Arabic Style Guide
This style guide has been created for TwB projects to be translated into Arabic or from
Arabic. The style guide is a general one but retains a focus on delivering content in
humanitarian contexts. It is worth noting that this guide is not meant to supersede a
translator’s judgment, which remains vital in producing a comprehensive translation. The
style guide is to be used a reference for cases where translators might be undecided or unsure
regarding how to go about the translation.
The style guide is a tool to help translators have an idea about the style and tone of the
translated content that will be used by the partners of Translators without Borders.
If anything is unclear or if you have any question regarding the task, please contact the
project manager or leave a message on the job page. You can also discuss it with other
translators on Kato Community.
Contents
I. General ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Style and Language ..................................................................................................................... 3
Tone ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Intended Audience ....................................................................................................................... 4
Spelling......................................................................................................................................... 5
Punctation .................................................................................................................................... 5
Diacritics ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Kato .............................................................................................................................................. 6
II. Instructions for Special Types of Content ........................................................................... 7
Medical......................................................................................................................................... 7
Technical ...................................................................................................................................... 8
III. Date and Time Format ......................................................................................................... 8
Numbers ....................................................................................................................................... 9
I. General
Style and Language:
• Please keep the language simple and easy to understand. Avoid the use of jargon or
pedantic language. Use a simple type of language that can be understood by most
people, if not everyone.
Examples
Source
Avoid
Use
Dry mouth
Breastfeeding
• Use the common writing style of Arabic to make the translation sound natural. Use a
style that is culturally appropriate while substituting words/phrases that do not convey
the intended meaning in the target language.
Examples
Source
Avoid
Use
The distribution was made
by the organization
Or
Mosquitoes transmit
deadly diseases
• Avoid using slang and idiomatic expressions.
• Some foreign words are more common than their Arabic equivalents. In those cases, it
is perfectly acceptable to use such words as they are. In each case, make sure that the
translation takes into account the target audience.
Examples
Source
Possible Translation
Possible Translation
Computer
WiFi
• Do not translate brand, organization or company names if there is no standard
translation is available in Arabic. Instead, use transliteration or use the name in
English.
Examples
Source
Standard translation /
transliteration
Possible transliteration
Facebook
-
Oxfam
-
Ashinaga
-
• For acronyms, use standard translations or transliteration, if available. If there is no
available official translation or transliteration, you keep the term in English or use a
non-standard transliteration or translation. When using non-standard transliteration, or
when translating the acronym, put the English equivalent between brackets to make
the reference clearer.
Examples
Source
Standard Translation
Possible Translation
UNICEF
AIDS
Save the Children
-
Save the
Children
Tone:
• Please follow the tone of the source document. The translation should correctly reflect
the meaning of the source text without being a word-for-word translation.
• Emphasize clarity, brevity, and the intent of the text, rather translating every source
word. For the sake of making the meaning clearer, you may use group of words or a
phrase to describe a single word that may not be readily understood by the target
audience.
Examples
Source
One-word translation
Possible phrase translation
Privatization
Scheduling
Intended Audience:
• Try to understand the intended audience of the content and change the style and tone
accordingly.
• Always use the polite forms of pronouns and verbs. This excludes cases where the
source text is clearly using a type of language that is intended to address a certain
audience informally or in a friendly way.
• Pay attention to when the target audience is clearly one gender can be inferred clearly
from the text.
Examples
Source
Not appropriate
Better
If you find a strange thing
on the ground when playing
with friends, call for help
You should visit the doctor
during the third month of
pregnancy.
Tests are usually carried out
on patients during the first
trimester.
Note: The above examples are for reference only. Please use your own writing style. The
intention is to convey the meaning of the source text correctly and in such a way that the
audience can easily understand the message.
Spelling:
• Always use the hamza where it should be used. Avoid adding a hamza where it is not
needed and vice versa.
Examples
Avoid
Use
• There are several ways used for writing hamza in certain words. Both are acceptable
as long as consistency is maintained. Furthermore, when the text is clearly directed at
an audience that is known to be familiar with one use of hamza over the other, the
audience’s preference should prevail.
Examples
Source
Egyptian audience
Levantine audience
Responsibility
Responsible
Punctation:
• Avoid leaving extra spaces before punctuation marks.
• Avoid separating “” with a space when used as a conjunction.
