In this fictional planning meeting, planner Salma, youth worker Hisham and resident Rania examine competing proposals for an empty post office, including access, staffing and the terms of a private renovation offer.
01Read the Arabic conversation
إِعَادَةُ اسْتِخْدَامِ مَبْنًى عَامٍّ خَالٍ
سَلْمَى: طُلِبَ مِنِّي إِعْدَادُ تَوْصِيَةٍ بِشَأْنِ مَبْنَى الْبَرِيدِ الْخَالِي مُنْذُ عَامَيْنِ. أَيَّدَ سِتُّونَ فِي الْمِائَةِ مِنَ الْمُجِيبِينَ تَحْوِيلَهُ إِلَى مَسَاحَةِ عَمَلٍ مُشْتَرَكَةٍ، فَهَلْ نَنْطَلِقُ مِنْ هَذِهِ النَّتِيجَةِ؟
هِشَامٌ: قَبْلَ اعْتِبَارِهَا أَوْلَوِيَّةَ الْحَيِّ، مَنْ وَصَلَ إِلَيْهِ الِاسْتِبْيَانُ؟ الشَّبَابُ الَّذِينَ أَعْمَلُ مَعَهُمْ يَبْحَثُونَ عَنْ مَكَانٍ لِلْمُذَاكَرَةِ بَعْدَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ، وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ أَنَّهُ شَارَكَ فِيهِ.
رَانِيَةُ: رَأَيْتُ الرَّابِطَ فِي مَجْمُوعَةِ أَصْحَابِ الْأَعْمَالِ، وَلَمْ تَصِلْنَا نُسْخَةٌ وَرَقِيَّةٌ. أَخْشَى أَنْ تُقْرَأَ النِّسْبَةُ كَأَنَّهَا تَصْوِيتٌ لِلسُّكَّانِ، مَعَ أَنَّ الْمُشَارَكَةَ لَمْ تَكُنْ مُتَاحَةً لِلْجَمِيعِ بِالدَّرَجَةِ نَفْسِهَا.
سَلْمَى: أَجَابَ تِسْعُونَ شَخْصًا، وَنَشَرْنَا الرَّابِطَ فِي تِلْكَ الْمَجْمُوعَةِ فَقَطْ. إِذَنْ تَصِفُ النَّتِيجَةُ تَفْضِيلَ الْمُجِيبِينَ، وَلَا تَحْسِمُ رَغْبَةَ الْحَيِّ. سَأُوَضِّحُ هَذَا الْفَرْقَ فِي مُقَدِّمَةِ التَّقْرِيرِ قَبْلَ تَدَاوُلِهِ.
هِشَامٌ: لَدَيَّ طَلَبَاتٌ مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ وَعِشْرِينَ أُسْرَةً لِمَكَانِ مُذَاكَرَةٍ، لَكِنَّهَا أَيْضًا لَا تُمَثِّلُ الْحَيَّ كُلَّهُ. أُقَدِّمُهَا دَلِيلًا عَلَى احْتِيَاجٍ مُحَدَّدٍ، لَا تَفْوِيضًا لِاسْتِخْدَامِ الْمَبْنَى بِأَكْمَلِهِ.
رَانِيَةُ: وَأَنَا لَا أُعَارِضُ وُجُودَ الشَّبَابِ قُرْبَ بَيْتِي. اِعْتِرَاضِي عَلَى وَرَشٍ مَسَائِيَّةٍ تَسْتَخْدِمُ أَدَوَاتٍ صَاخِبَةً، فَقَدْ خَلَطَ الرَّسْمُ الْأَوَّلُ بَيْنَ غُرْفَةِ الْمُذَاكَرَةِ وَمَكَانِ إِصْلَاحِ الْأَثَاثِ الْمُقْتَرَحِ.
سَلْمَى: الرَّسْمُ تَصَوُّرٌ أَوَّلِيٌّ، وَلَيْسَ بَرْنَامَجًا مُعْتَمَدًا. وَهُنَاكَ عَرْضٌ مِنْ شَرِكَةٍ لِتَمْوِيلِ التَّجْدِيدِ مُقَابِلَ اسْتِخْدَامِ الطَّابِقِ الْأَرْضِيِّ حَصْرِيًّا فِي أَيَّامِ الْعَمَلِ، مَعَ تَرْكِ الطَّابِقِ الْعُلْوِيِّ لِأَنْشِطَةِ الْحَيِّ.
