Arabic Game Localization
Arabic game localization for mobile, PC and console titles. Native linguists who play the genre translate every string, then native testers check shaping, mirroring and context in the right-to-left build.
- Languages
- 19
- Languages
- Vetted Native Linguists
- 700+
- Vetted Native Linguists
- Localization Tasks / Year
- 100K+
- Localization Tasks / Year
- Founded
- 2016
- Founded
El Turco provides Arabic game localization services for game publishers, developers and language service providers. Native Arabic linguists translate in-game text, UI, narrative and store pages under ISO 17100 before native testers play the right-to-left build. Project management runs from our production office in Istanbul and headquarters in London, with pre-release builds handled under NDA and ISO/IEC 27001.
Arabic is one of the harder launch languages for a game team. The script runs right to left, letters join and change shape, the player is addressed in a gendered form and item counts need six plural forms. We work first for studios and publishers that own the title and second for LSPs that need an Arabic game team inside their own workflow.
Shared workflow: Translation & Localization and Gaming & Esports.
Scope
What does Arabic game localization cover?
In-game text and UI
Menus, HUD labels, tutorials, tooltips, item names and system messages, translated within the character limits of each field and with every variable kept intact.
Narrative and dialogue
Quest text, character dialogue and lore, written in a register that fits each character. Subtitle text is translated to fit the timing already set in the files. El Turco does not offer voice-over recording.
Store pages and launch copy
App Store and Google Play listings, Steam and console store pages, patch notes, social posts and trailer text, with Arabic keyword research for each store.
Culturalization review
A pass over names, symbols, humor, maps, religious references, alcohol and gambling-style mechanics, with a note on each item that may need a change for Arabic markets.
In-build LQA
Native Arabic testers play the build and log shaping, mirroring, truncation, context and consistency issues with screenshots and a suggested fix.
Arabic specifics
What makes Arabic different for game localization?
Engine shaping and right-to-left text
Many engine text systems do not shape Arabic out of the box, so letters show up disconnected and in reverse order. Mixed lines with Latin hero names or numbers also need bidirectional support. A test file of Arabic strings goes into the first build so rendering problems surface before full translation.
Fonts and line height
Bitmap and custom fonts often lack Arabic glyphs and joined forms such as lam-alif. Arabic also needs more vertical space, so fixed-height dialog boxes and buttons clip text that fits in English.
What to mirror in the HUD
Menus, inventory grids and navigation usually flip to right to left. The game world, minimaps, timelines and the direction of play in a side-scroller usually do not. We agree a mirroring list with the UI team.
Gendered address to the player
Second-person Arabic verbs, pronouns and adjectives take a masculine or feminine form. Strings that speak to the player need a default gender, gendered variants tied to the character choice or wording that avoids direct address.
Plurals, numbers and digits
Item counts and rewards need the six CLDR plural forms: zero, one, two, few, many and other. The team also decides between Western and Eastern Arabic digits for scores, timers and prices per locale.
Register and dialect
Modern Standard Arabic suits fantasy, strategy and story-driven titles and reads well across markets. Casual, social and esports content often reads better with Gulf or Egyptian wording. Hero and item names are kept, translated or transliterated by an agreed rule.
Process
How we run an Arabic game localization project
Turnaround is agreed at scoping, with a 24-hour option for small urgent updates.
Step 1
Scoping
We review the string count, engine, file formats, target markets and release date. We then agree register, gender approach, digit style and LQA scope. The pilot is free.
Step 2
Glossary and style guide
Character names, item terms, UI terms and transliteration rules go into a shared glossary. Any required platform terminology goes into the style guide before translation starts.
Step 3
TEP translation
A native Arabic game linguist translates, a second linguist edits against the glossary and a proofreader signs off, following ISO 17100. Large item and loot databases can run as MTPE under ISO 18587 when your team agrees it fits.
Step 4
What's Wrong? QA
Every delivery passes through What's Wrong?, our own QA tool, which checks placeholders, tags, length limits, terminology and numbers before files return to the build.
