PHOTO: Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Executive Director of WAM (right) explains WAM’s vision moving forward following the inclusion of 5 new languages at their news service. With him at the press conference is WAM’s Head of the Languages at the Editorial Section, Ibrahim Shukralla (left)
Emirates News Agency (WAM) has now included 5 more languages in its continuous efforts to reach out to the diverse expat population in the UAE, as well as the international audiences overseas. In total, WAM now provides news in 13 languages that covers 142 countries worldwide.
The five new languages include Italian, Persian, German, Turkish, and Hindi which will cover 42 countries. At present, WAM covers six languages including Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, French, Urdu, and Spanish that covers around 100 countries – along with its Arabic and English original versions.
The continuous development plans for WAM are part of the National Media Council’s (NMC) vision to promote the UAE’s media sector, and empower it to spread the country’s message and reflect its image as an international model for tolerance and coexistence among various races and religions by catering to audiences across all continents.
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and NMC Chairman, said, “The UAE has come to assume a distinguished international position and is carrying on with its journey towards ground-breaking achievements across all sectors, guided by the vision and directives of the UAE’s wise leadership, which spares no effort to facilitate and support success and excellence across various sectors in the UAE.”
“The National Media Council plays a pivotal role in highlighting the UAE’s accomplishments, and the expansion of WAM’s services to include five new languages is a great addition as it creates new channels of communication with diverse people around the world, addressing them in their languages,” Al Jaber added.
Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Executive Director of WAM stated that in its first phase, the Agency’s languages project was positively received in the countries where WAM’s news services were offered. “We have been working to develop this project, adding five new languages that cover 42 countries around the world, which facilitates the broadcast of the UAE’s news and its message to a wider audience in 142 countries in total,” Al Rayssi said.
Speaking to the Filipino community, Al Rayssi said that they are planning to also include the Filipino language in their news service in the near future. “In the future, I think it’s very important to go the East. The Philippines, it is one of our objectives also to have this language. We are glad that we have a very good (Filipino) community in the UAE with a big number that speaks in Filipino so it will be one of our objectives in the future,” said Al Rayssi.
