Many videos made in Qatar need to work for Arabic and English speakers alike. Too often, the second language is treated as a translation job at the very end, and that is when the problems appear: subtitles that sit on top of graphics, a voice-over that runs longer than the pictures, on-screen text that breaks when the layout has to read from right to left.
Nearly all of these problems can be designed out at the start. This guide covers the decisions to make early, the details of subtitles, voice-over and graphics, and what to ask for at delivery.
Decide the approach before you write the script
Two versions, or one with subtitles
There are two main routes. The first is two separate language versions, each with its own voice-over, on-screen text and, if needed, its own edit. The second is one version in a primary language, with subtitles in the other. Some projects combine the two, for example one version that carries Arabic and English on-screen text and no narration.
Separate versions feel native to each audience, but they take longer and cost more. A single subtitled version is quicker and keeps one master file, but it asks viewers of the second language to read throughout. Where the video will be seen matters, too. A film on a screen at an event, or in a social media feed that plays without sound, needs text on screen whichever route you choose.
Four questions usually settle it.
- Where will the video be shown, and will it play with sound?
- Does either audience need to feel the film was made for them, rather than translated for them?
- How much time and budget is there for a second voice-over and a second set of graphics?
- Will the video be updated or re-cut later, which is simpler with one master file?
Choose the primary language by audience
Ask who the video is mainly for. A film for the public or for government stakeholders will often lead in Arabic; one for an international workforce may lead in English. The primary language decides who writes the script first, which language the on-camera speakers use and the rhythm of the edit, so settle it before anything else. If the video is part of a larger event, the same thinking applies to the whole programme; see our article on planning a bilingual event in Qatar.
Subtitles
Burned in or selectable
Burned-in subtitles are part of the picture. They always appear, which suits screens at events and feeds where viewers may not think to switch subtitles on, but each language needs its own video file and the text cannot be turned off. Selectable subtitles are separate files that the viewer switches on. One video can carry several languages, and assistive technology can read the text, but not every player or platform supports them. For many projects, the answer is both.
If accessibility matters, as it should for any film aimed at the public, ask for captions that also describe important sounds, such as music or applause, not only speech.
Right-to-left rendering
Arabic subtitles must run from right to left, with the letters properly joined. Software that handles Arabic badly produces disconnected letters, punctuation at the wrong end of the line, and English words or numbers out of order within a sentence. Test the subtitle files on the actual player or platform before final delivery, not only in the editing software.
Fonts
Choose a typeface with a well-drawn Arabic design rather than relying on a fallback font, and pair it with a Latin typeface of similar weight and character. Arabic often needs a slightly larger size to read as clearly as English at the same distance. Avoid thin weights over busy footage, and use a subtle outline or a semi-transparent box behind the text when the background is bright.
Line length and reading speed
Keep each subtitle to two lines at most, short enough to take in at a glance. The same sentence can be noticeably longer or shorter in Arabic than in English, so subtitles are a condensed version of what is said, not a full transcript. The test is simple: can a viewer read each subtitle comfortably and still watch the picture? If not, shorten the text rather than rushing the timing.
Timing
Each subtitle should appear as the speaker starts and leave as they finish, and should avoid running across a cut where possible. Timing is best checked by a native speaker of each language, who can hear where a sentence naturally breaks.
Voice-over
Native voices and a matching tone
Cast a native speaker for each language. For Arabic, choose between Modern Standard Arabic and the Qatari dialect according to the audience and the tone: standard Arabic suits formal and institutional films, while dialect can feel warmer for social and community content. Then make the two voices sound like the same organisation. Cast them together, direct them against the same pictures and aim for the same energy, warmth and pace.
Adapt the script rather than translating it
A literal translation reads like a translation. Idioms, humour, sentence length and calls to action rarely carry across word for word. Ask a native writer to adapt the script so that it sounds as if it was written in that language, while keeping the key messages identical. Then have someone check both scripts side by side for meaning.
Allow for timing differences
The Arabic and English readings of the same script rarely come out at the same length. Plan the edit with room to breathe: hold some shots a little longer, and avoid narration from the first frame to the last. Record the voice-overs before the edit is locked, so the picture can be adjusted to each one, rather than squeezing a voice into a fixed cut. Book the voice artists with a possible second session in mind, because a review often changes a line or two.
The lip-sync problem
Dubbing someone who speaks on camera rarely works, because viewers see that the mouth does not match the words. Better options are to subtitle on-camera speakers, to use voice-over only where no one is speaking to camera, to film bilingual speakers in each language, or to keep the original voice faintly audible beneath the translation, so viewers understand what they are hearing.
On-screen text and graphics
Graphics are where bilingual projects most often break, because a layout designed for English does not simply flip. Plan for both directions from the first design.
- Layouts: design templates in both directions, with text areas that mirror cleanly and do not cover faces or products when reversed. Animated text should enter and read in the direction of its language.
- Lower thirds: decide whether each version has its own name captions, or one version carries both languages, one above the other. Keep the position consistent and allow room for long titles.
- Names and titles: get the correct spelling from each person, in both languages, and approve a names list before anything is animated. Transliterations vary, so never guess.
- Numbers: decide which numeral forms the Arabic version will use and apply them consistently. Check dates, phone numbers and ranges, which can reorder themselves inside right-to-left text.
Film interviews in each language separately
If an interviewee is comfortable in both languages, record their answers in each language as separate takes, with the question asked in the same language. Ask them not to switch languages in the middle of an answer, because a mixed answer cannot be cleanly subtitled or cut. This takes considerably longer, so plan the schedule accordingly. If they are comfortable in only one language, let them speak it and subtitle the other version. Our guide to filming interviews covers sound, light and setting.
Review with native speakers, twice
Build two native-speaker reviews into the schedule for each language.
- At the script stage, before anything is recorded. Changing a word in a document costs nothing; changing it in a recorded voice-over or a finished animation costs time.
- At the final stage, on the finished video, watched on the kind of device where it will be seen. The reviewer checks subtitle timing, spelling, broken or reversed text, names and titles, and every word in the graphics.
The deliverables list
Agree the deliverables in writing before production starts, so that nothing is missing when you need it.
- The final versions, whether Arabic, English or bilingual, with and without burned-in subtitles as agreed.
- Subtitle files for each language, in the formats your platforms accept.
- A clean version without on-screen text or subtitles, for future edits.
- Separate audio tracks for voice, music and effects, so the film can be re-voiced later.
- Landscape, vertical and square versions, where the video will be used on social media.
- The final scripts and the approved names list, in both languages.
Working in two languages from the start is far easier than fitting the second one in at the end. If you are planning a video for Arabic and English audiences, see how ARZO's multimedia team approaches bilingual production, or request a proposal and tell us who you need to reach.
