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Setup026 steps

Arabic ↔ English translation workflow

You'll end up with: Translate documents between Arabic and English that read naturally and keep your terms consistent

Machine translation gets you 80% of the way. This workflow adds the other 20%: a glossary, an AI review for tone and meaning, and a final read by you.

PersonalJob seekersSmall businessStudents
Level
Beginner
Setup time
20 min
Monthly cost
Free to $25/mo

Tools you'll use

Monthly, for the whole setup. Most people can start on the free tiers.

  • DeepL

    Fast first draft, and keeps Word and PDF formatting.

    Free · paid from $10.49/mo
  • Claude

    Reviews tone, meaning and terminology against your glossary.

    Free · paid from $20/mo
  • ChatGPT

    A second opinion on tricky sentences.

    Free · paid from $20/mo
  • What it costsFree to $25/mo

We're still checking the prices and steps in this setup. Confirm on each tool's official site before you pay.

0 of 6 steps done

  1. Decide who it's for

    Write one line: who will read this, and what tone they expect. A CV for a Gulf employer, a legal letter and a WhatsApp message to family need very different Arabic.

    Check it worked: You can say in one sentence who the reader is.

  2. Make a short glossary

    List names, job titles, product names and technical terms with the exact translation you want. This is what keeps a long document consistent.

    Copy-ready prompt
    Read this text and list every name, title and technical term that needs a consistent translation into [Arabic/English]. Give a table: term, suggested translation, note. Flag any term with more than one common translation.

[paste text]

    In this step

    Claude · Careful writing help and long-document reading.

    Check it worked: Every proper name has exactly one spelling in your glossary.

  3. Get a first draft with DeepL

    Paste the text, or upload the whole Word or PDF file to keep its layout. Set the source and target languages yourself instead of relying on auto-detect.

    In this step

    DeepL · Translations that read like a person wrote them.

    Check it worked: You have a full draft, with the original layout intact.

  4. Review it with your glossary

    Give Claude the original, the draft, your glossary and your one-line reader description.

    Copy-ready prompt
    Review this translation. Reader: [your one line]. 1) Fix anything that changes the meaning. 2) Apply my glossary exactly. 3) Make it read naturally for this reader (for Arabic: Modern Standard Arabic unless I say otherwise). Return the corrected translation, then a short list of what you changed and why.

Glossary: [paste]
Original: [paste]
Draft: [paste]

    In this step

    Claude · Careful writing help and long-document reading.

    Check it worked: The change list explains every edit, and none of them surprise you.

  5. Back-translate the important parts

    For anything that matters (prices, dates, obligations, medical or legal wording), translate the result back into the original language in a new chat and compare. Differences point to problems.

    Copy-ready prompt
    Translate this into [original language] as literally as possible. Don't improve it.

[paste the important paragraph]

    In this step

    ChatGPT · Drafts, explains and brainstorms with you.

    Check it worked: Numbers, dates and names match the original exactly.

  6. Do a final read yourself

    Read it once out loud. In Word, check the paragraph direction (right-to-left for Arabic) and that numbers and English names display correctly. For official documents, use a certified translator: AI is not a substitute.

    Check it worked: It sounds like something a person wrote.

When it breaks

The Arabic is too formal or too literal

Say who the reader is and give an example sentence in the tone you want. Ask for "natural Modern Standard Arabic" or name the dialect if it's informal.

Punctuation and numbers are in the wrong place in Word

Select the paragraph and set it to right-to-left. Mixed English words inside Arabic sentences are normal; the direction setting fixes the order.

Names are spelled differently in different places

Add them to the glossary and ask: "Apply this glossary and list every place you changed."

Prices change often and can differ by country. Always check the official site before you pay.

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NotebookLM · Claude · Anki · iLovePDF