I. 1001 Layers of Arabic
Understanding Arabic Localization goes beyond the general requirements and linguistic rules of the language. Arabic is a rich tapestry of history, culture, and literature. It can be abundant, with over 30 synonyms for “love”; economic, with one word replacing a whole sentence, like "فأسقيناكموه” (“then we give you [water] to drink”); complex, with its intricate system for case markers and verb conjugation; or simple, with all its constructs formed from a three-or four-consonant root.
Video game localization involves tailoring the game’s content to meet the cultural, linguistic, and technical standards of the target audience. The ultimate goal is to create an immersive, native experience for players while preserving the game’s original intent and charm. When localizing video games into Arabic, it's important to consider genre and target market. There are ca. 379.00 million Arabic speakers worldwide and 22 countries where Arabic is the official language, each with a different linguistic profile and local dialects. Arabic has multiple variants and registers that affect how the localization resonates with different demographics.
These include:
- Classical Arabic
- Modern Standard Arabic or MSA
- Colloquial Arabic (Regional dialects)
As a standardized variant, MSA is never the first acquired language, but rather learned through formal education. In the modern Arab world, diglossia (using at least one local dialect and MSA) and code-switching is a very common phenomenon. Failure to manage these linguistic layers can result in a subpar localization, as seen in several well-known game titles.
To have something more tailored to your needs, you need to carefully consider your localization requirements and target market. Do you want to make your content accessible for the whole region or are you targeting a specific market? Are you addressing a certain demographic?Does the source have characters with different dialects or accents that need domestication? Depending on the answer, you can opt for one of the following variants:
MSA
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or Modern Written Arabic, is the standardized Arabic variant that developed in the Arab world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While it shares the same grammar as Classical Arabic, the latter tends to be more ornate and poetic. Reforms and discussions around MSA are typically curated byindependent collectives for Arabic language, such as the Academy of Arabic Language in Cairo, Academy of Arabic Language in Cairo (Egypt) and occasionally discussed in the Arab League. It’s mostly used in formal contexts, e.g., official communications, media outlets, and publishing. Although it can be rather formal, production companies have often used toned-down versions of MSA in the dubbing of content made for children, especially anime and cartoon, since subtitles aren’t ideal for this age group (famous examples are Japanese anime “Captain Tsubasa”, “Mazinger Z”, and the French “L'Histoire de Babar”). Foreign media consumption among older age groups, however, has typically relied on MSA subtitling.
Egyptian Arabic
Egypt has an abundant media output, including movies, TV shows, and music. That’s why Egyptian Arabic can be widely understood in the region. There were some highly successful dubbing attempts of Disney movies into Egyptian Arabic, most notably Toy Story(1995)and Monsters, Inc. (2001), but Disney switched to MSA in 2014 for marketing purposes. While many consider it not optimal for historical
contexts, because of the various historical influences (Coptic, Turkish, etc.), there have been some cases where 'white Egyptian Arabic’ was used and has proven successful, such as the recent TV series Al Hashashin(2024), which portrayed the world of the Assassins sect set in the 11th century.
Gulf Arabic
“Gulf Arabic” is an umbrella term for a chain of dialects spoken in the Gulf region, such as KSA, Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, etc., and is also understood widely enough, but to a lesser extent than Egyptian. One of those variants can be the right choice if you’re targeting a specific market in the area, which make up a large part of the Arab player community.
Levantine
Levantine Arabic (shami) is the variety spoken primarily in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. Media production in this dialect has been on the rise over the past decades, most notably in the dubbing of Latin American and Turkish drama series, in addition to locally produced and regionally popular TV shows.
Maghrebi Arabic
Maghrebi Arabic is another dialect chain including variants like Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, Libyan, Hassaniya, and Saharan Arabic. This category might be less accessible than others due to stark differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, as well as the strong influence some foreign languages (such as French, Spanish and Italian) have had on some of these dialects. However, it covers a significant share of the Arabic speaking market.
White Arabic
A ‘neutral’ variant of any colloquial Arabic dialect, which dilutes visible markers of social or cultural differences in a regional dialect. This is often used in contemporary marketing and copywriting to make brands more accessible.
