Two signatures on a winning design challenge an exhibition’s credit line. Drafts, messages and a cropped upload help its organiser distinguish collaboration from copying.
01Read the Arabic story
تَصْمِيمٌ فَائِزٌ بِتَوْقِيعَيْنِ
فِي صَبَاحِ افْتِتَاحِ مَعْرِضِ التَّصْمِيمِ، عَلَّقْتُ الْمُلْصَقَ الْفَائِزَ بِجَانِبِ الْمَدْخَلِ. كَانَ يَجْمَعُ رَسْمَ بَوَّابَةٍ خَضْرَاءَ وَحُرُوفًا بُرْتُقَالِيَّةً، وَتَحْتَهُ اسْمُ سَالِمٍ. بَعْدَ سَاعَةٍ، وَصَلَتْنِي رِسَالَةٌ مِنْ مَرْيَمَ تَقُولُ إِنَّ الرَّسْمَ لَهَا. أَرْفَقَتْ صُورَةً تَحْمِلُ تَوْقِيعَهَا وَتَوْقِيعَهُ. وَلَمْ أَكُنْ قَدْ رَأَيْتُ النُّسْخَةَ الْكَامِلَةَ مِنْ قَبْلُ. خَشِيتُ أَنْ نَكُونَ قَدْ مَنَحْنَا الْجَائِزَةَ لِعَمَلٍ مَنْسُوخٍ، لَكِنَّ الصُّورَةَ وَحْدَهَا لَمْ تَشْرَحْ لِي مَا حَدَثَ.
طَلَبْتُ مِنْهُمَا مُسَوَّدَاتِ الْعَمَلِ وَرَسَائِلَهُمَا عَنْهُ، وَأَجَّلْتُ تَسْلِيمَ الْجَائِزَةِ. أَرْسَلَتْ مَرْيَمُ رَسْمًا لِلْبَوَّابَةِ سَبَقَ نُسْخَةَ سَالِمٍ بِأُسْبُوعٍ. أَمَّا هُوَ فَأَرْسَلَ صُوَرًا لِتَجَارِبِهِ فِي تَرْتِيبِ الْحُرُوفِ وَاخْتِيَارِ الْأَلْوَانِ. وَظَهَرَتْ رِسَالَةٌ مِنْهَا تَقُولُ: «اِسْتَخْدِمْ بَوَّابَتِي فِي تَصْمِيمِنَا». لَمْ يَكُنِ الرَّسْمُ قَدِ انْتَقَلَ إِلَيْهِ دُونَ عِلْمِهَا أَوْ إِذْنِهَا.
عِنْدَ مُقَارَنَةِ الْمِلَفَّاتِ، وَجَدْتُ التَّوْقِيعَيْنِ فِي أَسْفَلِ النُّسْخَةِ الْكَامِلَةِ. غَيْرَ أَنَّ الصُّورَةَ الْمَرْفُوعَةَ لِلْمُسَابَقَةِ فَقَدَتْ جُزْءًا مِنْ حَافَّتِهَا، فَاخْتَفَى تَوْقِيعُ مَرْيَمَ. أَرَانِي سَالِمٌ كَيْفَ قَصَّتْ أَدَاةُ الرَّفْعِ الصُّورَةَ تِلْقَائِيًّا. وَكَانَ اسْمُهُ وَحْدَهُ فِي اسْتِمَارَةِ الْمُشَارَكَةِ، لِذَلِكَ لَمْ يَنْتَبِهْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ فَرِيقِنَا إِلَى وُجُودِ شَرِيكَةٍ.
قَالَ سَالِمٌ إِنَّهُ كَتَبَ اسْمَهُ لِأَنَّهُ أَرْسَلَ الْمِلَفَّ، وَإِنَّ الْخَانَةَ لَمْ تَطْلُبْ تَفْصِيلَ الْأَدْوَارِ. ثُمَّ أَقَرَّ بِأَنَّ هَذَا لَا يُبَرِّرُ تَجَاهُلَ مُسَاهَمَتِهَا. وَأَوْضَحَتْ مَرْيَمُ أَنَّهَا وَافَقَتْ عَلَى الْمُشَارَكَةِ مَعَهُ، لَا عَلَى عَرْضِ الْعَمَلِ بِاسْمِهِ وَحْدَهُ. رَاجَعْتُ الشُّرُوطَ، فَوَجَدْتُهَا تَسْمَحُ بِالْأَعْمَالِ الْمُشْتَرَكَةِ. لَمْ نَحْتَجْ إِلَى اخْتِرَاعِ اسْتِثْنَاءٍ لِحَلِّ الْمُشْكِلَةِ.
