Malak is a home-based entrepreneur in Lebanon who sells artificial flower arrangements and other handmade home-decorations. In this episode, Malak speaks with her sister, Mariam, about the challenges facing local small businesses during the current financial crisis. Malak explains how she tries to navigate the difficult situation and wonders if the crisis might force her to close her business.
Lebanese Arabic Transcript and English Contextual Translation
ملاك: مريم. أديش الدولار اليوم؟
Malak: How much is the exchange rate of the US dollar today?
مريم: 21 ألف. ليش عم تسألي؟
Mariam: 21 thousands. Why are you asking?
ملاك: مبارح اشتريت بضاعة جديدة بالدولار من تجار الجملة. صورتن وعرضتن عالفايسبوك والإنستغرام. واليوم، بلشت الطلبيات أو الـ orders من الزباين، وعنجد موضوع التسعير عم يتعبني كتير هو والدولار عم يطلع وينزل بين ساعة والتانية. ما بدي أنا إخسر، وبنفس الوقت ما بدي غلّي كتير عالزباين وأظلمن. وأكيد ما فيني سعر بالدولار لأن مش منطقي.
Malak: Yesterday, I bought new stock in US dollars from wholesalers. I took photos of them and posted them on Facebook and Instagram, and today, orders from customers began arriving. Truly, the issue of pricing is exhausting me while the dollar is rising and dropping between one hour and another. I do not want to lose, and at the same time, I do not want to make it very expensive for customers and burden them. And certainly, I cannot price in dollars, because it does not make sense.