Right-to-left (RTL) languages
Right-to-left (RTL) languages are written and read from right to left, as opposed to left to right. Common RTL languages include Arabic, Hebrew, Persian (Farsi) and Urdu. Supporting RTL languages requires specific localization and design considerations to ensure text and interfaces display correctly.
Description
Localizing for RTL languages involves more than text direction – it affects layout, alignment, punctuation and visual hierarchy. User interfaces (UX) must be mirrored, so navigation elements, icons and text boxes appear naturally for right-to-left readers.
Technical challenges can include bidirectional text (mixing RTL and LTR scripts), character encoding and alignment issues in software or web frameworks. Proper support depends on compatible file formats, fonts and testing processes. At RWS, RTL localization is handled through Trados, Language Weaver and specialized engineering workflows. Our teams ensure every UI, document and digital experience is linguistically accurate, functionally correct and visually optimized for RTL audiences.