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How to translate Arabic messages: writing to Arabic-speaking customers without Arabic

Arabic-speaking customers come from Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and beyond, and their questions usually arrive on WhatsApp. You can do business with them without speaking Arabic, as long as you know how right-to-left text, dialects and translation pitfalls work.

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Right-to-left: reading and replying

Arabic is written from right to left, and the letters join up inside a word. To understand an incoming message you do not need to read the script: copy it into a translator or translate it with one tap.

Replying is the hard part: with a Latin keyboard you cannot type an Arabic name or address. You need either a tool that translates your reply, or a keyboard with an Arabic layout. When a sentence mixes Arabic and Latin text (a product code, an email address), the order may look jumbled on your screen; it reads correctly on the other side.

Dialects: write in standard Arabic

Spoken Gulf, Iraqi, Egyptian and Levantine Arabic differ a lot. Translators usually produce Modern Standard Arabic, the written language understood in every Arab country, and that is the right choice for business.

If your customer writes in dialect, or in Latin letters with digits standing for sounds (“3” for ع, “7” for ح), translation can struggle. When a sentence makes no sense, a short question asking them to confirm is the safest fix.

Write sentences that translate well

Machine translation works best with short, clear sentences. Long sentences with several clauses are where meaning drifts.

A few rules that help:

  • One idea per sentence: “We send the quote today. Delivery takes ten days.”
  • Skip idioms; write “we will do this” instead of “we've got it covered”.
  • Make the subject explicit: Arabic verbs change with person and gender.
  • Avoid abbreviations: write “pieces”, not “pcs”.

Greetings and address

Arabic messages often open with a greeting: “as-salamu alaykum” is answered with “wa alaykum as-salam”. A line asking how they are before getting to business is polite; opening with the price can feel cold.

Address people by name and title, such as “Ustaz Ahmed” or “Doctor Layla”. Using the form they introduced themselves with is always safe.

Numbers, dates, the weekend and time

Some Arab countries, especially in the Gulf, use Eastern Arabic digits (٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩). Write prices and phone numbers clearly with the currency: “2,500 USD”, “SAR”, “AED”.

Write dates with the month name: “5 November” translates to the right month, while “05.11” can be read differently. In the Gulf the weekend is Friday and Saturday, and working hours are shorter during Ramadan. Always add the time zone when you give a time.

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