Episode 254: Batool Almarzouq on Localizing Open Source Communities

Guest Batool Almarzouq Panelist Richard Littauer | Amanda Casari
Show Notes In this episode, hosts Richard Littauer and Amanda
Casari are joined by Batool Almarzouq, Honorary Research Fellow at
the University of Liverpool and Research Project Manager at the
Alan Turing Institute. They discuss Batool's work in open science,
including her involvement in the Open Science Community Saudi
Arabia, localization efforts, and the challenges of connecting
global and local open science initiatives. The conversation covers
Batool's efforts to make research more accessible and open in the
Arab region, the concept of localization vs. translation, her
experiences with translation management systems, and the importance
of community and mentorship in advancing open science. Batool
shares insights from her collaborations with various groups and the
influence of Latin American communities on her work. Press download
now to hear more! [00:02:11] Batool explains her roles at various
institutions and how she promotes open science in Saudi Arabia and
globally. [00:03:31] Batool discusses the difficulties Arab
researchers face in engaging with open science, including language
barriers and the Western focus of many initiatives. [00:04:50]
Amanda asks about the vision for open science in Saudi Arabia and
Batool talks about open science values in the Arab world and the
cultural significance of knowledge sharing pre-colonization.
[00:07:56] Batool talks about localization efforts and bridging the
gap between Western and Arab scientific norms. [00:11:04] There’s a
discussion on how Batool connects researchers and community leaders
in Arab countries, the grassroots nature of the Open Science
Community Saudi Arabia, and the importance of local engagement.
[00:14:20] Batool details the technical tools used for
localization, challenges with translating right-to-left languages,
and the importance of building open source tools for
internationalization. [00:20:20] There’s a conversation on the
difficulties in securing funding for localization efforts and the
importance of empowering local communities to take charge of their
own knowledge production. [00:23:43] Batool shares insights on
working with Latin American communities, shared challenges in open
science, and the importance of community-led initiatives.
[00:25:33] We hear Batool’s thoughts on the importance of
mentorship, community, and collective action in creating meaningful
change. [00:27:51] Find out where you can follow Batool and her
work online. Quotes [00:06:56] “One of the things is that science
used to be more transdisciplinary.” [00:11:18] “We have our own
full-time jobs, there’s no system that we use in place recording or
creating things. It’s more about connecting people and creating
that space for this discussion to grow.” [00:25:51] “There’s two
places I get a lot of value from outside of academia: engaging with
community practice and finding mentors.” [00:27:17] “Finding people
who relate to you, relate to your ideas, and also help you
articulate them better and see what other people are trying to do
gives you a lot of power.” Spotlight [00:28:27] Amanda’s spotlight
is PyLadies. [00:29:22] Richard’s spotlight is American Atheists.
[00:30:14] Batool’s spotlight is Alycia Crall, Richie Moluno and
Goodnews Sandy. Links SustainOSS (https://sustainoss.org/)
podcast@sustainoss.org (mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org)
richard@sustainoss.org (mailto:richard@sustainoss.org) SustainOSS
Discourse (https://discourse.sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open
Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
(https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Socials
(https://www.burntfen.com/2023-05-30/socials) Amanda Casari
Linktree (https://linktr.ee/amcasari) Batool Almarzouq LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/batool-almarzouq-093366a1/) Batool
Almarzouq Website (https://batool-almarzouq.netlify.app/) The Alan
Turing Institute (https://www.turing.ac.uk/) The Turing Way
(https://the-turing-way.netlify.app/index.html) Open Science
Community Saudi Arabia (https://osc-ksa.com/) Open Science
Community Saudi Arabia-Zenodo
(https://zenodo.org/communities/1231231664/records?q=&l=list&p=1&s=10&sort=newest)
Ramsey Nasser-GitHub (https://github.com/nasser/) Translation
management system
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation_management_system)
Crowdin (https://crowdin.com/) JSQuarto
(https://github.com/Open-Science-Community-Saudi-Arabia/JSquarto)
PyLadies (https://pyladies.com/) American Atheists
(https://www.atheists.org/) Alycia Crall
(https://carpentries.org/blog/2021/07/introducing-the-carpentries-director-of-community/)
Richie Moluno (https://realrichi3.github.io/) Goodnews Sandy
(https://goodnewssandy.netlify.app/) Credits Produced by Richard
Littauer (https://www.burntfen.com/) Edited by Paul M. Bahr at
Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by
DeAnn Bahr Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/)
Special Guest: Batool Almarzouq.