Have you ever walked into a store where every sign is in a language you don’t understand? For billions of non-English speakers, that’s what encountering English-only content feels like—and businesses that cling to an English-only approach are leaving money on the table, limiting their growth potential.
Take Arabic, for example. This ancient language is the fifth most spoken in the world, with hundreds of millions of speakers. Yet many businesses hesitate to include it in their translation efforts. Unique details like right-to-left text orientation and the need for localization in an unfamiliar culture can make English-to-Arabic translation daunting compared to more familiar Western tongues.
Fortunately, modern online translator tools have transformed this once complex process into a manageable series of straightforward steps, clearing the path to increasingly vibrant online markets from Morocco to Oman.
In this guide, we’ll explore how you can seamlessly transform your content into accurate, culturally aware Arabic without the typical roadblocks and setbacks that once made Arabic website translation so challenging.
Why translate your website into Arabic?
Translating from English into Arabic and vice versa has historically been an expensive and time-consuming chore. So why bother?
If your business is chasing global growth, you can’t afford to overlook Arabic translation for your digital presence. As e-commerce blossoms across the Middle East and North Africa, translating your content from English to Arabic is your foot in the door to some of the world’s most dynamic markets, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
When you translate your website to Arabic, you speak directly to a vast audience that prefers browsing, shopping, and interacting in their first language—just like anyone else. And Arabic-language search engines will take notice, indexing your content and boosting your SEO success with higher rankings and more organic traffic.
3 steps for successful Arabic website translation
Ready to move beyond online translators like Google Translate? Although these online translators are great for helping tourists order coffee, professional Arabic translation for your marketing text requires a more sophisticated approach.
Translation management platforms like Smartling have revolutionized how businesses translate their digital presence from English to Arabic, offering comprehensive solutions beyond one-to-one translations of words and sentences.
Let’s discover the three essential steps for successful Arabic website translation:
1. Choose your translation method
Once you decide to translate from English to the Arabic language, you must choose the right translation service for your needs. The traditional method, manual translation by humans, is expensive and time-consuming. Modern solutions that leverage automation and AI can eliminate 90% of the manual effort and 70% of the cost. These platforms take a few different approaches, each with its advantages and disadvantages. AI-powered translation platforms harness machine learning to achieve unprecedented accuracy and speed. They go far beyond what one-off queries on an online translator like Google Translate can offer, providing automated content detection, sophisticated quality evaluation, and other cutting-edge features unheard of before the dramatic rise in AI capabilities.
Some solutions, like Smartling’s AI-powered Human Translation, offer the best of both worlds, combining an AI-powered workflow with native Arabic translators who bring the skills and cultural insight needed to refine translations and tailor content to regional audiences. This blend ensures your content reads naturally, avoiding stiff or awkward phrasing. For businesses with varying budgets and timelines, this hybrid AI-human approach to translation provides a cost-efficient solution.
If you’re using a content management system, direct CMS integration via plug-ins lets you ease into your Arabic translation efforts with minimal added complexity. Solutions with this feature easily slot into platforms like WordPress and Shopify, preserving your content structure and tech stack while adding robust translation management capabilities.
Smart content handling is another useful feature. When you update your English content—adding new products, publishing blog posts, or tweaking your marketing copy—you don’t want to waste time manually hunting down each new piece of text that needs Arabic translation. Automatic content detection systems monitor your site for changes and automatically flag any new content that must be translated into Arabic text.
Finally, look for translation management systems that offer bonus features like AI-enhanced glossary management and automated formatting cleanup.
2. Configure and deploy
Once you choose your approach, you can get your translation system up and running. You’ll need to register accounts, configure URL routing (for example, ar.yoursite.com), and ensure your tech stack is compatible with your chosen solution. You should also obtain the necessary API keys to integrate your chosen platform and install the required software components.
Finalize your configuration by:
- Configuring security settings
- Defining quality assurance parameters
- Providing glossaries
- Testing basic functionality and making final adjustments
Cover all your bases
English-speaking businesses can easily translate their user interfaces to other European languages, but Arabic presents additional challenges. To translate from Arabic to English or from English to Arabic, the text must switch between left-to-right (LTR) and right-to-left (RTL) orientation.
Imagine visiting a website and finding the English copy written backward. Your chosen platform should automatically handle RTL layout changes for both text and interface elements so your readers feel at home. Additionally, ensure your web fonts are compatible with Arabic script, and consider how your multimedia content might require adaptation for Arabic markets. Products that fine-tune results with real-life Arabic translators are especially useful here.
After confirming every detail, you’ll be ready to launch and bring your Arabic content to life. Deploy your system confidently with customer support contacts on hand to address any initial issues, creating a smooth transition and a welcoming experience for Arabic-speaking users.
3. Conduct ongoing quality assurance
Once your translation system is chugging along, periodically review the results to verify that your translated content meets your standards. Here’s what to keep an eye on:
Cultural considerations
Arabic isn’t one universal language. It’s a family of dialects spanning more than 20 geographic variations. Although Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) provides a reliable baseline for translation, you may want to consider regional variants for major markets, such as Egypt, where a specific flavor of Arabic dominates everyday language use. Think of MSA as formal written Arabic that all Arabic speakers understand, whereas regional dialects add local color to connect with specific audiences.
Fortunately, comprehensive localization services like Smartling offer numerous Arabic dialects, so you can always reach your intended demographic.
Full localization
There’s more to high-quality Arabic translation than simply converting text from one language to another. Full localization is equally vital for speaking to potential customers in their own cultural context. Colors, images, and design elements that work perfectly in English markets might need adjustment for Arabic-speaking audiences. For example, images might need to be mirrored for RTL display, whereas others require adaptation to resonate with cultural sensibilities.
Identify translation speed bumps
Set up regular reviews of your translation process to maintain and improve your results. Monitor metrics like engagement and conversion rate. If you’re not seeing the results you expect, try tweaking different components of your setup, such as the configuration or glossary terms. This ongoing attention ensures your Arabic content stays as fresh and compelling as its English counterparts.
Expand your business to an Arabic-speaking audience with Smartling
Just a few years ago, effective translation from English to Arabic text took significant time and resources. Modern AI-powered translation platforms have changed that, and Smartling’s platform is at the forefront of this revolution. Smartling combines the power of machine translation with the flexibility to manually refine content. You can even engage professional translators for added polish. These cutting-edge options make it easier than ever to reach customers worldwide.
Want to learn how leading brands leverage this powerful new technology to build trust and rapport with local communities? Our free eBook “A Translation Solution that Grows With Your Content” explains five effective strategies used by actual companies to create authentic, localized experiences that resonate with international audiences.
Download the free guide today to expand the borders of your business and pitch your products to the world.
