Arabic translation presents unique technical challenges beyond mastery of the language itself. Right-to-left text direction, Unicode encoding, font compatibility, and bidirectional text handling all require careful attention. This guide covers the key technical considerations for translators working with Arabic.
Choosing Your Arabic Typing Method
Most professional translators use one of three approaches: a physical Arabic keyboard (or keyboard stickers), the system-level Arabic keyboard on their OS, or an online keyboard tool. An online Arabic keyboard is valuable as a backup when working on a client’s computer or a system not configured for Arabic input, and for quickly inserting specific characters without switching input languages.
Unicode: Why It Matters for Arabic
Always ensure your Arabic text uses Unicode (UTF-8) encoding. Legacy encodings like Windows-1256 (code page 1256) are still sometimes encountered in older documents and can cause garbled text when files are shared. Modern applications default to Unicode, but when working with older software or converting documents, verify the encoding. The Arabic Unicode block runs from U+0600 to U+06FF and includes all standard Arabic characters, diacritics, and punctuation.
Arabic Punctuation Differs from English
Arabic uses its own set of punctuation marks that differ from their Latin equivalents. The most important to remember are the Arabic comma (،) at U+060C, the Arabic question mark (؟) at U+061F, and the Arabic semicolon (؛) at U+061B. Using Latin punctuation in Arabic text is a common error that marks a translation as unprofessional. All three are accessible via Shift combinations on our virtual keyboard.
Bidirectional (BiDi) Text Handling
When Arabic text contains embedded numbers, URLs, or English words, the Unicode bidirectional algorithm handles text direction automatically in most modern applications. However, some situations require manual control. Unicode provides invisible bidirectional control characters: the Right-to-Left Mark (U+200F) and the Left-to-Right Mark (U+200E) can be inserted to control direction in ambiguous cases. Most professional translation environments (CAT tools) handle this automatically.
Translation Memory and CAT Tools
Major Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools including SDL Trados Studio, memoQ, and Phrase all support Arabic fully. Ensure your CAT tool is set to right-to-left display mode when working on Arabic target segments. Most tools detect the language automatically and switch text direction accordingly.
Tashkeel in Translation Work
Most professional Arabic translation work does not include tashkeel (diacritics) unless the client specifically requests it (for educational materials, children’s content, or religious texts). Adding tashkeel significantly increases translation time, so it should be scoped and priced accordingly.
Font Recommendations for Arabic
Use fonts with good Arabic character coverage. Reliable options include Noto Naskh Arabic (free, excellent Unicode coverage), Amiri (classical Naskh style, ideal for formal texts), Dubai (clean modern design), and Arial Unicode MS (broad compatibility). Avoid decorative fonts for body text and verify that your chosen font includes all the characters you need, including any extended Arabic characters used in Persian, Urdu, or other Arabic-script languages.
Quick Character Lookup
When you need to quickly insert a specific Arabic character while working in Word or another application, our online keyboard is a fast alternative to hunting through character maps. Type the character, copy it, and paste it into your document.