Arabic linguistic foresight as development infrastructure: Terminology modernization for the SDGs across health, sustainability, public services, the energy transition, and future economies
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Abstract
Budgets and technologies do not implement sustainable development on their own; the SDGs also depend on shared language that makes problems nameable, indicators measurable, and policies teachable. In many Arabic-speaking contexts, SDG-related knowledge arrives first through English-dominant research, consultancy, and standards, while Arabic public and educational communication often inherits improvised borrowings and unstable calques. This integrative review introduces Arabic linguistic foresight as a forward-looking approach to language planning that treats terminology modernization as development infrastructure. Drawing on language policy and planning, terminology science, science communication, and sustainability studies, and interpreting these literatures through genre and critical discourse perspectives, the review maps recurring points of linguistic friction across five SDG-related pillars: health and bio-innovation; environmental sustainability and circular economy; basic needs and public services; energy transition and industrial leadership; and sustainable finance and future economies. Across these domains, three mechanisms repeatedly narrow access: linguistic inequality in global knowledge flows, mismatch between Arabic registers, and fragmented governance of technical terms. To address these mechanisms, the review proposes a staged workflow linking horizon scanning to concept mapping, principled term formation, definition drafting, expert validation, open dissemination, and iterative evaluation of uptake. A mini-glossary demonstrates how morphologically plausible Arabic coinages, accompanied by clear definitions and usage notes, can retain scientific precision while increasing local intelligibility. The review concludes with recommendations for cross-sector coordination in Saudi Arabia and comparable settings, positioning Arabic as a working language for inclusive and durable SDG implementation.
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