Africa, Asia and the Middle East
Arabic translation and interpreting services
Certified Arabic translation in Modern Standard Arabic, the shared written standard, and Arabic interpreters matched to the spoken dialect of the person in front of you, for government agencies, healthcare, courts, schools, and employers.
Arabic, in its own words
العربية
يولد جميع الناس أحراراً متساوين في الكرامة والحقوق
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
One letter, four shapes
Arabic letters join, and most change shape with their place in a word. Here is the letter ʿayn in each of its four positions, as the Unicode Standard defines them.
- عOn its ownIsolated form (Unicode U+FEC9)
- عـStart of a wordInitial form (U+FECB)
- ـعـMiddle of a wordMedial form (U+FECC)
- ـعEnd of a wordFinal form (U+FECA)
The text stores ʿayn as one character; the software that displays it picks the shape by looking at the letters around it. Layout tools without Arabic shaping show every letter in its isolated form, unjoined, and the result is hard to read. That is why we proof Arabic in the final PDF, form, or web page, not only in the word processor.
What good Arabic translation takes
الفصحى
Standard Arabic on the page, dialect in the room
Documents, media, and law use Modern Standard Arabic, so one written translation serves readers from Morocco to Iraq. Speech is different: spoken dialects are only partly intelligible with each other, so an interpreter must match the client’s variety, such as Egyptian, Levantine, Iraqi, or Sudanese Arabic.
ادو
Right-to-left layout
Arabic runs right to left, and most letters join and change shape inside a word; six letters, including ا, د, and و, never join the letter after them. Forms, PDFs, and web pages need a mirrored layout and fonts that connect letters correctly, while embedded numbers, codes, and English names must still read in the right order. Proof the final file, not only the text.
١٢٣٤٥٦
Vowels and digits
Everyday Arabic omits most short vowels, so readers rely on context; materials for early readers or learners may need them written in. Agree up front on digits: most of North Africa uses the Western digits English uses, while Eastern Arabic digits are common in the Middle East.
عمرخيام
One name, many spellings
Arabic has no single English romanization. The poet known in English as Omar Khayyam is Omar Chajjam in German, and everyday names vary the same way: Mohammed, Muhammad, or Mohamed. A certified translation should follow the spelling on the person’s passport or earlier U.S. records and keep it identical on every page.
Arabic translation services
Our Arabic translators work into and out of English and other languages, following an ISO 17100 process: translation by a qualified linguist, then revision by a second linguist before delivery. Certified translations include a signed statement of accuracy, and files move through our encrypted client portal.
What we translate in Arabic
- Birth, marriage, and death certificates
- Diplomas, transcripts, and immigration documents
- Contracts, court filings, and legal evidence
- Medical records and patient materials
- Technical manuals and safety documents
- Websites, software, and training content
Arabic interpreters
Our Arabic interpreters work in person, by phone, and by video, in consecutive and simultaneous modes. We match each assignment to the setting, with court-certified or credentialed interpreters where the work requires them, send briefing materials ahead so interpreters arrive prepared, and assign a team for long or simultaneous sessions. Every Arabic interpreter is background-checked and bound by a confidentiality agreement.
Arabic in the United States
1 in 3 Arabic speakers in the United States speak English less than “very well.”[1] source
- Speakers at home
- 1.48 million people age 5 and older speak Arabic at home (1,484,439 in 2024)[1] source
- Limited English
- 513,293 of them, about 35 percent, speak English less than “very well”[1] source
- Rank
- Fifth among languages other than English spoken at home, after Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, and Vietnamese[2] source
- Largest communities
- California (223,882 speakers) and Michigan (190,833), then New York and Texas (about 127,000 each)[1] source
- Dialect not recorded
- In the 2017–2021 detailed tables, 1,257,000 of 1,305,000 speakers were recorded simply as “Arabic”, so Census data cannot tell you which dialect your audience speaks[3] source
- Official status
- Modern Standard Arabic is an official language of every Arab League country, and Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations[5] source
Arabic in Colorado
Our headquarters is in Aurora, in the Denver metro area, so we schedule on-site Arabic interpreters across Colorado and nationwide.
