Test an Arabic interface and bidirectional text

Estimated reading time : 3 min · Published October 5, 2026

Declare language and direction separately

lang identifies language; dir identifies text direction. Check both at document level on an Arabic page. Do not reverse characters in stored data: the browser handles bidirectional presentation using text and markup.

Inventory affected components: menu, breadcrumbs, buttons, cards, tables, fields and errors. Logical CSS properties such as margin-inline and padding-inline help adaptation. Applying right alignment globally does not solve reading order or mixed scripts.

Isolate names, URLs and numbers

A Latin name in Arabic text can displace surrounding parentheses or punctuation when its directional context is ambiguous. Set an appropriate dir on a fragment with known direction; consider bdi or dir=auto for dynamic content of unknown direction. Check the result across browsers.

Create demonstration data combining an Arabic name, a French company, a URL, an email and an international number. Copy values from the interface and compare them with the original text. Directional handling must not reverse a phone number or change the address actually used by a link.

Test actions and reading order

Navigate the form by keyboard, trigger an error and correct it. Check labels, error announcements and retained input. An email field may need left-to-right direction inside an RTL form; validate the choice with a person who uses the language.

Visual mirroring must not change logical document order. Check tables, lists and navigation with a screen reader. Logos, photographs and symbols without directional meaning do not automatically need mirroring. Check previous and next arrows against the localised journey.

Have the entire journey reviewed

Ask an Arabic-speaking reviewer to test main pages, search, filters, no-result states and confirmations. Check the font, diacritics, wrapping, zoom and long strings. A homepage screenshot cannot validate every component.

Retain a component–data–action–result grid and connect each defect with its correction. Repeat it after resource names, forms or shared components change. Editorial translation, bidirectional presentation and accessibility require complementary review.

Reference documents

Content updated on October 5, 2026

Record checks and findings in the acceptance log

Acceptance matrix to adapt to your project

These proposed checks use synthetic cases. Decide the required behaviour with the team, record the result and assign unresolved gaps before release.

Test cases, expected outcomes and useful evidence
Case	Expected outcome	Evidence to retain
Arabic page	Language and direction are declared.	Document attributes and presentation.
Mixed data	Emails, phones and names remain exact.	Copied text and link destination.
Form	Keyboard, input and errors remain usable.	Observed journey using test data.
Review	An Arabic-speaking person validates actions and meaning.	Component grid and corrections.

Frequently asked questions

Does lang=ar automatically make a page RTL?

No. Language and direction are distinct. Declare appropriate direction with dir and check fragments using other scripts.

Should every visual be mirrored?

No. Check directional journey elements while retaining the meaning of photographs, logos and other symbols without navigation direction.

Does correct display prove that text is stored correctly?

Presentation may conceal an ordering error or unexpected directional characters. Test copying, searching and links with mixed values and compare the underlying content.