Step 5
In-build LQA and fixes
Native Arabic testers play through the agreed platforms, file each bug with a screenshot and close it only after checking the fix in a later build.
Step 6
Updates and live ops
New strings for patches, events and seasons arrive through your TMS or Hub, our in-house middleware. Each update reuses the Arabic translation memory. Turnaround is agreed at scoping, with a 24-hour option for small urgent updates.
Industries
Who buys Arabic game localization?
Industry
Gaming & Esports
Mobile, PC and console publishers and studios launching in Arabic markets, plus LSPs that need native Arabic game linguists and LQA testers under their own brand.
Industry
Technology & IT
Game platforms, launchers and companion apps with Arabic account, payment and support flows that need the same right-to-left testing.
Related
Language page
Arabic translation and localization
Modern Standard Arabic and regional dialects for software, games, e-commerce and finance, with RTL testing and Arabic AI training data.
Same language
Arabic E-Commerce Localization
Arabic product catalogs, right-to-left storefronts, checkout and campaigns for Gulf, Egyptian and wider Arabic markets, with MTPE for volume.
Same language
Arabic Software Localization
Arabic UI strings, right-to-left layout review, help content and release notes, delivered through continuous localization for SaaS and enterprise software.
Same language
Arabic AI Training Data
Arabic speech collection, transcription, text annotation, RLHF and MT corpora across MSA and the major dialects, labeled by native speakers.
Same service
Turkish Game Localization
In-game text, UI, store pages and LQA in Turkish, by native linguists in Istanbul who play the genres they translate.
Same service
Persian Game Localization
Persian in-game text, right-to-left UI, store pages and in-build LQA for mobile, PC and console titles, in formal or colloquial Farsi.
FAQ
Arabic game localization FAQ
Should an Arabic game use Modern Standard Arabic or a dialect?
Modern Standard Arabic is the safe default for most games because players across all Arabic markets read MSA comfortably. A dialect suits casual, social and esports titles aimed at one region, often Gulf or Egyptian Arabic. El Turco sets the register for each title at scoping and writes it into the Arabic style guide, which linguists and LQA testers both follow.
Does El Turco test the Arabic build or only translate the strings?
El Turco both translates the Arabic strings and tests the Arabic build. In-build LQA is part of Arabic game localization: native testers play the right-to-left version and check letter shaping, mirrored menus, bidirectional lines with Latin names, truncation, digits and context. Every bug report carries a screenshot and a proposed correction. The tester verifies each correction in the following build.
Why do Arabic letters appear broken or reversed in our game?
Broken or reversed Arabic letters usually mean the engine text system is not shaping Arabic or not handling right-to-left order. The fix is an Arabic-capable font with joined forms and a text component or plugin that supports shaping and bidirectional text. El Turco flags rendering problems on the first build so your team can fix them before full translation.
How do you handle gender when the game speaks to the player?
Arabic second-person strings change for a male or female player, so El Turco plans gender handling during scoping. Options are a default gender, gendered string variants linked to the character selection or neutral wording that avoids direct address. The chosen approach goes into the style guide and LQA testers check that each variant appears in the right place.
Can LSPs outsource Arabic game localization to El Turco?
El Turco takes Arabic game translation, editing and LQA from LSPs on a white-label basis, delivered under the LSP brand. The Arabic team works inside RWS Trados, memoQ, Phrase or XTM and applies the end client style guide. An LSP can send a free 300-word test translation before the first Arabic project. Pricing is per-word, hourly or project-based, quoted after scoping.
How do we start an Arabic game localization project?
An Arabic game localization project starts with the contact form. Share the string count, engine, target markets, platforms and release date. El Turco answers with a proposed scope for translation, culturalization, store copy and right-to-left LQA. Publishers and studios can ask for a free pilot first. Every build and script is covered by NDA and our ISO/IEC 27001 information security controls.
Ready to Scope Arabic Game Localization?
Share the content type, volume and timeline for a scoped plan. A free pilot comes first if you want proof before committing. Pricing is per-word, hourly or project-based, quoted after scoping.