Arabic-English Interpreting Challenges, With Examples

Arabic into English: the verb arrives early

Formal Arabic often starts with the verb: أكّد معالي الوزير خلال الاجتماع أهمية تعزيز التعاون ("Stressed His Excellency the Minister during the meeting the importance of strengthening cooperation"). English needs the subject first. The subject usually follows the verb within a word or two, so wait for it and start: "The Minister stressed, during the meeting, the importance of stronger cooperation." Do not start with "It was stressed…" just to fill the silence; that passive sounds evasive.

English into Arabic: long noun phrases

English piles modifiers in front of the noun: "the newly appointed regional sales and marketing director". Arabic puts the head noun first: مدير المبيعات والتسويق الإقليمي المعيَّن حديثاً. In simultaneous you cannot start until you hear "director". Wait a little longer, or begin with a neutral opening such as أما or وفيما يخص while the phrase completes.

Long Arabic sentences

A formal Arabic speech may run one sentence over several clauses joined by و. In English, cut it into short sentences and add the real link: "and so", "while", "in addition". The meaning stays; the listener can follow.

Numbers are the most common source of interpreting errors in any pair, and Arabic adds its own traps:

Write every number down as you hear it, even in simultaneous; your booth partner can help by writing figures for you. When interpreting into Arabic, say the units first: 47 is سبعة وأربعون.

Arabic official speech uses titles that do not map one-to-one onto English.

• صاحب السمو / سمو → "His Highness", used for rulers and members of ruling families.
• معالي → "His/Her Excellency", used for ministers.
• سعادة → also "His/Her Excellency" in English, used for ambassadors and other senior officials.
• Into Arabic, "His Excellency" could be معالي or سعادة. You cannot guess; prepare the list of speakers and their titles before the event.
• Repetition: Arabic speeches may repeat a full title each time; English usually uses it once and then a shorter form. In consecutive you can shorten after the first mention; in court keep what was said.

Opening formulas

A formal Arabic speech often opens with بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. Interpret it ("In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"); dropping it changes the speech. Likewise the closing والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته can be rendered as "Peace be upon you, and God's mercy and blessings" or, in a business setting, simply "Thank you".

إن شاء الله

It can express a real intention ("We will sign next week, God willing") or polite non-commitment. Context decides. In a negotiation, "God willing" alone may hide that the speaker is not committing; render the words and let the listener judge, but do not turn it into a firm promise.

Thanks and blessings

يعطيك العافية said to a worker means roughly "thank you for your hard work"; الحمد لله in answer to "How are you?" is "Fine, thank God" or simply "I'm well".

Formal speeches are usually in MSA, but questions, testimony and conversation are often in dialect. The same idea can sound completely different: "now" is الحين in much of the Gulf, دلوقتي in Egypt, هلّق in the Levant and دابا in Morocco.

• Prepare for the speakers you expect. Listen to the dialect before the assignment if you are less familiar with it.
• Do not guess a dialect word. In court or at the police, ask for clarification. Interpreting into Arabic, use clear MSA or an educated register the listener understands.
• Keep the register. A witness who speaks informally should not sound like a lawyer in English, and an official who speaks in MSA should not sound casual.

Arabic marks gender and has a dual form; English often does not. "They agreed" may be اتفقا (two men), اتفقتا (two women), اتفقوا or اتفقن. "You" may be singular or plural, masculine or feminine. When interpreting into Arabic, you have to decide, and a wrong choice can confuse who did what. Use your notes and the context; in a hearing, ask if it is unclear. Into English, keep information the dual carries: اتفق الطرفان is "the two parties agreed", or "both parties agreed".

Arabic rhetoric often uses pairs of near-synonyms for emphasis. In conference interpreting one strong English word usually carries the meaning better than a literal pair. In legal settings, keep both words where each has its own legal meaning; see our article on legal terms machine translation gets wrong for more Arabic⇄English legal traps.

The languages order sentences differently, say numbers differently (Arabic puts units before tens), use titles and courtesy formulas that do not map one-to-one, mark gender and the dual, and Arabic speakers switch between dialect and Modern Standard Arabic.

Into English they wait briefly for the subject that follows the verb; into Arabic they wait for the head noun of a long English noun phrase, or start with a neutral opening. Cutting long sentences into short ones also helps.

Write each figure as you hear it, remembering that Arabic says units before tens (خمسة وعشرون = 25), that مليار means billion, and that dates in the Hijri calendar should be rendered as said, not converted.

Yes. Render it by context, for example "God willing" or "hopefully", without turning it into a firm promise or dropping it.

Interpreters must understand the dialect of the speaker. Into Arabic, most use clear MSA or an educated register the listener understands, and match the register of formal speakers.

Practise with real Arabic and English speeches and record yourself. Our consecutive interpreting course and conference interpreting course are built around Arabic and English speech.

Our consecutive interpreting course trains Arabic-English bilinguals in notes, memory, sight translation and delivery, and the conference interpreting course moves on to simultaneous interpreting. If you need interpreters rather than training, see our interpreting services or our court interpreters.

This article is general guidance on interpreting practice and training. It is not legal or medical advice. Professional codes, court rules and authority requirements change; check the current text of any code you rely on and confirm requirements with the court, hospital or authority concerned.

Tell us your background and the settings you interpret in, and ask which course fits. Smart World Legal Translation – Sole Proprietorship L.L.C. (SWLT) is a UAE Ministry of Justice-licensed legal translation company in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, led by Dr. Hani Elimam. Our federal accreditation is accepted across the UAE, including by Dubai Courts, and we hold exclusive interpretation contracts with the UAE Federal Courts and the Federal Public Prosecution. Our interpreting courses are led by Dr. Hani Elimam, a member of AIIC (the International Association of Conference Interpreters) and a UAE Ministry of Justice sworn translator, who holds a Master's in Interpreting and Translation from the American University of Sharjah and a PhD in Language and Management. Course fees, format and dates are confirmed on request before you enrol. The SWLT certificate of completion records your training; it is not a government licence or court accreditation. Message us on WhatsApp (+971 50 864 8439), email info@swlt.ae, or use our contact page.