Can we talk about how hard it is to learn to write a document in Arabic in Word? Yes, let's.
Obstacles working against you:
1. The letters. Where are they? (to be noted: the letters follow no logical pattern. At first I couldn't understand why they didn't go in alphabetical order like a logical keyboard would, but then I realized that "our" keyboards don't either. It sure would make learning the damn thing a helluva lot easier, though)
2. That whole right-to-left thing. If you hit the left arrow, it actually goes right. And if you hit the right arrow, it goes left. Backspace erases the last letter in your line, which starts on the right side of the page and just grows leftwards, while the cursor remains in place.
3. The vowels. I can't figure out how to put them on the letters. Rar. (This may only make sense if you've studied Arabic before, but here's a tip: vowels are sorta like accents in other languages. So imagine each time you wanted to add a vowel, you would actually have to put a � or a � or a � or a � or something. Every. Damn. Time.)
and, perhaps most importantly
4. Typing in Arabic means you're writing entire sentences in Arabic. Which is, you know, pretty much impossible.
I'm learning, guys. It's the slowest learning I've ever done, but I'm learning.
I have decided, however, that since the "n" has entirely worn off of my 10-euro, 3-yr-old keyboard, I am entitled to spend 20 euros on a new French/Arabic keyboard. Because, honestly, you wanna know something? I'm nowhere near as patient as I like to think I am. If this madness continues, my homework will never get done.
I want to learn to type in Arabic! Hot damn! I'm so jealous!
It takes HOURS.
Ha! I rememebr learning to type in Korean. I think I had it much easier than you! I started out just by trying to reply to students' emails, and throwing in a word or two in Korean.
The lovely thing about Hangeul (the Korean alphabet) is that it has almost an equal number of vowels and consonants. There are actually a few more consonants, because there are a few double-consonants. But anyway...
Korean letters are laid out on the keyboard pretty logically. The left side is all consonants, and the right side is all vowels. Since the combinations thereof are pretty easy, typing consists of l-r-l and l-r combinations most of the time. The only exception is in in cases where one must type an unusal word like "quit" or "chicken" which, in Korean, has two consonants in the final part of the word. However, the consonants used for that are actually located near the middle of the keyboard.
I found after learning a little Korean, the best practice was emailing Korean friends, with dreadful little emails they could barely decipher. Then I'd buy them coffee and have them teach me how to write that correctly. (Sometimes I'd ask my "official" teachers as well.) Later, I started blogging in Korean, which got a little attention here (of the, "Look! A pink monkey who can actually use the language a little! Look at all those mistakes! Hahahaha!"), but I found it hard to keep at it unless I was studying. Since I'm about to start studying again, I guess the blog will be resuscitated.
Must be hard to learn Arabic in France, though... not immersed, I mean. Anyway, I'm sure you'll keep plugging at it, so I'll just say breaka leg.