Arabic Technical Translation

Updated: March 13, 2023

Have you ever purchased a new product or piece of software only to have the experience soured by a confusing user manual? The poor translation is often to blame. When it comes to Arabic technical translation, that is, converting manuals, data sheets, technical proposals, etc into crisp, professional Arabic presents a number of unique challenges. These include:

Missing or Non-Universal Technical Terms: Frequently there is no equivalent for certain technical terms in Arabic, or there is an “official” translation that is not widely adopted in practice. It’s critical to know which resources to consult, and which are out of date and to supplement this with real-world technical experience.
Industry Jargon & Country Differences: Frequently, engineers in the Arab world are used to seeing technical terms in English. Yet other readers may expect the terms to be presented using transliteration or in a bilingual fashion. It is important, then, to have a feel for the expectations of readers in specific Arab countries and fields.
Formatting & Design Requirements: Schematics, Patents, and similar documents, often contain complex diagrams and other graphical elements. These require keen attention to detail and must frequently be flipped to match Arabic’s right-to-left orientation.
Time Crunch: Technical translation is often performed under strict deadlines, such as proposal submission dates or product launch schedules. A language service provider, then, must be able to leverage a team of translators and editors to translate, edit, and layout the work in batches to ensure on-time completion.

How We Add Value to Arabic Technical Translation Projects

Deep Industry Expertise: Because we focus exclusively on the Arabic language, Industry Arabic recruits the best translators for your specific project. We have supported projects in the following industries:
- Architecture, Construction & Structural Engineering
- Aerospace & Defense
- Electrical engineering
- Software and IT
- Product regulatory standards
- Oil, gas, & renewable energy
- Water & Sanitation
- Telecommunication
Team Approach to Get Big Jobs Done Fast: When speed is critical, we use a team of translators, editors, and designers working in parallel. Our rush service can exceed 15,000 words per day of polished, technical translation.
Support for Multiple Technical File Types: These include (but are not limited to):
- MS Powerpoint and other Office Suite software
- PDF
- InDesign
- HTML
- XML
- Framemaker
- Transifex (for software localization)
Our Clients Love Us: Once a project is in progress, we sync up to the requirements of your internal team. Want to handle everything over email? No problem. Need us to work with your custom app or call schedule? We can do that too. Read the latest client reviews here.
Free & Fast Quotes: Want more information on a project? Just get in touch here. One of our project managers will follow up with a time & cost quote within minutes. Quotes and consultations are always free, whether or not you decide to work with Industry Arabic.

Technical Translation Case Studies

Telecom Technical Proposal. A leading telecommunications firm required urgent support for a proposal for a GCC-based government client. The text contained hundreds of technical terms from the telecom IT fields. We produced hundreds of pages of polished translation within days, using a custom glossary to stay aligned with the client’s team. Client feedback: “You guys did what everyone else said was impossible.”

Building Inspection Software: Industry Arabic overhauled the Arabic text of a new piece of construction engineering software. The app contained hundreds of technical terms for various architectural and structural engineering issues.

326,000 Word Technical Training Manual into Arabic. An international organization required a series of technical guides translated into Arabic. They included detailed instructions for hazardous materials identification and removal. By leveraging a team of nine translators and three editors simultaneously, we completed the document in under six weeks and received glowing client feedback.

More Resources

ARABTERM: This massive online dictionary was sponsored by the UN and contains up-to-date Arabic technical definitions across English, French, and German. Good coverage of the automotive, civil engineering, and IT fields.
Ahmed Khatib Technical dictionary: The gold standard of Arabic technical dictionaries, although a bit dated when it comes to IT-related terms.
The Industry Arabic Guide to Managing Massive Translation Projects: Outlines our “best practices” developed over handling several million words of polished translation.