- Colorado
- About 10,700 Coloradans speak Arabic at home[11] source
- Denver metro
- About 9,300 Arabic speakers live in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area[11] source
More Arabic services
Dialect-matched Arabic interpreting
On-site, phone, or video interpreters matched to the speaker’s country and dialect, with advance booking for less common varieties.
Arabic simultaneous interpreting and equipment
Interpreters plus receivers, headsets, and booths for conferences, delegations, and community meetings.
Right-to-left layout and localization
Arabic desktop publishing, software, and e-learning with mirrored layouts, correctly joined letters, and numbers that read in the right order.
Our Arabic work
Selected Arabic projects for our clients.
- County human services agenciesOn-site, phone, and video Arabic interpreting.
- Eye care practicesOn-site Arabic interpreting.
- Child advocacy centersOn-site Arabic interpreting.
- Federal contractorsSimultaneous Arabic interpreting.
- Defense Security Cooperation AgencyArabic simultaneous interpreting, with Dari and Russian, at a 10-day conference with 12 interpretation booths.
- Mile High OncologyOn-site Arabic medical interpreters for patients.
Why agencies choose us for Arabic
Our Arabic team carries the credentials courts, hospitals, and agencies ask for.
Court-certified interpreters
Arabic interpreters certified by the Colorado Judicial Branch, for hearings, depositions, and attorney–client meetings.
CCHI-certified medical interpreters
Medical interpreters nationally certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, which offers a language-specific credential in Arabic.
ATA-certified translators
Arabic translators certified by the American Translators Association.
Who relies on our Arabic linguists
Healthcare
Consent forms, discharge instructions, and patient education in Modern Standard Arabic, plus interpreters matched to the patient’s dialect.
Courts and legal
Certified translation of evidence and filings, and Arabic interpreters for hearings, depositions, and attorney meetings.
Schools
Enrollment packets, report cards, and special-education documents for Arabic-speaking families, and interpreters for parent conferences.
Government agencies
Language access notices, benefit forms, and outreach for Arabic-speaking residents.
Immigration documents
Certified translations of civil records, diplomas, and court documents issued across the Arab world for USCIS filings.
Websites and apps
Right-to-left localization of sites and portals, with mirrored navigation and tested Arabic fonts.
Arabic translation and interpreting FAQs
Which Arabic dialect should our translation use?
For written materials, Modern Standard Arabic, which educated readers across the Arab world share. Dialect matters for audio, video, and campaigns aimed at one community, where a familiar spoken variety connects better. Tell us who the audience is and we recommend the register.
Can one Arabic interpreter understand every Arabic speaker?
Not reliably. Spoken dialects are only partly intelligible with each other, and the gap widens under stress or with technical vocabulary. Tell us the person’s country and, if known, region, and we match an interpreter who works in that dialect.
Will Arabic display correctly in our forms and website?
It will when the layout is built for right-to-left text and the fonts join letters properly. When we produce the layout, we proof it in the final file and check numbers, dates, and English terms embedded in the Arabic.
Do you provide certified Arabic translation?
Yes. Certified Arabic translations include a signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate, the format courts, schools, and immigration authorities such as USCIS require.
How much does Arabic translation cost?
Price depends on the word count, subject matter, deadline, and whether you need certification. Send your files for a fixed quote and delivery date, with no obligation.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, Table C16001: Language spoken at home for the population 5 years and over (national and state) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, Table B16001: Language spoken at home by ability to speak English (national) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau, Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English, 2017–2021 ACS (Table 1, United States) (opens in a new tab)
- United Nations, Official languages (opens in a new tab)
- Modern Standard Arabic (opens in a new tab)
- Arabic alphabet (opens in a new tab)
- Romanization of Arabic (opens in a new tab)
- OHCHR, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Arabic translation (opens in a new tab)
- Unicode Character Database, UnicodeData.txt (Arabic letter ain and its isolated, initial, medial, and final forms, U+0639 and U+FEC9–U+FECC; Arabic-Indic digits U+0660–U+0669) (opens in a new tab)
- Unicode Consortium, FAQ: Arabic (contextual shaping and presentation forms) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, Table B16001: Colorado and the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area (opens in a new tab)
Tell us what’s at stake. We’ll show you how we’d handle it.
Send your files or describe your event. A language specialist replies with a fixed quote and a delivery date, with no obligation.
Prefer to call? 720-325-0459