Tomedes Delivers a Legal Document in Side-by-Side Arabic Overnight

About the Client

An enterprise technology company has worked with Tomedes for English to Arabic legal translation since 2020. Its legal files come back in a bilingual format, with English and Arabic side by side on the same page.

This order was placed in the afternoon and was due the next morning. It carried a rush flag and a fixed deadline.

Industry and Services

• Technology / Corporate Legal
• Side-by-Side Bilingual Legal Translation, Rush Order
• English to Arabic

What is a side-by-side bilingual legal translation?

A side-by-side bilingual legal translation puts the English text and the Arabic translation in two columns on the same page. Each English section sits next to its matching Arabic section. Lawyers and reviewers can check one against the other without switching files.

Arabic matters for legal work across the Gulf. In the UAE, for example, the official government portal says documents presented to courts must be in Arabic or translated by a legal translator approved by the Ministry of Justice. A file that goes to a court or authority may also need a certified translation, which is a separate service.

What is changing in Tomedes' English to Arabic orders?

Arabic work is getting more formal. According to Tomedes' order data, the English to Arabic share of orders roughly doubled over the last 90 days compared with the 90 days before. Legal documents are a bigger part of that growth. They made up about 28% of English to Arabic orders in the recent period, up from about 8%.

Rush work is a smaller part. Rush requests were about 16% of English to Arabic orders, down from about 33%. This order sits in that smaller group. It is a legal translation with a fixed morning deadline.

What does a side-by-side legal file demand?

1. Every section has to line up

The two languages do not use the same number of words or lines for the same clause. Alignment has to be built, not assumed. In earlier orders, this client asked for the Arabic to line up against the matching English sections.

2. Two text directions share one page

English reads left to right and Arabic reads right to left. The Arabic column needs right-to-left settings. Names, numbers, and dates inside the Arabic text need a check after layout, because mixed direction text can shift.

3. Defined terms must not change

Legal documents define a term once and reuse it. If one term is translated two ways in the same file, the reader has to ask whether two different things are meant. Each defined term needs one Arabic form every time.

4. The Arabic variety needs a decision

Legal Arabic is usually written in Modern Standard Arabic. Until this autumn, English to Arabic clients almost never named an Arabic variety. Recently, some began to ask for Gulf or Saudi Arabic. The sample is small, so Tomedes treats it as an early signal. This client did not name a variety.

Why Tomedes?

This order asked for a rush legal translation, a fixed layout, and a fixed deadline, from a client that has ordered English to Arabic legal work for years. Tomedes holds ISO 17100:2015 certification and draws on a network of 20,000+ certified translators across 270+ languages. Arabic translation services are part of that network.

The client has asked for this bilingual format repeatedly since 2024. The format is part of how this client reviews its legal files.

How was the overnight run set up?

• The deadline set the plan. The order was placed in the afternoon and was due the next morning, so the work was planned backward from that time.
• The layout was part of the brief. The order asked for a two-column file with English on the left and Arabic on the right. The format was known when the work was assigned.
• One translator took the whole document. A single translator keeps defined terms consistent across a long text.
• The client's standing instruction applies. For these bilingual legal files, the client asks for extensive internal quality checks and a strict deadline.
  

What did the client get?

The two-column file was delivered overnight, in time for the client's morning deadline.

The client has ordered the same bilingual format repeatedly since 2024.

Do you need legal files in English and Arabic on one page? Tomedes provides legal translation services and Arabic translation services. Contact Tomedes for a free quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a side-by-side bilingual translation?
A: A side-by-side bilingual translation shows the source text and the translation in two columns on the same page. Each section lines up with its match, so reviewers can compare both versions without switching files. It is common for contracts, policies, and terms that lawyers on both sides need to check.

Q: Which Arabic should a legal document use?
A: Legal documents are usually written in Modern Standard Arabic, the formal written form understood across Arabic-speaking countries. If the document is for one market, such as Saudi Arabia or the Gulf, tell the translator. Local legal terms and style can differ, so naming the market before work starts avoids rework.

Q: Can an English to Arabic legal translation be done overnight?
A: Often, depending on the length and complexity of the text. Set the deadline when you order, and send the final text, the layout you want, and any glossary at once. Changes to the source text after work starts can put an overnight deadline at risk.

Q: What should I send with a side-by-side legal translation order?
A: Send the final source file in an editable format, the layout you want, and any approved terms or past translations. Say who will read the file, and whether it goes to a court or authority. If it does, ask whether a certified translation is needed.

Q: How does a two-column file handle Arabic text direction?
A: Arabic reads right to left, so the Arabic column needs right-to-left text settings while the English column stays left to right. Names, numbers, and dates inside the Arabic text need checking after layout, because mixed direction text can shift. A final check of the file catches these before delivery.