Arabic translation from the UAE, for work that has to read well
Thaer Hasan is an Arabisation and Arabic communications specialist based in the United Arab Emirates who translates English into Arabic for corporate, marketing, website, executive and professional communication, and who adapts, rewrites or writes directly in Arabic when close translation would not carry the meaning. This is editorial and commercial work, not certified legal, court or visa translation.
Translation is one treatment among several. Choosing the right one, section by section, is what separates Arabic that reads naturally from Arabic that is merely accurate.
What this work is
English-to-Arabic translation carried out by someone who decides, section by section, whether translation is actually the right treatment.
Most Arabic requests arrive described as translation, and often that is exactly what they need. A product page, a policy document, a report summary or a set of event details usually carries into Arabic cleanly, and the job is to render it accurately in Arabic that reads as if it were written for the reader rather than converted for them.
Some content behaves differently. A headline built on English wordplay, an executive byline arguing to an English readership, or a homepage written around English sentence rhythm will not survive a faithful rendering. In those cases the same brief needs adaptation, restructuring or original Arabic writing, and saying so at the start saves a round of revisions later.
Working from the UAE means the Arabic is written with Gulf readers, Gulf media and Gulf corporate convention in mind: how titles and entity names are handled, which register suits which audience, and how formal a piece needs to sound to be taken seriously.
What it covers
Translation sits inside a wider practice rather than beside it. A single engagement can move between translating, adapting and writing in Arabic without changing hands, which is what keeps terminology and voice steady across a project.
Typical scope
- Corporate documents, announcements, profiles and report narratives
- Websites, landing pages, interface text and metadata
- Marketing and campaign material, including scripts and subtitles
- Press releases, op-eds, executive bylines and thought leadership
- Internal communications, policies and employee-facing content
- Review and correction of existing or AI-generated Arabic
What it is not
This is not certified translation. No legal certification, court submission or government attestation service is offered here.
Certified translation is a separate regulated activity covering documents such as contracts filed with courts, personal certificates, immigration and visa paperwork and material requiring an official stamp. If that is what a document needs, a certified legal translator is the correct route and it is better to say so plainly than to take the work.
Everything described on this page is commercial and editorial: content that has to persuade, explain, announce or represent an organisation in Arabic.
When translation is enough, and when it is not
Close translation is the right treatment when the meaning, structure and voice of the English can travel intact. Informational, procedural and factual content usually qualifies, and translating it closely is faster, cheaper and more accurate than rebuilding it.
Adaptation or rewriting becomes necessary when the effect of the original depends on something Arabic cannot inherit: wordplay, cultural shorthand, an argument aimed at a different readership, or a structure built for English scanning habits. The principle applied throughout is the least intervention that makes the communication work in Arabic.
Signals that translation alone will fall short
- The line only works because of English rhythm or a pun
- The argument assumes knowledge a Gulf reader would not share
- The source is already weak, dated or internally inconsistent
- Several agencies produced the English at different times
- The Arabic will be published under a named executive
How Thaer works
A project begins with a short brief: what the content is, who it is for, where it appears and what it should achieve. Terminology, names, titles and register are then fixed before drafting, so the same decisions hold across every page and every piece.
Drafting follows the treatment agreed for each section, and a final editorial pass reads the whole project together rather than file by file. Where several options are useful, particularly for headlines or campaign lines, a short note explains the reasoning so the team can choose with confidence.
Projects are quoted individually once the scope is clear. Word counts say little on their own, because a short line can take longer to get right than several pages of straightforward copy.
Who it is for
Organisations, agencies, executives and professionals in the UAE and the wider Gulf, as well as companies elsewhere producing Arabic for Gulf audiences. Projects run remotely, from a single Arabic press release to an entire website or launch.
Common questions
Tell me what needs to work in Arabic
Describe the content, the audience and the deadline, and you will get a straight answer on whether it needs translation, adaptation or original Arabic writing.