Yesterday, Yahoo announced they have acquired a license to arabic translation specialist, Yamli Technology. The idea is to integrate the translation technology into their Maktoob platform, an acquisition made to expand services into the Middle East and North Africa. The …

Maktoob may not be a site with which many American search experts are familiar, and similarly, Yahoo’s name probably isn’t something Arabic-speaking individuals are used to seeing on a daily basis.  But an introduction of sorts has occurred, as Yahoo Search is now powering Maktoob, which is the largest online Arabic-language community.

Yahoo has announced its intent to acquire Maktoob.com, an Arab portal that reaches one in every three people online in its region. That accounts for about 16.5 million people. Yahoo says this is its largest geographic expansion in years.