Pashto and Dari, the process of transition of security from NATO to Afghanistan's own security forces is called "Inteqal," or "transfer" in Afghanistan's two native tongues, in the sense of passing from one state to another.
However, something may have got lost in translation.
In Urdu, the version of the Hindustani language spoken in neighboring Pakistan, "inteqal" means "dead."
As a colleague extensively versed in the regional languages explains, in the original Arabic, "inteqal" also signifies death, as in "passing on to the mercy of God."
-- Ahto Lobjakas