A law firm approached us with the requirement to translate their Polish website into Arabic. Given the firm’s legal content and the differences between Polish and Arabic, this project needed careful planning and execution.
Challenges and Solutions
1.Linguistic and Cultural Differences
Polish and Arabic have many linguistic differences, including grammatical structures, sentence formation and terminology, especially in legal contexts. To ensure accuracy and maintain the legal nuances in Arabic we had to work with native speaking professionals with experience in legal translation.
Solution:
- Translated by a native Arabic speaker with experience in legal texts.
- Reviewed by a second native Arabic speaker to ensure accuracy, clarity and legal terminology.
- Right-to-Left (RTL)- Formatting
Arabic is written from right to left (RTL), whereas Polish is left to right (LTR). This presented formatting challenges in text alignment, website navigation and UI elements.
Solution:
- The translation team worked closely with the web development team to ensure all text elements were correctly aligned for an Arabic speaking audience.
- Adjusted in WordPress to render the Arabic text correctly, smooth navigation and readability.
- WPML plugin settings were configured to handle the RTL layout.
- Technical Integration with WordPress
Since the website was built on WordPress, we needed a workflow for exporting, translating and reimporting content while preserving formatting.
Solution:
- Extracted as XLIFF files, a format that maintains both source and translated text, so structured translation.
- Translated using a CAT tool to ensure consistency in terminology and efficient handling of repetitions.
- Uploaded back to the WordPress site using the WPML plugin, so seamless integration.
- Final adjustments were made in the WordPress panel to fine tune formatting and visual presentation.
Execution and Workflow
Preparation:
Client provided access to the WordPress back-end
Translation & Review:
Native Arabic translator worked on the text using a CAT tool.
Second Arabic speaking legal expert reviewed the content for accuracy.
Technical Integration:
Translated XLIFF files were uploaded via the WPML plugin.
Website layout was adjusted for RTL script.
Final Quality Assurance:
Final review was done in the WordPress panel to ensure correct formatting.
User testing was done to verify site navigation and readability.
Results and Client Satisfaction
The Arabic content was accurate and legally correct.
Effortless Integration: WPML and XLIFF files made the process easy and consistent.
Conclusion
This case study shows the importance of a structured approach when translating websites, especially between languages with different scripts and directions. By working with native speaking professionals, CAT tools and WordPress plugins we delivered a high quality, fully functional Arabic version of a Polish law firm website. We have the expertise to handle technical and linguistic challenges and make the translation process smooth and efficient, and that’s how we build our reputation in the legal translation industry.