Did you know that Arabic is not only the fifth-most spoken language in the world but also the fifth-most ‘powerful’ language too? The Arabic speaking world is massive and it’s well and truly online. Localizing your website for the region is 100% essential. Here’s a few things to watch out for…
Impressively the online Arabic speaking population now surpasses Russian, French and German.
It is now the fourth most used language on the internet according to official figures from Internet World Stats.
173.5 million users alone in March 2017 with the number set to grow as the region’s connectivity improves and more investment takes place into tech start-ups and digital enterprises.
On top of that, according to research by a Professor at INSEAD, if an alien landed on earth, Arabic would be the fifth most useful, or powerful, language to them in terms of being able to get around our planet with ease.
Arabic clearly offers opportunities to tap into a buoyant and growing marketplace. Do the calculations – an Arabic website can cover more than 20 countries and a population of over 450 million people.
Launching an Arabic language version of your website may not be as easy as you think; in fact, if you don’t do your research and ensure you adapt all aspects of the website, it can lead to serious problems.
Here’s three very common mistakes first-timers to Arabic website localization tend to make…which you can now avoid!
BACK TO FRONT
Remember that Arabic reads from right to left. Arabic websites therefore are essentially flipped over or mirrored. This changes not only where the text sits on a page but everything else such as your logo, search functions, social button, images, etc. Everything needs to look and work as locals expect.
Look at the Arabic version of the BBC website and you will get the point. See the logo, social icons, search function and text placement – all in “opposite” places to where you would expect them on your English site.
What is important to remember is not making sure your CMS, such as Word Press or Joomla, can handle the Arabic language, but making sure that from a usability perspective, the website ticks all the boxes. The website has to look, feel and behave Arabic, not just be in the language.
WHICH ARABS?
Arabic is one language spoken, on the whole, by Arabs. However, as with English, Arabic is spoken across vast distances from Morocco to Yemen which means you get subtle variations in the language. Just as a Canadian, a Scotsman and an Indian would all speak and use English differently, so do Arabs.
Your website’s language needs careful planning. There is no point in targeting 18-30 year olds in the UAE with a translation written by a 50 year old in Cairo – it doesn’t wash. The language will come across as stuffy and it wont connect with the audience. Always think through who your audience is – are you going for the whole Arabic speaking region? One particular country? Or maybe a few, say Gulf countries like the UAE, Saudi and Qatar?
The translation strategy many adopt is to simply translate into what is known as MSA or Modern Standard Arabic. This is essentially the Arabic of print media; a standardised written Arabic. This is fine depending on what your website is about. If you are the BBC this works but if you selling houses, shoes or luxury travel, this is not the right sort of language to adopt. Would you sell your goods using BBC English?
RELIGION RULES
Despite Nietzsche’s assertions, God is not dead, at least in the Arab speaking world anyway. Religion is important and this has to be factored into the content you present as well as your image and values.
Whether Muslim, Christian or Jew, most Arabs are protective about their religion and are sensitive to anything that could be deemed irreligious. Identity, gender, sexuality and politics are but a few examples of delicate areas where very innocently, big mistakes can happen.
To add to this complexity is the sometimes very different views held from one country to another. Not so long ago the Hollywood Blockbuster ‘Noah’ was banned from the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain. Noah, or Nuh as he is known in Arabic, is considered to be Prophet of God by Muslims who felt that the film was blasphemous. Other Arab countries with Muslim populations however did show it.
Pay attention to your images as well as your content to ensure religious sensibilities are respected.
Don’t Translate it, Don’t Even Localize it – Arabize it!
If you are hoping to break into the Arabic speaking world online, take this one piece of advice. If you simply take your content and translate it, it is not going to be anywhere near as effective, or give the ROI you desire, unless you spend time on adapting your website for your audience.
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