Frequently asked questions.

Answers to common questions, grouped by topic. If yours is not here, send it with your files and we answer in the quote.

Where are you based?

Cardiff, United Kingdom, as part of Lingo Service Translations, working with clients worldwide.

Do you provide certified translations?

No. This studio does localisation and creative work only. For certified translations accepted by UK authorities, use Arabic Translation UK, the certified translation service of Lingo Service Translations, at arabictranslation.co.uk.

Prices and confidentiality

How is pricing calculated?

Per project: words for text, pages for layout work, minutes for video and voiceover. Upload your files on the quote page and you see a fixed price straight away, before any work starts.

Do our files stay confidential?

Yes. Every file is treated as confidential from the moment it arrives: we store it privately and share it only with the linguists and voice artists working on your project.

Which Arabic do you write?

Modern Standard Arabic by default, because every Arab market reads it. When a project needs to feel local we adapt to Gulf, Egyptian, Levantine and other regional voices, and we tell you when that is worth doing.

Can one course serve several Arab markets?

Usually yes: we write Modern Standard Arabic for pan-Arab training and flag the few points where a market-specific version is worth it.

Do you work inside our own system?

Usually yes. We work in most translation platforms and can accept string files from yours, or plain exports if that is easier for your team.

Can you review an Arabic site we already have?

Yes. We audit existing Arabic versions and report what reads badly, what breaks right-to-left layout, and what to fix first.

Do you handle right-to-left bugs too?

We report them precisely with screenshots and suggested fixes. If you want us to fix them in the code or the engine, ask: for web products we often can.

Can you match an existing glossary?

Yes, and if you do not have one we build a glossary during the first project so every later release stays consistent.

Video and voice

Male or female voices, and which accents?

Both, across Modern Standard Arabic and the main regional accents. You hear samples and choose the voice before we record.

Can you work from a video with no script?

Yes. We transcribe first, then translate, so you also get a clean source-language script out of the project.

Courses and e-learning

Do you deliver back into our LMS?

We deliver tested SCORM or xAPI packages that upload cleanly, and we can verify the course in your LMS with you before rollout.

Can you build a course rather than localise one?

Yes. Send a brief and source material and we script, record and build the course in Arabic from the start, delivered as a tested SCORM or xAPI package.

Layout and desktop publishing

Can you take DTP-only work?

Yes. If your Arabic text is already signed off, send it over and we take the layout stage on its own.

Our brand fonts have no Arabic version. What now?

We recommend an Arabic companion face that matches your brand's weight and personality, and document it so every future document stays consistent.

Marketing copy and brand names

How do we judge copy in a language we cannot read?

Every option comes with a plain back-translation and a one-line rationale, so you can approve the idea even without reading Arabic.

Can you localise brand names and taglines?

Yes, including checking that a name carries no unfortunate meaning in Arabic before you commit to it anywhere.

Have a question about Arabic?

Ask us. We reply within one working day.