Writing in Arabic
The North voice in Arabic
In Arabic, North sounds the way it does in English: clear, calm, precise and human. The words are different; the character is the same.
Our Arabic is Modern Standard Arabic (الفصحى), written for clarity rather than ornament. Short sentences, common words, the active voice, and one idea at a time. Formal where the reader expects it, never stiff.
Language and tone
| Context | Language | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| Government correspondence and proposals | Formal MSA | Respectful, precise, with correct titles |
| Product UI and documentation | Plain MSA | Brief, direct, neutral |
| Marketing and web | Plain MSA | Confident, warm, concrete |
| Social media | Plain MSA; Emirati dialect only in local campaigns, written by a native Emirati writer | Conversational, one idea |
| Internal communication | Plain MSA or English | Friendly, direct |
Transcreate, don't translate
Write for the Arabic reader
- Start from the message, not the English sentence. Rewrite headlines and taglines from scratch.
- Arabic sentences are often structured differently: verb first, longer clauses. Let them be.
- Drop English idioms and puns; find an Arabic way to make the point, or say it plainly.
- Don't borrow English words where good Arabic terms exist; use the glossary below.
Yes
ذكاء سيادي تهتدي به.
No
ذكاء سيادي يمكنك أن توجه بواسطته.
Tagline: “Sovereign intelligence you can steer by.” The second is a literal translation: grammatical, but not how anyone would say it.
Addressing people
- Use the correct honorific for officials, as protocol requires: سمو (His/Her Highness), معالي (ministers), سعادة (undersecretaries, directors general, ambassadors). Check each title with the recipient's office.
- Formal letters open with تحية طيبة وبعد، and close with وتفضلوا بقبول فائق الاحترام والتقدير،.
- In formal and marketing copy, address readers in the plural (أنتم), which is polite and gender-neutral.
- In product UI, avoid gendered verbs: use verbal nouns for buttons and labels (see below).
Product UI copy
Verbal nouns keep the interface neutral
Arabic verbs change with the gender and number of the person addressed. Buttons, menu items and labels use the verbal noun (المصدر) instead, which is neutral and short.
- Keep the action's name through the flow: إرسال → تم الإرسال.
- Errors say what happened and how to fix it, without blame or apology.
- Product and feature names stay in Latin script, isolated as LTR runs.
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| Save | حفظ |
| Send | إرسال |
| Cancel | إلغاء |
| Approve | اعتماد |
| Review and send | مراجعة وإرسال |
| Download | تنزيل |
| Sign in | تسجيل الدخول |
| Next | التالي |
| Back | رجوع |
| Search | بحث |
| Message | Arabic |
|---|---|
| Couldn't reach NorthStar Admiral Server. Check your network, then try again. | تعذّر الوصول إلى NorthStar Admiral Server. تحقق من الشبكة، ثم أعد المحاولة. |
| Mai wants to send 3 emails. | يطلب Mai إرسال 3 رسائل بريد إلكتروني. |
| Licence expires in 9 days. | ينتهي الترخيص خلال 9 أيام. |
Arabic glossary
Use these terms consistently. When a new term is needed, agree it with the brand team and add it here.
| English | Arabic | Note |
|---|---|---|
| artificial intelligence (AI) | الذكاء الاصطناعي | |
| AI agent | وكيل ذكاء اصطناعي | Short form: وكيل ذكي |
| model | نموذج | Plural: نماذج |
| large language model | نموذج لغوي كبير | |
| sovereign AI | ذكاء اصطناعي سيادي | |
| on-premises | داخل المقر | Adjective: محلي where space is short |
| data residency | توطين البيانات | |
| cloud | السحابة | Adjective: سحابي |
| inference | الاستدلال | |
| licence | ترخيص | |
| sign in | تسجيل الدخول | |
| user | مستخدم | |
| administrator | مسؤول النظام | |
| dashboard | لوحة المعلومات | |
| approval | اعتماد | Also موافقة in conversational UI |
| review | مراجعة | |
| encryption | تشفير | |
| confidential | سري | |
| classified | مصنّف | |
| analysis | تحليل | |
| brief | موجز | Briefing (meeting): إحاطة |
| workflow | سير العمل | |
| module | وحدة | |
| audit trail | سجل التدقيق | |
| gateway | بوابة | |
| settings | الإعدادات | |
| download | تنزيل | |
| install | تثبيت |
Translation workflow
- Brief. Share the English source, the audience, the purpose and this page with the Arabic writer.
- Transcreate. A native Arabic writer produces the Arabic version, using the glossary and the naming rules.
- Review. A second native speaker checks meaning, grammar, titles and terminology.
- Lay out. The designer sets the Arabic in a mirrored layout with the Arabic type scale.
- Proof. The reviewer checks the final layout: line breaks, punctuation, isolated Latin runs and numerals.
Dos and don'ts
Do
- Write in clear Modern Standard Arabic.
- Use correct honorifics and protocol.
- Use verbal nouns in UI.
- Follow the glossary.
- Have every text reviewed by a second native speaker.
Don't
- Machine-translate and publish.
- Use dialect in formal or product content.
- Address officials without their title.
- Mix terms for the same thing in one document.
- Translate product or feature names in UI.
Last updated on 14 October 2026