هِشَامٌ: ذَلِكَ الشَّرْطُ يَحْرِمُ الطُّلَّابَ مِنَ الطَّابِقِ الْأَرْضِيِّ فِي الْفَتْرَةِ الَّتِي يَحْتَاجُونَهَا، وَلَا يَكْفِي أَنْ تَبْقَى غُرْفَةٌ بِاسْمِهِمْ فِي الْأَعْلَى. هَلْ تَتَوَافَرُ وَسِيلَةٌ لِلْوُصُولِ إِلَيْهَا لِمَنْ يَتَعَذَّرُ عَلَيْهِ اسْتِخْدَامُ الدَّرَجِ؟
رَانِيَةُ: لَا يُوجَدُ فِي الْمَبْنَى مِصْعَدٌ، وَلَمْ أَرَ فِي الْعَرْضِ تَكْلِفَةَ إِضَافَتِهِ. كُنْتُ أَظُنُّ أَنَّ تَمْوِيلَ التَّجْدِيدِ يُغَطِّي هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةَ، لَكِنَّ الْعِبَارَةَ الْعَامَّةَ لَا تَكْفِي لِهَذَا الِاسْتِنْتَاجِ.
سَلْمَى: صَحِيحٌ؛ الْعَرْضُ يَشْمَلُ طِلَاءً وَإِضَاءَةً وَأَثَاثًا، أَمَّا تَهْيِئَةُ الْوُصُولِ فَلَمْ تُسَعَّرْ بَعْدُ. لِذَلِكَ لَنْ أَصِفَهُ بِأَنَّهُ يَفْتَحُ الْمَبْنَى لِلْجَمِيعِ قَبْلَ تَوْضِيحِ هَذَا النَّقْصِ فِي الْعَرْضِ.
هِشَامٌ: أَقْتَرِحُ إِبْقَاءَ الطَّابِقِ الْأَرْضِيِّ لِلِاسْتِخْدَامِ الْعَامِّ وَتَقْسِيمَ أَوْقَاتِهِ. لَا أَطْلُبُ تَجْهِيزَ وَرْشَةٍ الْآنَ؛ مَكَانٌ هَادِئٌ وَمَسْؤُولٌ حَاضِرٌ يُلَبِّيَانِ الطَّلَبَ الَّذِي وَصَلَنِي مِنَ الْأُسَرِ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَرْحَلَةِ.
رَانِيَةُ: يُقَرِّبُنِي هَذَا مِنَ الِاتِّفَاقِ، لَكِنَّ تَغْيِيرَ النَّشَاطِ لَا يُلْغِي تَكْلِفَةَ التَّشْغِيلِ. مَنْ يَفْتَحُ الْبَابَ وَيُغْلِقُهُ، وَمَنْ يَتَلَقَّى الشَّكَاوَى إِذَا اسْتَمَرَّ النَّشَاطُ بَعْدَ الْمَوْعِدِ الْمُعْلَنِ لِلسُّكَّانِ؟
سَلْمَى: الْمَبْلَغُ الْمَعْرُوضُ حَالِيًّا مُخَصَّصٌ لِتَجْهِيزِ الْمَبْنَى، وَلَيْسَ لِأُجُورِ الْعَامِلِينَ. لَوْ وَافَقْنَا عَلَى الِافْتِتَاحِ الْآنَ لَأَخْفَيْنَا فَجْوَةً فِي التَّمْوِيلِ؛ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَظْهَرَ هَذِهِ الْفَجْوَةُ فِي التَّوْصِيَةِ بِوُضُوحٍ.
هِشَامٌ: يُمْكِنُنِي نَقْلُ سَاعَتَيْنِ مِنْ بَرْنَامَجِي الْأُسْبُوعِيِّ، لَكِنَّ تَحْوِيلَهُمَا إِلَى خَمْسِ أُمْسِيَاتٍ سَيَكُونُ وَعْدًا غَيْرَ وَاقِعِيٍّ. لَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ يُبْنَى الْجَدْوَلُ عَلَى عَمَلٍ تَطَوُّعِيٍّ لَمْ يَلْتَزِمْ بِهِ أَحَدٌ.
رَانِيَةُ: وَيَنْبَغِي أَلَّا تُخَصَّصَ كُلُّ الْأَوْقَاتِ لِلشَّبَابِ أَوْ لِلْعَامِلِينَ عَنْ بُعْدٍ. نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى فَتْرَةٍ لِاجْتِمَاعَاتِ السُّكَّانِ، بِشَرْطِ أَلَّا تَحْجُزَهَا الْمَجْمُوعَةُ نَفْسُهَا كُلَّ أُسْبُوعٍ وَتَمْنَعَ غَيْرَهَا مِنَ الْمُشَارَكَةِ.
