Riyadh to Host International Conference on Arabic Language Computing

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
TT

Riyadh to Host International Conference on Arabic Language Computing

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language will hold its third international conference in Riyadh from October 6 to 7.

Tackling "Arabic language computing and linguistic data enrichment", the event is expected to draw local, regional, and international institutions involved in the field.

University professors, and 40 researchers from 22 countries will attend to tackle subjects, such as computational linguistics, computer science, and Arabic language.

Through this conference, the academy hopes to contribute to the integration of the work of computer scientists and linguists in computational linguistics, bridge the knowledge gap, present their work and projects, and enrich Arabic datasets to improve and develop AI models.

It also seeks to support Arabic language automated processing and make it accessible, in line with the objectives of the Human Capability Development Program, one of Saudi Vision 2030 programs.

The conference will address topics related to the automated processing of the Arabic language, including machine learning, speech-to-text conversion, automated recognition of images, and topics related to computational linguistics, used in learning and teaching Arabic.



British Museum Explores ‘Silk Roads’ Trade Routes in New Exhibition

People walk in front of the British Museum in London, Britain, on September 28, 2023. (Reuters)
People walk in front of the British Museum in London, Britain, on September 28, 2023. (Reuters)
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British Museum Explores ‘Silk Roads’ Trade Routes in New Exhibition

People walk in front of the British Museum in London, Britain, on September 28, 2023. (Reuters)
People walk in front of the British Museum in London, Britain, on September 28, 2023. (Reuters)

A new exhibition exploring the vast network of the Silk Road trade routes opens at the British Museum in London this week.

Showcasing a range of artifacts including Chinese ceramics, Byzantine jewellery and the earliest known group of chess pieces, "Silk Roads" focuses specifically on the period AD 500 to 1,000, amid the rise of different empires and religions.

"This exhibition is presenting a rather different vision of the Silk Road than some people might be expecting... Rather than a single trade route between east and west, we are showing the Silk Roads plural... as a series of overlapping networks that link communities across Asia, Africa and Europe," exhibition co-curator Sue Brunning told Reuters.

"We're showing that it was not just silk and spices... but also people, objects and ideas moving sometimes great distances, not just by land, but also by sea and river and exchanges taking place in all contexts."

Highlights include loans from central Asia such as a large mural found in the reception hall of an aristocratic house in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and a gilded silver cup from the Galloway Hoard, on loan from the National Museums Scotland.

"Silk Roads" opens on Thursday and runs until February.