Since MSA isn’t typically used in daily interactions, it might feel stiff when used in modern or contemporary setups, such as pop culture, especially in voiced localizations. It is still used in such contexts, however, to make content accessible for more than one market. Text localization tends to always be done in MSA, because it is cost-effective and scalable – people from anywhere in the Arab world can work on it and it has a standard quality metric. Dialects, on the other hand, are more flexible and vibrant, and can perform better for dubbing and domestication purposes.
II. Case Studies: Lessons from Past Failures
1. Soulless Souls: Demon’s Souls Localization (2020)
The excitement surrounding the Arabic localization of Demon’s Souls quickly turned to disappointment when players encountered numerous translation errors. One infamous example can be seen in the image below:
This reads:
“If you were go get a mill [transliterated] white soul, you’d be able to continue.
110Rating Processes:”
The broken syntax and display issues are clearly the result of poorly implemented machine translation which received no post-editing or quality assurance. What really enraged players, more than the technical issues and the complete lack of polish, was its lack of “authenticity”; the soul of the game was lost. Souls games have a cadence to their writing all too familiar to the series fans, an aspect they felt was cynically cut in this simplified, low-register Arabic localization to target more players. This led many to stop playing the game in Arabic and switch to English instead. Even if not optimal, players preferred an authentic experience over full comprehension.
2. More Royal than the King: Elden Ring Fan Localization (2022)
In response to the cancellation of an official Arabic localization for Elden Ring, fans decided to create their own. However, the fan translation was overly complex, with terms like “المزقةالدوّارة” ("spinning shred") becoming the subject of memes due to its clunky and awkward formal phrasing.
While Elden Ring’s localization was grammatically sound and clearly done by native Arabic speakers who mastered the language, the excessive use of high-register Classical Arabic alienated a large part of the community. Focusing on creating authentic localization and ignoring other aspects like accessibility and user engagement overshadowed the genuine effort put into this fan translation.
III. Common Localization Pitfalls
1. Over-Complicating Language
One common pitfall in Arabic localization is over-complicating the language. For fantasy games, a high-register translation may seem appropriate but can alienate players. Games like The Witcher 3 managed to balance literary tone with accessibility.
2. Lack of Cultural Context
Localization goes beyond translating text. Failing to adapt cultural elements can lead to awkward or inappropriate translations, reducing player immersion. Without researching the target market, localized content can easily alienate, offend, or fall into the trap of self-censorship.
3. Poor Implementation
To avoid display issues, the special requirements of the Arabic script need to be considered in the game design and UX. This includes both right-to-left text support, bi-directional text support (e.g., for numbers or brand names that need to be kept in Latin script), cursive fonts, special characters support, and flexibility around variables and tags to accommodate the different syntax. Ideally, this needs to be considered before starting the localization process, but it’s often overlooked, especially for languages that don’t use Latin script.
IV. Best Practices for High-Quality Arabic Localization
Achieving high-quality Arabic localization requires a good understanding of language nuances, cultural contexts, and the needs of the target audience. Here are some best practices to ensure effective and impactful localization:
- Setting the tone: Successful Arabic localization requires identifying the intended tone and style tostrike the right balance between formal and informal variants. This depends on the genre, lore and target audience, and needs to be thoroughly researched and discussed with the stakeholders.
- Culturalization: Doing a sensitivity check for topics that may be perceived differently in the Arab region. This ranges from basic cultural items and tropes, such as food and colors, to cultural conceptsrelated to religion or politics. This helps create an authentic and immersive experience without offending the target audience or unnecessary self-censorship.
- Invest in playtesting: Testing localized content with native testers ensures a natural language flow and a correct implementation of special characters and right-to-left text. Working with experienced native speakers ensures that localization is accurate and culturally relevant.
- Check local content guidelines: It is crucial to consult local media guidelines to ensure compliance with age ratings and address sensitive topics appropriately, as this helps align the game with regional standards and avoids potential regulatory issues. This might vary from one market to another.
V. Conclusion
Arabic localization can be challenging if you go into it with the wrong assumptions about this vast, diverse market. With years of experience in Arabic video game localization, Altagram has consistently delivered engaging and culturally resonant gaming experiences to players across the Arab world, such as the Arabic localization of Ghostwire: Tokyo which has received overwhelmingly positive reviews. By researching this rich and versatile language, balancing registers, testing content, and working with native experts, game developers can provide an immersive, high-quality experience for Arabic players.