Arabic Translation: Unlocking the Beauty of the Arabic Language

April 27, 2023

Arabic Translation

You might’ve heard how tough Arabic is for English speakers, which makes Arabic translation a tricky part of every language learner’s journey. Still, you may also be blown away by its beauty and richness of expression, which is why it’s time to learn a few tips to keep in mind when translating content to and from Arabic.

Tip 1: Pay Attention to the Gender of Words When Translating to Arabic

One of the things that many language learners struggle with is gendered nouns, and just like French and Spanish, Arabic nouns can either be male or female. Of course, you need to memorize which words are male and which are female because this also affects the entire sentence and even the whole paragraph. This isn’t usually an issue when translating from Arabic to English, but you should pay extra attention when going from English to Arabic. Say you’ll be translating the word “chair,” which is a male noun in Arabic. If you mistakenly write it in female form and structure your sentence accordingly, that will have a huge impact on your accuracy, resulting in a poor-quality translation. That’s why you should double-check whether a certain word should be in the male or female form before translating your sentences. Thankfully, you can easily get your answer if you aren’t sure by searching the web or using an automatic translator for individual words.

Tip 2: Memorize Arabic Plural Words and Their Different Versions

Another important thing to watch out for is how to write nouns in the plural form. In English, this couldn’t be simpler, as you only add an “s” to the end of words to pluralize them. However, in Arabic, it isn’t that easy. Most male and female nouns follow certain rules when writing them in plural form. In fact, male nouns have two plural forms depending on their position in the sentence, whether they’re the subject or object. However, many nouns don’t follow any rules, and their plural forms are irregular. These require memorization in order to accurately translate them. Plus, in Arabic, a noun can be three things (when it comes to numbers): Singular, dual, and plural. For example, here are the three forms for the word “teacher (male):”

Teacher: معلم
Two teachers: معلمان
Three (or more) teachers: معلمون or معلمين

On the other hand, here’s how to pluralize the female version of “teacher:”

Teacher: معلمة
Two teachers: معلمتان
Three (or more) teachers: معلمات

Tip 3: Don’t Be Literal in Your Arabic Translations

Next, remember that word-for-word translations, especially English-Arabic translations, usually sound awkward. This is because Arabic is a more elaborate language, not to mention that it’s much richer and more poetic than English. As a result, you may often come across an entire sentence or several words that will translate best to two or three words in English. If you try to translate Arabic to English literally, your text may end up very wordy or even too fancy for the occasion. Other times, the opposite is true. Many Arabic words don’t have an equivalent in English, which will require you to try to capture their meaning in several English words. It’s best to convey the idea with words and expressions that work well with the context.

Tip 4: If Not Translating Formal Arabic (Fus-ha), Make Sure to Always Know the Content’s Dialect

You probably know that each Arabic-speaking country has its own version of Arabic. Unless you’re translating Modern Standard Arabic (which is the same in all countries and is only used in professional letters, the news, newspapers, and most formal settings), you need to learn the dialect of the country you’ll be translating content for. This is especially important if you’re translating a blog post or an ad that targets a specific audience in a certain Arabic-speaking country. If you use words or expressions that Saudi people use in, say, Syria or Egypt, they won’t resonate with the audience in question. People will definitely understand it, but it’ll be very clear that it’s been written by an outsider or foreigner.

Tip 5: Make Sure the English Piece You Want to Translate Is Clear and Straightforward

Sometimes, the English piece you want to translate will just not work in Arabic no matter how you look at it. If the resulting translation sounds awkward, unnatural, or forced, you may need to rewrite the original piece in a clearer way. By avoiding filler words and redundant phrases, you can get your point across more effectively. Also, it’s best not to translate jokes (especially puns), from English to Arabic and vice versa. They won’t make any sense and will only weaken the text you’re translating.

FAQ

Will the length of text change in Arabic-to-English translations?

Yes. You can expect a huge difference in your word count when translating from Arabic to English and the other way around. In most cases, the Arabic text ends up being much shorter than the English source. The main reason for this is that many Arabic pronouns are merged into their accompanying nouns, so you’re left with fewer words. For example, in English, you write, “Her pencil,” whereas, in Arabic, it’s one word: قلمها.

How to translate dates within Arabic Text?

Unlike English, Arabic spells out dates within a paragraph. For instance, March 31st would be: الواحد وثلاثون من مارس. Literally, that would be: “The thirty-first of March.”

What are some of the best tools for Arabic translations?

While nothing can replace the human touch in this regard, some apps and tools can still offer you good aid in your Arabic translations. Such great options include:

Google Translate
Arabic Verb Conjugator
Reverso Translate and Learn
Babel Dictionary & Translator
Arabic Dictionary – Dict Box
Microsoft Translator
English-Arabic Translator

In Conclusion

Arabic translation is intimidating for everyone, but following a few guidelines can help increase your accuracy. We hope our tips will allow you to bridge that gap to end up with high-quality translated pieces that show confidence and professionalism!