By Abduaziz Al-Rubaie

Okaz / Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — When Yasser Mohammed Samir, a Sudanese, first came to Makkah for work in a garment shop about 14 years ago, he never expected in his wildest dreams that he would be able to communicate perfectly with pilgrims in four languages.

"I can now fluently speak Indonesian Baasha, Hausa, Turkish and Persian," he said.

Yasser said a number of Makkah residents and salesmen have acquired a number of languages by just mixing with the Haj and Umrah pilgrims.

"When I first came from my country, I spoke only my Sudanese dialect but after years of working in a cloth shop, I was able to pick up some words from a number of foreign languages," he said.

Yasser said he made it a point to learn some languages from mixing with the pilgrims. "I concentrated at first on Turkish and Persian languages as many of our customers were from these two counties," he said.

He said he started picking up some words, jotted them down and repeated them in his head until they stuck in his mind.

"I started with the names of the clothes, the sizes, measurements and places of manufacture," he said.

Yasser said after seven years in the trade, he had perfected the Indonesian Baasha, Turkish, Persian and Hausa languages and was able to communicate perfectly with pilgrims from these countries.

"I am now focusing on acquiring English from the European, American, Canadian and Australian pilgrims who come to Makkah for the Haj or Umrah," he said.

He was sure that in a short time he would learn and perfect the English language.

Yasser said in addition to making good income from his work, he has learned languages, which would not be possible for him to learn in Sudan.