The phenomenon of writing in Africa is at the heart of Gérard Macé’s essay « Proche Afrique » . This short essay served as the source-text for the translation (into eight languages) and back-translation (into French) experiment entitled Épreuves de l’étranger. The aim of this contribution is twofold : first, to delve into the practice of writing and in particular its manifestations in Africa, as outlined in « Proche Afrique » ; second , to reflect on the translation and back-translation of terms related to writing in the context of the Épreuves de l’étranger experiment. In this article I focus on Arabic – the only African language among the eight languages into which the essay « Proche Afrique » has been translated. Through an analysis of the Arabic translations and their back-translations into French I show how the terms related to writing underwent the most notable changes in the passage from one language to another.