JEDDAH: Despite the high turnout of Arab visitors and availability of English-Arabic translation facilities, speakers at Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF 2016) chose to speak in English during its two-day sessions. This was prominently voiced by the region’s delegates who claimed that this has happened in the forum's past editions as well.

Speaking to Arab News, Saleh Kamel, chairman of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), said JEF speakers always have the right to select the language in which to communicate with the audience. Most of speakers prefer to speak in English as they consider that the forum is an international event.

JEF provides translators to provide Arabic as well as English translations. Therefore, they prefer to speak in English as they know that the audience is equipped with the translation gadget.

Meanwhile, some Arab participants in JEF accused the forum speakers of ignoring their native culture and showing off their English skills and foreign culture.

They said, most of the Arab speakers have studied in world universities and are holding high positions in the private and government sectors. And they seem to be keen on demonstrating their English skills.

One of JEF organizers, who requested anonymity, said 95 percent of the JEF delegates are Arabs, a majority of them Saudis. However, speakers ignore them by addressing them in English. This attitude repeats in JEF year after year.

"I don't know why JEF speakers always are insistent on using English in their speeches during sessions. JEF translators should translate speeches of foreign speakers into Arabic. However, Saudi and Arab speakers should use their own language to communicate with the delegates," Marwan Salem, a journalist, said.

"Arab speakers must be proud of their own language and culture even if the event is of international nature. They forget the fact that the forum is hosted by an Arab country. Arabs form a majority in such forums and so it is important that they make speeches in Arabic. I was almost dozing off when listening to such English speeches with their boring translations,” said Abdul Salam Mahdi, a Saudi participant in JEF.

In the JEF 2013 edition, several speakers used Arabic as their language of communication after people criticized them for speaking in English. However, several foreign speakers from non-English speaking countries prefer to use their own language despite their high English skills.

Arzu Akalin, a Turkish officials who is board member of Turkish Airlines, did not speak in English while participating in a closed-door session on airports in JEF 2016 on Wednesday. On the other hand, there were Saudi and Arab officials who ignored their own language and addressed the delegates in English.