• Avoid replicating the punctuation system of English in Arabic as is or. The same
applies when translating from Arabic into English.
1
Sign text meant to warn children against touching foreign objects that may be UODs
Examples
Source
Avoid
Use
There are many useful
reasons. Such as the
following:
Or
Available food includes
chicken and fish and
vegetables and fruit.
Available food includes:
chicken, fish, vegetables, and
fruit.
Diacritics:
• In general, try to use diacritics where you believe they will improve the meaning.
• There are two systems for placing “tanween” on the final “”. Both systems are
acceptable as long as consistency is maintained. Furthermore, if the target audience is
known to have a preference for one system over the other, that system should be used.
• In general, try to use the “Dhamma” when using the passive voice in Arabic.
• Try to use the “Shadda”. It is highly recommended especially since the use can help
avoid ambiguity.
Examples
Source
Ambiguous
Clear
The student studied
The student taught
Kató Tips for Arabic:
• Pay close attention to segmentation when translating on Kató. Arabic sentences are
usually longer, while English sentences are shorter. This means that when translating
from English into Arabic, not all full stops should be full stops in the Arabic text.
Similarly, when translating from Arabic into English, a long sentence is better when
broken down into several smaller sentences. Make sure you check the source file
when in doubt.
• Avoid copying the tab mark (⇥) in Kató from the source text. Instead, use the tab
button on your keyboard to add the symbol. You can tell if the symbol is copied or
added correctly by the color. Dark black means copied and grey means inserted
correctly.
• Avoid missing spaces before or after tags when translating in Kató. There is a
warning displayed when such an issue occurs. If spaces are missing, words might
become connected to each other in the output file.
• Ignore tags that separate the letters of the word itself. Try reading the whole word or
checking the document itself when in doubt.
Examples
Source
Wrong
Correct
The {</g>}tsu{</g>}nami
destroyed half of the
{</g>}village{</g>}’rs
farms
{</g>}{</g>}
{</g>}{</g>}
{</g>}{</g>}
{</g>}{</g>}
5{</g>}
th
{</g>}
December 2017
5{</g>}{</g>}
{</g>}{</g>}
II. Instructions for Special Types of Content
Medical:
• When translating medical texts, due care should be provided. The translator should
keep in mind that this type of text is aimed at saving lives.
• When translating public messages, announcements, signs, etc. use a simple language
and avoid using complicated medical terms.
Examples
Source
Medical
General
AIDS
Sicknesses
• If the content is for professionals or experts, you may use the type of special language
or terms that can be understood by the target audience. The following words are
examples that can used to infer that the text is meant for professionals: Intramuscular
(IM), Intravenous (IV), anesthetic, scalpel etc. Of course, the list is not a
comprehensive one, and the use of these words does not always mean the text is
meant for professionals. Translators must exercise discretion, or consult project
managers when in doubt.
• Make sure you find the correct meaning for any term to be translated. Medical texts
usually include a lot of acronyms or abbreviations that require specialized
dictionaries.
2
In this case, the tags are useless since the function they serve in the original text is not needed in the target
text.
Technical:
• Understanding the target audience is the key for translating technical documents. If
the target audience is the general population, use simple language and avoid jargons.
• If the content is for professionals, the translation may include technical terms that are
common. Alternatively, the words can be transliterated if the transliteration
commonly used or if the translation will not capture the intended meaning.
Examples
Source
Technical
General
Alternating current
Diesel
III. Date and Time Format
• Use the dd/mm/yyyy date format. Example: 12/02/2018
• For the expanded date format, use the corresponding format in Arabic.
Examples
Source
Arabic
December 5
th
, 2017
5
th
December 2017
• When translating from Arabic into English, convert Hijri dates to Gregorian
dates.
• When translating am or pm, spell out the word instead of just using a letter.
• When translating the names of months from English into Arabic, use both
names in Arabic.
List of months
English
Arabic
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Numbers:
• When writing numbers, copying and pasting them in Kató will cause them to appear
inverted. Make sure that the numbers appear in the correct order.
Examples
Source
Copied
Typed manually
+1 (49) 555 666 999
• When numbering lists manually, make sure you preserve consistency and that you use
a unique type of list that corresponds to that in the source.
Examples
Source
Technical
General
Alternating current
Diesel
