​The School of Engineering at the University of Jordan (UJ) recently hosted a workshop highlighting a research project aimed at developing AI-powered applications capable of converting Jordanian Colloquial Arabic into Modern Standard Arabic using machine learning.

Held under the patronage of the Dean of the School of Engineering, Prof. Menwer Attarakih, the workshop brought together linguists, researchers, and language technology experts. The project is funded by the Scientific Research and Innovation Support Fund, with a grant of 30,000 JD, and has been ongoing since March 2023.

The research team includes School members from both the Department of Computer Engineering and the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, under the supervision of Prof. Gheith Abandah. During the workshop, Abandah presented the project's objectives and key milestones, while Dr. Iyad Jafar showcased a custom-developed dataset featuring paired samples of Jordanian dialect and their Modern Standard Arabic equivalents.

As part of the initiative, the team developed smart mobile applications and a user-friendly website designed to facilitate the seamless and accurate transformation of dialectal Arabic into formal written Arabic. A specialized linguistic database was also created to support these tools.

The workshop concluded with an engaging discussion during which participants praised the project's significance and potential applications and offered recommendations for further development and broader implementation.​

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