There’s nothing new in the world, and the software engineering principles we teach today have been known to mankind for centuries.

Previously, I shared some Chinese proverbs that can be directly applied to the IT field. Now I asked Bing to suggest some Arabic proverbs that can explain software engineering principles. Here’s what I got :-)

  • لا تؤجّل عمل اليوم إلى الغد (Do not postpone today’s work to tomorrow). This proverb could reflect the principle of avoiding procrastination and technical debt in software development.

  • اتق شر الحليم اذا غضب (Beware the level-headed when he is angry). This proverb could reflect the principle of being careful with your code quality and testing, because even a calm and patient user might get frustrated and angry if the software is buggy or unreliable.

  • أول الشجرة بذرة (A tree begins with a seed). This proverb could reflect the principle of starting small and simple, and then building up complexity and functionality gradually in software development.

  • الأفعال أبلغ من الأقوال (Actions speak louder than words). This proverb could reflect the principle of demonstrating your software capabilities and value through working prototypes and deliverables, rather than just promises and plans.

  • إذا تم العقل نقص الكلام (The smarter you are, the less you speak). This proverb could reflect the principle of writing clear and concise code that is easy to understand and maintain, rather than verbose and complicated code that is hard to follow and debug.