English 
Arabic 
Thinking of expanding your WordPress website‘s reach to the Arabic-speaking world? That’s a fantastic goal! However, tackling the shift from a left-to-right language like English to the right-to-left script of Arabic can bring its own set of unique layout challenges. Getting the text to flow correctly, aligning elements appropriately, and ensuring a visually appealing experience for your Arabic-speaking audience is crucial. While it might seem daunting at first, we’re here to simplify the process. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to seamlessly translate your English WordPress website into Arabic and master those all-important RTL (right-to-left) layouts, making your site accessible and engaging for a whole new audience.
Here’s how we’re going to make translating your English WordPress website to Arabic and setting up those all-important RTL layouts a breeze:
Step 1: Find an RTL-Friendly Theme
When you’re planning to display languages that read from right to left, like Arabic, starting with a theme that inherently supports RTL is a smart move. While you can force any theme to go RTL, themes built with RTL in mind often handle things like menu alignment, text flow, and layout of elements much more smoothly right out of the box. This can save you a lot of tweaking down the line. Keep an eye out for themes specifically labeled as “RTL supported” when you’re browsing the WordPress theme directory or other theme marketplaces. These themes often come with built-in styles that adapt well to both LTR (like English) and RTL languages.
Step 2: Install WordPress and Your Chosen Theme, Then Add Your English Content
If you haven’t already, go ahead and install your WordPress site. Once that’s up and running, install the RTL-friendly theme you’ve selected. Now is the time to populate your website with your original content in English. Get all your pages, posts, and other text in place. This will be your starting point for the translation process.
Step 3: Making Arabic Your Second Language
To handle the translation efficiently, we’re going to leverage a fantastic plugin called TranslatePress. This plugin allows you to translate your entire WordPress site directly from the front-end, making the process visual and intuitive. Here’s how to get started:
1. Install TranslatePress: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New. Search for “TranslatePress” and install and activate the plugin.
2. Configure TranslatePress: Once activated, navigate to TranslatePress in your WordPress menu, then click on Settings.
3. Choose Your Languages: Under the General tab, in the Default Language dropdown, select English. Then, in the Choose translation languages section, select Arabic from the dropdown menu and click Add. You can also reorder the languages as needed.
4. Start Translating: Now, you can start translating your content. On the front-end of your website, you should see a new option (usually a floating button or in the admin bar when logged in) that says Translate Page. Click on this.
5. Translate Elements: The TranslatePress interface will open, showing your website on one side and translation fields on the other. Simply click on any text element on your page, and its English version will appear in the sidebar. You can then type in the Arabic translation. TranslatePress saves your translations automatically as you go.
6. RTL Settings (Usually Automatic): Because you’ve chosen Arabic as a language and (ideally) an RTL-supported theme, TranslatePress often automatically handles the basic RTL layout adjustments. You might notice the text direction flipping and some basic alignment changes.
Step 4: Fine-Tuning RTL with CSS (Arabic Specific)
While an RTL-supported theme and TranslatePress will get you a long way, you might encounter some elements that aren’t perfectly aligned or spaced in the Arabic layout. This is where a little CSS magic comes in handy, and importantly, we’ll make sure these changes only apply to the Arabic version.
If you’re comfortable with CSS, you can directly inspect elements in your browser and write custom CSS rules to adjust their positioning, margins, padding, and other properties. To ensure these styles only affect the Arabic version, you’ll need to prefix your CSS rules with a language-specific class. TranslatePress often adds either a .rtl class to the <body> tag or a language-specific class like .translatepress-ar. Inspect your website’s Arabic version to see which class is being used. Your CSS rules should look something like this:
body.rtl .your-element-class {
/* Your RTL-specific CSS adjustments */
margin-right: 10px;
padding-left: 5px;
/* ... other adjustments ... */
}
/* OR */
.translatepress-ar .your-element-class {
/* Your RTL-specific CSS adjustments */
margin-right: 10px;
padding-left: 5px;
/* ... other adjustments ... */
}
Replace .your-element-class with the actual CSS class of the element you want to modify.
Step 5: Using AI (Like Gemini or ChatGPT) to Generate CSS (Arabic Specific)
If you’re not a CSS expert, don’t worry! AI tools like Gemini or ChatGPT can be incredibly helpful in generating the CSS you need, making sure it only impacts your Arabic layout. Here’s the process:
1. Give the Element a Class: As before, give the element you want to adjust a unique CSS class (e.g., rtl-button-fix).
2. Save and Inspect the Arabic Version: Save your changes and open the Arabic version of the specific page on your website in a new tab.
3. Inspect the Element: Right-click on the element and select Inspect (or Inspect Element).
4. Copy CSS Properties: Copy the relevant CSS code for that element from the developer tools.
5. Ask the AI (Specify Arabic Only): Now, when you ask Gemini or ChatGPT, be sure to include that the CSS should only target the Arabic version. For example: “Here is the CSS for a button on my website: [pasted CSS code]. In the Arabic (RTL) version (which has a body.rtl class), it’s slightly misaligned to the left. How can I adjust the CSS to move it 10 pixels to the right, making sure the change only applies to the Arabic layout?” or “Here is the CSS for a button: [pasted CSS code]. My Arabic version uses the class .translatepress-ar. How can I adjust the CSS to move it 10 pixels to the right, ensuring this only
affects the Arabic layout?”
6. Get the CSS (with RTL Specificity): The AI should provide you with CSS that includes the .rtl or .translatepress-ar prefix. For example:
body.rtl .rtl-button-fix {
margin-right: 10px;
}
or
.translatepress-ar .rtl-button-fix {
margin-right: 10px;
}
7. Paste into Additional CSS: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS. Paste the CSS code provided by the AI here.
8. Adjust Accordingly: Check your website’s Arabic version and tweak the values as needed.
By explicitly using the .rtl or .translatepress-ar (or whichever class TranslatePress uses for Arabic) prefix in your CSS rules, you ensure that your layout adjustments are specific to the Arabic version of your site, maintaining the intended look for your English content.
Translate WordPress to Arabic easily! Step-by-step guide covers RTL themes, TranslatePress, and CSS tips for perfect Arabic layout. Need help or want us to create a website for you? Contact Ageance