سَلْمَى: سَنَقْتَرِحُ جَدْوَلًا يَتَضَمَّنُ فَتْرَةَ مُذَاكَرَةٍ وَفَتْرَةَ لِقَاءٍ عَامٍّ، مَعَ قَوَاعِدِ حَجْزٍ مَنْشُورَةٍ. أَمَّا الْعَمَلُ الْمُشْتَرَكُ فَيُمْكِنُ بَحْثُهُ فِي أَوْقَاتٍ أُخْرَى، دُونَ حَقٍّ حَصْرِيٍّ فِي الطَّابِقِ الْأَرْضِيِّ.
هِشَامٌ: هَلْ يَعْنِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّنَا نَرْفُضُ مَالَ الشَّرِكَةِ؟ أُفَضِّلُ شَرْحَ الشَّرْطِ الَّذِي لَا نَقْبَلُهُ، فَرُبَّمَا تُعَدِّلُ عَرْضَهَا إِذَا عَرَفَتْ أَنَّ الْخِلَافَ عَلَى الْوُصُولِ إِلَى الْمَكَانِ وَأَوْقَاتِهِ.
رَانِيَةُ: لَا مَانِعَ لَدَيَّ مِنْ عَرْضٍ مُعَدَّلٍ، وَلَكِنَّ اسْمَ الْمُسَاهِمِ لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُخْفِيَ صِفَةَ الْمَبْنَى الْعَامَّةَ. أُرِيدُ أَيْضًا الِاحْتِفَاظَ بِاللَّوْحَةِ الْقَدِيمَةِ الَّتِي تَرْبِطُ الْمَكَانَ بِذَاكِرَةِ الْحَيِّ.
سَلْمَى: سَأُدْرِجُ الْحِفَاظَ عَلَى اللَّوْحَةِ ضِمْنَ التَّصَوُّرِ الْمُقْتَرَحِ، وَأُوَضِّحُ أَنَّ التَّمْوِيلَ لَا يَعْنِي تَمَلُّكَ الْمَكَانِ. لَكِنَّ الْمَجْلِسَ هُوَ الَّذِي سَيُقَرِّرُ، وَاجْتِمَاعَنَا لَا يَمْنَحُ أَيَّ طَرَفٍ عَقْدًا.
هِشَامٌ: قَبْلَ رَفْعِ التَّوْصِيَةِ، سَأَجْمَعُ مَوَاعِيدَ الْأُسَرِ الَّتِي طَلَبَتِ الْخِدْمَةَ. قَدْ نَكْتَشِفُ أَنَّ الْفَتْرَةَ الْمُقْتَرَحَةَ لَا تُنَاسِبُهَا، وَعِنْدَئِذٍ لَا يَكْفِي أَنْ نَقُولَ إِنَّنَا وَفَّرْنَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلْمُذَاكَرَةِ.
رَانِيَةُ: سَأُسَاعِدُ فِي تَوْزِيعِ اسْتِمَارَاتٍ وَرَقِيَّةٍ، بِمَا فِي ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَنْ لَا يَحْضُرُونَ اجْتِمَاعَاتِنَا. أُرِيدُ مَعْرِفَةَ الِاعْتِرَاضَاتِ قَبْلَ رَسْمِ صُورَةٍ لِاتِّفَاقٍ وَاسِعٍ لَمْ نَتَحَقَّقْ مِنْ وُجُودِهِ بَعْدُ.
سَلْمَى: سَنَذْكُرُ طَرِيقَةَ جَمْعِ الرُّدُودِ وَحُدُودَهَا، وَلَنْ نَجْمَعَ النِّسَبَ مِنَ الِاسْتِبْيَانَيْنِ كَأَنَّهُمَا عَيِّنَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ. الْغَرَضُ تَوْضِيحُ الِاحْتِيَاجَاتِ وَالْخِلَافَاتِ، ثُمَّ تَقْدِيمُ تَوْصِيَةٍ تُفْسِحُ مَجَالًا لِمُنَاقَشَتِهَا أَمَامَ الْمَجْلِسِ.
هِشَامٌ: إِذَا لَمْ يُعْتَمَدْ تَمْوِيلُ التَّشْغِيلِ فَلَنْ نُعْلِنَ مَوْعِدًا لِلِافْتِتَاحِ. سَأَذْكُرُ ذَلِكَ لِلْأُسَرِ صَرَاحَةً، لِأَنَّ حَمَاسَهَا لَا يُعَوِّضُ غِيَابَ مَسْؤُولٍ يَسْتَطِيعُ الِالْتِزَامَ بِالْحُضُورِ فِي الْأَوْقَاتِ الْمُعْلَنَةِ.
