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Language no bar to driving

Currently candidates have to choose between English, Arabic and Urdu, along with an additional voice-over translation in Pushto to pass the computer-based knowledge test.

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In its quest to be a truly cosmopolitan city, Dubai has taken a unique initiative to offer several languages in which one can take the mandatory lectures and knowledge test — requisites to obtain a driving license.

Currently candidates have to choose between English, Arabic and Urdu, along with an additional voice-over translation in Pushto to pass the computer-based knowledge test. Sensing the need for a more inclusive approach, given the emirate’s multilingual population, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), tasked with regulating transportation in Dubai, will now offer Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali and Farsi for both theory tests and lectures.

The initiative is likely to be rolled out in the next two and a half months. Besides factoring in the emirate’s cultural diversity, the proposed step will help candidates to plan better, focus and learn prepare for the tests. The ability to write a test in one’s mother tongue has been known to allow a candidate to think and process information more smoothly. Dubai’s leading driving institutes — Galadari Motor Driving Centre, Belhasa Driving Centre, Emirates Driving Institute, Al Ahli Driving Centre, Dubai Driving Centre and Drive Dubai — are gearing up to implement the RTA decision.

Not surprisingly, most of the driving schools and the general public have welcomed the new announcement which is expected to go a long way to mitigate the bottlenecks faced by aspiring drivers and further streamline the licensing system. It goes without saying that the latest announcement adds another feather to Dubai’s inclusiveness — one that has made the emirate a shining example of innovation in the region.

• OPINION