أَعَدْتُ الْمِلَفَّ إِلَى اللَّجْنَةِ مَعَ شَرْحِ مُسَاهَمَةِ كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا. أَقَرَّتِ اللَّجْنَةُ بَقَاءَ الْجَائِزَةِ لِلْعَمَلِ مَعَ إِثْبَاتِ الِاسْمَيْنِ، وَاسْتَبْدَلْنَا بِطَاقَةَ الْعَرْضِ. نَظَرَتْ مَرْيَمُ إِلَيْهَا، ثُمَّ سَأَلَتْ إِنْ كُنَّا سَنُصَحِّحُ خَبَرَ الْفَوْزِ عَلَى الْمَوْقِعِ أَيْضًا. وَعَدْتُهَا بِذَلِكَ، وَأَضَفْتُ إِلَى الِاسْتِمَارَةِ سُؤَالًا عَنْ مُسَاهَمَةِ كُلِّ مُشَارِكٍ لِتَظْهَرَ الصُّورَةُ كَامِلَةً مُنْذُ الْبِدَايَةِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
On the morning the design exhibition opened, I hung the winning poster beside the entrance. It combined a drawing of a green gateway with orange lettering, with Salem’s name beneath it. An hour later, I received a message from Maryam saying that the drawing was hers. She attached an image bearing her signature and his. I had not seen the complete version before. I feared that we had awarded the prize to a copied work, but the image alone did not explain what had happened.
I asked them for their drafts and messages about the work, and postponed presenting the prize. Maryam sent a gateway drawing that predated Salem’s version by a week. He sent pictures of his experiments with arranging the lettering and choosing colours. A message from her appeared saying, “Use my gateway in our design.” The drawing had not reached him without her knowledge or permission.
When comparing the files, I found both signatures at the bottom of the complete version. However, the image uploaded for the competition had lost part of its edge, hiding Maryam’s signature. Salem showed me how the upload tool had cropped the image automatically. His name alone was on the entry form, so nobody on our team had noticed there was a collaborator.
Salem said he had entered his name because he had sent the file, and the field had not asked for a breakdown of roles. Then he acknowledged that this did not justify ignoring her contribution. Maryam explained that she had agreed to enter with him, not to have the work displayed under his name alone. I checked the rules and found that they allowed joint work. We did not need to invent an exception to solve the problem.
I returned the file to the committee with an explanation of each person’s contribution. The committee confirmed that the work would keep the prize with both names recorded, and we replaced the display card. Maryam looked at it, then asked whether we would also correct the announcement of the win on the website. I promised her we would, and added a question about each entrant’s contribution to the form so that the full picture would be clear from the start.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| الْمُلْصَقَ | the poster |
| مَنْسُوخٍ | copied |
| مُسَوَّدَاتِ | drafts of |
| وَأَجَّلْتُ | and I postponed |
| إِذْنِهَا | her permission |
| حَافَّتِهَا | its edge |
| تِلْقَائِيًّا | automatically |
| مُسَاهَمَتِهَا | her contribution |
| اسْتِثْنَاءٍ | an exception |
| إِثْبَاتِ الِاسْمَيْنِ | recording both names |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Separate direct evidence from assumptions and compare the characters’ interpretations. Open the English support if you need help.
What to remember
- Permission to use a contribution in shared work does not make its contributor disappear.
- Early drafts and messages can clarify a disputed result more reliably than an isolated image.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Anna in Arabic: I Know That and I Think That
أَقَرَّ بِأَنَّ هَذَا لَا يُبَرِّرُ تَجَاهُلَ مُسَاهَمَتِهَا
Follow the embedded statement as Salem acknowledges the limit of his explanation.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ تَشْرَحْ لِي مَا حَدَثَ
Recognise a past negative as the organiser evaluates the initial image.