رَانِيَةُ: هَذَا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ افْتِتَاحٍ احْتِفَالِيٍّ يَعْقُبُهُ بَابٌ مُغْلَقٌ. أُؤَيِّدُ رَفْعَ الْمُقْتَرَحِ بِهَذِهِ الشُّرُوطِ، لَكِنَّ تَأْيِيدِي لَا يَشْمَلُ وَرَشَ الْإِصْلَاحِ الْمَسَائِيَّةَ إِذَا أُعِيدَتْ إِلَى الْبَرْنَامَجِ فِي وَقْتٍ لَاحِقٍ.
سَلْمَى: سَأُسَجِّلُ هَذَا التَّحَفُّظَ، وَأَطْلُبُ تَقْدِيرًا لِتَكْلِفَةِ تَشْغِيلِ الطَّابِقِ الْأَرْضِيِّ تَحْتَ إِدَارَةٍ عَامَّةٍ. سَنَرْفُضُ شَرْطَ الِاسْتِخْدَامِ الْحَصْرِيِّ فِي الْعَرْضِ الْحَالِيِّ، مَعَ تَرْكِ الْبَابِ مَفْتُوحًا لِعَرْضٍ مُعَدَّلٍ.
هِشَامٌ: سَأُرْفِقُ طَلَبَاتِ الْأُسَرِ وَالْمَوَاعِيدَ الْمُنَاسِبَةَ بِالتَّقْرِيرِ، دُونَ تَحْوِيلِهَا إِلَى حَقٍّ حَصْرِيٍّ لِمَجْمُوعَتِنَا. نُرِيدُ خِدْمَةً يَسْتَطِيعُ النَّاسُ اسْتِخْدَامَهَا فِعْلًا، لَا غُرْفَةً تَحْمِلُ اسْمًا جَمِيلًا وَتَبْقَى مُغْلَقَةً.
رَانِيَةُ: إِذَنْ سَنَرْفَعُ تَوْصِيَةً مَشْرُوطَةً، لَا إِعْلَانَ افْتِتَاحٍ. سَأَنْقُلُ هَذَا الْفَرْقَ إِلَى الْجِيرَانِ، وَأَطْلُبُ نَشْرَ رَدِّ الْمَجْلِسِ حَتَّى نَعْرِفَ مَا قُبِلَ وَمَا بَقِيَ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَمْوِيلٍ أَوْ تَعْدِيلٍ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Salma: I was asked to prepare a recommendation for the post office building that has been empty for two years. Sixty per cent of respondents supported turning it into a coworking space. Should we start from that result?
Hisham: Before treating it as the neighbourhood’s priority, who received the survey? The young people I work with are looking for somewhere to study after school, and none mentioned taking part.
Rania: I saw the link in the business owners’ group, and we received no paper copy. I worry that the percentage will be read as a residents’ vote, although participation was not equally accessible to everyone.
Salma: Ninety people replied, and we shared the link only in that group. So the result describes respondents’ preferences and does not establish the neighbourhood’s wishes. I will clarify this distinction in the report’s introduction before circulating it.
Hisham: I have requests from twenty-three families for a study space, but they too do not represent the whole neighbourhood. I offer them as evidence of a specific need, not a mandate to use the entire building.
Rania: I do not object to having young people near my home. My objection concerns evening workshops using noisy tools: the first drawing combined the study room with the proposed furniture repair space.
Salma: The drawing is an initial concept, not an approved programme. There is also an offer from a company to fund renovation in exchange for exclusive ground-floor use on working days, leaving the upper floor for neighbourhood activities.
Hisham: That condition denies students ground-floor access at the time they need it; leaving a room upstairs nominally for them is not enough. Is there a way to reach it for anyone unable to use the stairs?
Rania: There is no lift in the building, and I saw no cost for adding one in the offer. I had assumed renovation funding covered that issue, but the general wording is insufficient to support that conclusion.
Salma: Correct. The offer includes painting, lighting and furniture, while access improvements have not yet been priced. I will therefore not describe it as opening the building to everyone before clarifying this gap in the offer.
Hisham: I propose keeping the ground floor for public use and dividing its times. I am not requesting an equipped workshop now: a quiet space and a responsible person present would meet the request I received from families at this stage.
