Most businesses in the UAE speak to an audience that reads Arabic, English or both. Running social media in two languages is more than doubling the captions. It needs its own planning, its own design decisions and a clear way of approving content.
Why translation alone falls short
Translation carries the meaning of a sentence. It rarely carries its rhythm, humour or cultural reference. A caption that is sharp in English can read as stiff or oddly formal once it is rendered word for word into Arabic, and the same happens in the other direction. Readers recognise translated copy quickly, and it tells them which audience was considered first.
There are practical gaps too. Hashtags, wordplay and calls to action do not map neatly between languages. Arabic text usually takes a different amount of space from English, which affects layouts and video subtitles. Search behaviour differs as well, so the terms people type in one language are not simply the translated terms of the other.
Plan one idea for two languages
The most reliable method is to plan at the level of the idea, not the sentence. Decide what a post is meant to achieve, who it is for, and what the single message is. Then brief an Arabic writer and an English writer to express that message in the way that is natural in their language.
This keeps the brand consistent while letting each version sound native. It also allows for sensible differences. An occasion, a proverb or a local reference may deserve a post in Arabic only, while a piece aimed at international residents may run in English alone. A bilingual calendar does not require every post to have a twin.
A short brief for each piece of content is usually enough, provided it states the following.
- The objective of the post and the action you want from the reader.
- The single message, written in one plain sentence.
- The audience for each language version.
- Any terms, product names or phrases that must stay fixed.
- The format and the channel, including text limits.
Tone and dialect choices
Arabic offers a choice that English does not: Modern Standard Arabic, a Gulf dialect, or a blend of the two. Modern Standard Arabic suits corporate announcements, professional services and anything formal. A lighter, more conversational register, with Gulf expressions where appropriate, often suits retail, hospitality and community content. Neither is correct in every case. What matters is that the choice is deliberate and then applied consistently.
English needs the same attention. Decide on British or American spelling, on how formal the voice is, and on how you write dates, currencies and numbers. Record these decisions in a short style guide covering both languages, with an agreed glossary of product and service terms, so that every writer and designer works from the same reference.
Right-to-left design details
Arabic reads from right to left, and a design made for English cannot simply have its text swapped. Layouts should be mirrored where it makes sense: text alignment, the position of icons, the direction of arrows and the order of carousel slides. Elements that stay the same, such as logos, phone numbers and Latin brand names, need checking so that they sit correctly inside Arabic lines.
Typography deserves care. Choose an Arabic typeface that pairs well with your English one in weight and character, and give Arabic text enough line height, since its letterforms need more vertical room. Avoid stretching or letter-spacing Arabic, which breaks the connections between letters. In video, check that subtitles display in the right direction and stay on screen long enough to read.
A workable approval flow
Bilingual content fails most often at approval, not at creation. If one manager approves the English and nobody with native Arabic reads the other version, errors reach the public. Name an approver for each language, and give each the authority to sign off without a second round.
Keep the flow simple. Both versions are drafted from the same brief, reviewed side by side, corrected once, and scheduled together. Set a fixed number of days for feedback, and keep all comments in one place so they are not scattered across messages and emails. A final check on the published post, in both languages and on a mobile screen, catches problems that documents hide.
Getting started
Start with a style guide, a shared calendar and a named approver for each language. These three things remove most of the friction, and they cost little to set up.
Blue Star FZE LLC produces content in English and Arabic for businesses across the UAE, and we are glad to talk through your setup at info@aebluestar.com.