Translate a Word document into Arabic, layout preserved

What Arabic changes in a Word file

Arabic runs right to left, and its letters join, changing shape according to their position in the word. The letter hā' alone has four forms: isolated (ه), initial (هـ), medial (ـهـ) and final (ـه). Word handles these forms on its own, provided the font in use contains Arabic glyphs.

Three things affect your file directly:

• The font. Latin typefaces such as Garamond or Futura have no Arabic letters. Word then displays the Arabic in a substitute font, set separately for so-called complex scripts. If your styles do not define that font, the result can vary from one computer to another.
• Italics. Arabic typography does not use them; a slanted cursive script reads poorly. Italic text in the source stays italic in the translation, but for an Arabic-speaking readership bold is the usual way to add emphasis.
• Justification. Arabic justifies lines by stretching certain joins between letters (the kashida, ـ), not only by widening spaces, so a justified paragraph may look looser or tighter than in the source.

On length, Arabic attaches the article and several prepositions to the word (والكتاب, “and the book”, is a single block), so the word count drops; the height of the letters and diacritics, however, often calls for more generous line spacing.

Arabic numerals, plurals and punctuation

Digits. The Maghreb uses Western Arabic digits (0123); much of the Levant and the Gulf uses Eastern Arabic digits (٠١٢٣). Choose according to your audience and keep one system throughout, tables included.

Plurals. Arabic has six plural categories: zero, one, two, few, many and other. The noun changes with the number:

• one file: ملف واحد
• two files: ملفان (the dual, no digit needed)
• three files: ثلاثة ملفات
• eleven files: أحد عشر ملفًا (back to the singular)
• a hundred files: مئة ملف

In a Word document written in full sentences, each number is agreed in translation. The trouble starts when a number sits apart from its noun, for instance a table cell reading “12” next to a cell reading “files”: agreement cannot cross from one cell to the next.

Punctuation. Arabic has its own comma (،), semicolon (؛) and question mark (؟). Latin references inside an Arabic sentence, such as ISO 9001 or ref. AB-204, still run left to right: check that a hyphen or bracket has not jumped to the wrong side at the end of a line.

What Manuce returns, and what it does not do

Manuce translates paragraphs, tables, headers and footers, and text boxes. A merged cell is translated and charged only once. The original .docx is rebuilt text run by text run: fonts, sizes, colours, bold and italic, styles, numbering and table widths stay as in the source. An automatic check then compares the form of the translated document with the original and flags any difference.

You receive the file in its original format with the Arabic text in place of the source, plus a Word version, a PDF and the plain text. The plain text is handy for an Arabic-speaking reviewer who wants to read without the layout getting in the way.

What Manuce does not do:

• It does not mirror the layout. Because the source formatting is kept, a left-aligned paragraph stays left-aligned and a table keeps its column order. Setting paragraph and table direction is done afterwards in Word.
• Automatic fields (table of contents, cross-references) keep working: updating the fields in Word recalculates page numbers after translation.
• It does not produce sworn or certified translations. A degree certificate or civil-status document for an embassy or authority in an Arabic-speaking country needs a sworn translator.

Preparing the file and checking the Arabic version

Before uploading:

• Keep numbers and their nouns in the same sentence or cell (“12 files”, not “12” | “files”) so that Arabic agreement is possible.
• Rely on styles rather than manual formatting: you will edit those styles afterwards to switch the whole document to right-to-left in one go.
• Text inside an image is not Word text. If it needs translating, replace the image with real text or a text box.

Once delivered, open the translated .docx in Word and check:

1. paragraph direction (right to left) and right alignment, ideally set in the styles;
2. the column order of tables, which Arabic readers read from the right;
3. the font used for Arabic and its size, often worth raising by a point or two for legibility;
4. Latin references and codes at line ends;
5. the table of contents and cross-references, after updating fields.

In practice

1. Upload your .docx and choose Arabic: an exact word-count quote appears straight away.
2. Read the free one-paragraph sample to judge the register and the digits used.
3. Download the translated .docx, the Word version, the PDF and the plain text.
4. In Word, set the styles to right-to-left, check the tables and update the fields.