Initiative aims to improve, develop Arabic dictionaries, linguistic content LONDON: A new pathway on the latest digital technologies and skills used for compiling dictionaries was on Thursday launched by the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language. The initiative is aimed at helping lexicographers create digital dictionaries, translate digital content into Arabic, and adopt modern standards. Titled Creating Digital Dictionaries, the pathway has been designed to assist in improving and developing Arabic dictionaries, while enriching and making more accessible Arabic content on the internet. Lexicography can be traced back to 2,400 B.C., when Sumerians began compiling lists of words with glosses to help people learn cuneiform, one of the oldest forms of writing. Academy officials said the pathway would contribute to spreading knowledge, raising awareness, enhancing cultural communication and interaction between peoples, and supporting works that serve the Arabic language. It will cover areas concerned with dictionary vocabulary, structures, terms, and uses and semantics and would be suitable for specialists in the Arabic lexicon industry, those interested in the field or wishing to convert paper dictionaries into digital ones, translators, and non-linguists from other disciplines.