Mauricio - Lending Arabic voice for Goans in Qatar Many prospective job seekers land up in the Gulf countries not knowing what to expect in an alien country. An alien language, adds to their worries. Mauricio Pereira’s tale was no different. He was thrust in the company of 150-odd Arabic speaking Egyptians, who spoke no English. Mauricio face a piquant situation - resign and go back home or learn Arabic language within six months. That was in 1985. He stood up to the challenge and learnt the language within three months. He now works as a receptionist-cum-translator in Qatar and brushes shoulders with the top officials in Qatar, thanks to his fluency over the local language which is his greatest asset, writes Armstrong Vaz.
------ Doha June 30, 2010: A perfect score in Arabic language was the last thing on Mauricio Pereira’s mind. Passing the interview was his priority. It was a question of survival. The Gulf war of 1990 had taken its toll, the catering company for which Mauricio worked shut shop. Jobless, Mauricio was taking an Arabic language test for a job of a receptionist-cum-translator in Qatar. The end result not only thrilled Mauricio but his prospective colleagues who were surprised at the fluency and command over the language of this Goa- born resident. He came out with flying colours in the different tests conducted over a period of three days. But, the perfect score in Arabic was not a cakewalk for Mauricio. He had to literally fight his way through the obstacles. Adversity is the best dose for an improved performance, a fact which Mauricio discovered the hard work. Sao Jose de Areal-born Mauricio was born with a silver spoon. He was a third generations of Pereira’s who was heading to Qatar. Parents and grandparents working in the Gulf meant he was flooded with all the goodies at an early age. He dropped out of studies from the higher secondary level in the 10+2 system and took the first available flight to Qatar. But, if moving from tranquil paradise of Goa to the desert land of Qatar was a hard decision way back in 1985, more hardships lay in store for the former Damodar Higher Secondary commerce student (now rechristened as RMS Salgaonkar HSS). He was virtually thrown into a lion’s den, of 150-odd Arabic speaking Egyptians who did not speak a word of English. To add more injury, insults were hurled at him by the Arabic speakers, which he discovered later on after learning the language. More troubled followed the deadline from the management. "I give you six months time to speak Arabic," Mauricio was directed by his superiors. Mauricio jumped the gun and gained mastery over the language in just three months, which meant a change in job profile to that of a supervisor. "It came as a blessing in disguise to me. Learning the language was not difficult. Only the effort was required. And, here I was trying to learn the language as it was a compulsion to keep my job. My advice to any one learning Arabic language is that it is not difficult to master it." Mauricio adds that Arabic spoken differ in different countries when it comes to the accent. "In Qatar itself the language is spoken in two different ways by two different tribes. Arabic language spoken in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, UAE and Sudan each has their own peculiarity," he says. With more than a quarter century in Qatar, Mauricio is able to pick up on the accent of the different nationalities in Qatar. As a translator-cum-receptionist of a European Medical clinic based in Qatar, Mauricio job involves breaking the language barrier between the Arabic speakers and the English speaking doctors. For Mauricio Arabic language has been his biggest asset. "I do not have any diplomas and educational qualifications with me, but, here in Qatar Arabic language has been my greatest asset," asserts Mauricio. The six-foot former volleyball player who lost and won many battles on the volleyball courts, was not able to keep his job at the catering company. With the Gulf war of 1990, he too had to pack his backs. But luck smiled on him as he got the job at the medical clinic as receptionist-cum-translator. Right from the school days at St Rita’s Maina Curtorim Mauricio has had been an all-rounder. He was a beneficiary of the Goa government scholarship for his sporting achievements from class 5 to tenth. But, he did not keep him pinned to the role to a volleyball player but that of an organizer. He cobbled a team of non-Goans working at the Industrial estate, lead by him as a captain and participated in the many all-Goa volleyball tournament during the early 80’s, when volleyball enjoyed popularity throughout Goa. He not only excelled in the sports field but in dramatics too. He has written and acted in one-act plays and also staged the popular Khell Tiatrs during the carnival season in Goa. In Qatar he has been promoting Tiatr by staging one show per year. "It is very difficult to stage a Konkani show here in Qatar, with lot of restrictions. Every year conditions laid out become tougher. Besides, a minimum QR 50,000 is required to stage a show." Mauricio also stages an Easter dance show every year in Qatar for the last two years and has also tied up with a local Qatar Stars League (top tier club of Qatar professional football league) for imparting football coaching to Goan youngsters in Qatar from September this year. His language skills and his contact with the top ranking officials and Sheikhs of Qatar have come handy for many Goans in Qatar in bailing them out from difficult and complicated legal cases. "I do not need awards from the government for the work I am doing in the community, people’s blessings and their wishes are the best awards which I can get for my work. My principle is if I can be of help to my Goan brethren in their hour of turmoil, why not help them." And he is ready to help the Goa government and NRI Cell if his services are sought in imparting his language skills to the Goans. "My doors are open for them," he says