Rania: That brings me closer to agreement, but changing the activity does not remove operating costs. Who opens and closes the building, and who receives complaints if an activity continues after the time announced to residents?
Salma: The money currently offered is allocated to fitting out the building, not staff wages. If we approved opening now, we would conceal a funding gap; that gap must appear clearly in the recommendation.
Hisham: I can transfer two hours from my weekly programme, but turning them into five evenings would be an unrealistic promise. I do not want the schedule built on volunteer work that nobody has committed to.
Rania: Not all the times should be allocated to young people or remote workers. We need a period for residents’ meetings, provided the same group does not reserve it every week and prevent others from participating.
Salma: We will propose a schedule containing a study period and a public meeting period, with published booking rules. Coworking can be considered at other times, without an exclusive right to the ground floor.
Hisham: Does that mean we are rejecting the company’s money? I would prefer to explain the condition we cannot accept: perhaps it will revise its offer if it knows the disagreement concerns access to the space and its times.
Rania: I have no objection to a revised offer, but the contributor’s name should not obscure the building’s public character. I also want to keep the old sign that connects the place to the neighbourhood’s memory.
Salma: I will include retaining the sign in the proposed concept and clarify that providing funding does not mean owning the place. But the council will decide; our meeting does not grant any party a contract.
Hisham: Before the recommendation is submitted, I will collect the availability of the families who requested the service. We may discover the proposed period does not suit them; then merely saying we provided study seats would be insufficient.
Rania: I will help distribute paper forms, including to people who do not attend our meetings. I want to know the objections before portraying broad agreement that we have not yet established.
Salma: We will state how responses were collected and their limitations, and will not combine the percentages from the two surveys as if they were one sample. The aim is to clarify needs and disagreements, then present a recommendation that allows the council to discuss them.
Hisham: If operating funding is not approved, we will not announce an opening date. I will tell families that plainly, because their enthusiasm cannot replace a responsible person able to commit to being present at the announced times.
Rania: That is better than a ceremonial opening followed by a locked door. I support submitting the proposal under these conditions, but my support does not include evening repair workshops if they are restored to the programme later.
Salma: I will record that reservation and request an estimate for running the ground floor under public management. We will reject the exclusive-use condition in the current offer while leaving the door open to a revised offer.
Hisham: I will attach the families’ requests and suitable times to the report without turning them into an exclusive entitlement for our group. We want a service people can actually use, not a room with an attractive name that remains closed.
Rania: So we will submit a conditional recommendation, not an opening announcement. I will convey that distinction to the neighbours and ask for the council’s response to be published so we know what was accepted and what still needs funding or amendment.
02Useful words and expressions
| Arabic in the conversation | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| تَوْصِيَةٍ | a recommendation |
| مَسَاحَةِ عَمَلٍ مُشْتَرَكَةٍ | a coworking space |
| تَفْوِيضًا | a mandate |
| حَصْرِيًّا | exclusively |
| تَهْيِئَةُ الْوُصُولِ | improvements that enable access |
| تَكْلِفَةَ التَّشْغِيلِ | operating costs |
| فَجْوَةً فِي التَّمْوِيلِ | a funding gap |
| عَمَلٍ تَطَوُّعِيٍّ | voluntary work |
| قَوَاعِدِ حَجْزٍ مَنْشُورَةٍ | published booking rules |
| بِذَاكِرَةِ الْحَيِّ | to the neighbourhood’s memory |
| هَذَا التَّحَفُّظَ | this reservation |
| تَوْصِيَةً مَشْرُوطَةً | a conditional recommendation |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic conversation for evidence. Open the English question support or a hint when you need help.
What to remember
- Qualify evidence from a limited survey, including evidence that supports your own proposal.
- Distinguish allocating a room, making it accessible and funding the staff needed to operate it.
- Report conditional support accurately and keep a recommendation separate from an approved opening.
Explore the Arabic in this conversation
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this conversation.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّ تَغْيِيرَ النَّشَاطِ لَا يُلْغِي تَكْلِفَةَ التَّشْغِيلِ
Use lakinna to acknowledge progress while preserving an objection about ongoing costs.
Idha in Arabic: How to Say When and If
إِذَا لَمْ يُعْتَمَدْ تَمْوِيلُ التَّشْغِيلِ فَلَنْ نُعْلِنَ مَوْعِدًا لِلِافْتِتَاحِ
State a condition with idha and a future consequence introduced by fa-lan.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ حَمَاسَهَا لَا يُعَوِّضُ غِيَابَ مَسْؤُولٍ
Explain why enthusiasm cannot replace a staffing commitment with lianna.
