Best Arabic Translation Agencies in Saudi Arabia

Saudi shoppers search, browse and buy in Arabic. A store that speaks their kind of Arabic feels local from the first tap.

That's a big prize. Saudi Arabia is the largest ecommerce market in the Gulf, and new online stores keep registering every quarter.

The catch? "Arabic" isn't one thing. Saudi wording differs from the Gulf Arabic used in Dubai, and official documents need a certified office.

Both are easy to get right with the right brief and the right office. Provider types, workflows and rates for the whole region live in our guide to Arabic translation agencies in the Middle East.

Do you need Arabic translation to sell in Saudi Arabia?

Yes, for almost every seller. Saudi Arabia is Arabic-first, unlike the UAE, where English-only stores can still do well.

Here's where Arabic pays off in the Kingdom:

• Your storefront. Make Arabic the default for Saudi visitors, with English as an option. A rough split of 70% Arabic and 30% English content is a sensible start.
• Marketplace listings. Most Saudi product searches on Amazon.sa and noon are typed in Arabic.
• Labels and packaging. Consumer goods need Arabic labels, alone or next to English.
• Ads and social. Snapchat and TikTok are huge here, and they run on dialect copy.

Not sure how much of your store to translate first? Start with titles, checkout and your 20 best sellers. Our guide to Saudi product pages shows what shoppers check before they buy.

Saudi Arabic vs Gulf Arabic: what to tell your translator

Write Saudi listings in clear Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), then swap in the words Saudis actually type. Those words often differ from the Gulf Arabic of the UAE and Kuwait.

Here's why. Gulf (Khaleeji) Arabic is native to the Eastern Province, but most Saudis speak other dialects. The "white" Saudi accent used in ads leans towards Riyadh speech.

So a "Gulf Arabic" translator from Dubai can miss the words Saudis type. Lock three Saudi decisions in your brief before any work starts:

• Saudi nouns. جوال for a phone, for example, where UAE shoppers search هاتف.
• Saudi ad voice. Snapchat and TikTok scripts in Saudi dialect (وش, not the Emirati شو), written by a Saudi native rather than translated.
• Western digits. Code and apps set to the ar-SA locale show Eastern Arabic digits (١٢٣) by default, while ar-AE shows Western ones (123). Ask for Western digits in prices and specs.

The full Gulf word list, the register for each part of a page and a translator brief you can copy are in our guide to Arabic product descriptions. The digit fix for developers is in RTL design for Arabic stores.

How does certified translation work in Saudi Arabia?

Official documents need a certified translation office (مكتب ترجمة معتمد). Authorities and banks accept its stamp, not a marketing agency's.

Translation offices in the Kingdom work under a government activity licence, listed as a service on the national portal, my.gov.sa. The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission also runs a certified translator programme.

You'll need certified Arabic for documents such as:

• MISA and CR files. Your parent company's registration, articles and accounts.
• Bank onboarding. Powers of attorney, board resolutions and shareholder papers.
• Trademarks and contracts. Distribution deals and brand registration.

Here's the usual order:

1

Apostille the originals

Get an apostille in the country that issued each document, before anything is translated.

2

Book a certified office in the Kingdom

Send scans for a quote. Ask for the licence number and whether the office works from your source language.

3

Review names and numbers

Check company names, passport numbers and capital figures against the original. Typos here can stall MISA or the bank.

4

Collect the stamped translation

Keep the stamped Arabic copy with the apostilled original. Most authorities want both.

Setting up a company? Your adviser usually books the translation for you. Compare company formation consultants in Saudi Arabia, or read the MISA registration guide for the full document list.

What does Arabic translation cost in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi projects are priced at the regional rates in our Arabic translation cost guide. Many providers quote in USD, and the riyal is pegged at SAR 3.75 to the dollar.

Certified documents are priced separately, usually per page or per document. A Saudi VAT-registered provider adds 15% VAT to its invoice.

Worked example: launching a Saudi Shopify store

Say you're opening an Arabic-first Saudi store with 120 products of about 150 words each. You also want 30 Snapchat ad variants in Saudi dialect.

The ads are under 10% of the words but a quarter of the bill. That's fine, because they're the copy shoppers see first.

Certified translation of your company documents sits outside this budget. Get that quote from a licensed office.

Arabic translation providers in Saudi Arabia

These three providers say they serve Saudi clients. They were independently researched and appear in no particular order. The "Best for" line is our summary, and the bullets are what each company says about itself.

Need a certified document office instead? Ask your company formation adviser for the office they use, or pick one that shows its translation licence number on its website and invoices.

What should you ask a Saudi translation provider?

These questions test whether a provider writes for Saudi shoppers. Ask them in writing:

Notes for sellers who also target the UAE

• Keep one MSA base. Your descriptions and specs can serve both markets.
• Split titles and ads. Saudi and Emirati shoppers search with different words, so adapt those per country.
• Translate into English with care too. Most UAE residents are expats, so your English copy needs the same attention as your Arabic.
• Keep your glossary bilingual. Brand terms, sizes and product names should match across both stores and every marketplace.
• Legal rules differ. UAE legal translation uses the Ministry of Justice register. See Arabic translation agencies in the UAE.

Notes for Chinese sellers

• Apostille in China first. Since 7 November 2023, Chinese documents need only an apostille for Saudi use, not embassy legalisation.
• Translate Chinese to Arabic directly. Ask the certified office whether it works from Chinese or needs an English version. For listings, Ulatus says it has offices in Beijing and Kuwait.
• Add packaging copy to the job. Saudi labels need Arabic, so translate them with your listings.

For the full route, see selling in Saudi Arabia from China.

Get Arabic translation quotes for Saudi Arabia

Share your content and word count once. We'll match you with providers that fit your catalogue, dialect needs and budget.