How to lay out a bilingual certificate in Arabic and English

A training centre in Dubai finishes a course with participants who read Arabic first, participants who read English first and many who read both. The certificate they take home will also be read by people who were never in the room: an HR team, a new manager, a client. A bilingual certificate, with Arabic and English on the same page, works for all of them with one document.

This guide covers the layout you will see on many certificates in the Gulf, what to put in each column and the details that tend to go wrong.

Why one certificate in two languages

The alternative is two certificates, one per language. That doubles the design work and the number of files, and it invites mismatches: a name corrected in the English version but not in the Arabic one, or a date that differs between the two. With one bilingual certificate there is a single document to issue, check and share.

It also suits how certificates are used. A participant can show the same certificate to an Arabic speaking manager or an international employer without hunting for the right version.

Arabic on the right, English on the left

Arabic is written from right to left. On a certificate with two columns, the usual arrangement in the region is the Arabic column on the right and the English column on the left. Each column reads in its own direction, and the two meet in the middle of the page.

A few principles make the layout work:

• Mirror the content. Put the same information at the same height in both columns. A reader should be able to look across from the English name and find the Arabic name on the same line.
• Keep shared elements in the centre. The logo, a seal, the signature and the QR code belong to both languages, so they work best in the middle or along the bottom.
• Balance the weight. Check the Arabic at the size it will actually be printed or viewed. Text that looks comfortable in Latin letters can feel small in Arabic script, so the Arabic side may need a slightly larger font to look equal.
• Use a proper Arabic font. The letters must join correctly and run right to left. If they appear separated or reversed, the software does not support Arabic text, and the certificate will look wrong to every Arabic reader.

What to put in each column

Most certificates carry the same set of elements. This is how they usually map across the two columns:

Names. Do not let software transliterate names automatically. A name like Mohammed can be spelled several ways in Latin letters, and the participant will care which one is used. Ask for the name in both scripts when people register, written the way they write it on their own official documents.

Course names. Translate the course title rather than transliterating it, so that it means something in both languages. Keep product and brand names such as Microsoft Excel or Power BI as they are, if that is how they are usually written.

Fixed text. The heading, the intro line, labels such as "Date" and the signer's role are the same on every certificate. Have them translated once by someone who writes Arabic well, and reuse them. Machine translation of a heading is a small saving that participants notice.

Dates and digits. Both Western digits (0 to 9) and Eastern Arabic digits are used in the region. Western digits in both columns keep dates and certificate numbers identical on each side, which makes the two easy to compare. Write the month as a word in each language so nobody has to guess whether the day or the month comes first.

Mistakes to avoid

• Different content in each column. If the English says "Advanced Excel" and the Arabic says something broader, a reader comparing the two will wonder which is right.
• Arabic running left to right. Arabic pasted into a tool that does not support it often comes out with letters disconnected or in the wrong order.
• Mixed punctuation. Arabic has its own comma (،) and question mark (؟). Use them in the Arabic column.
• A verification page in one language. If the certificate has a QR code, the page it opens should show the same two languages as the certificate.

How Diplino does it

In Diplino you pick a second language on a template, on a course or when you issue. Every certificate then shows both languages, and it is still one certificate, one PDF and one email per participant.

• The participant's name and the course name can be entered once per language, so the Arabic column can show the name in Arabic letters and the English column in Latin letters. When you upload a course as a CSV file, you can add a column for the name in the second language.
• The fixed text, such as the heading, the labels and the signer's role, appears in both languages automatically.
• Arabic sits on the right and reads right to left; the other language sits on the left.
• Numbers use Western digits, and dates use Arabic month names in the Arabic column.
• The verification page shows both languages. The email and the share image use the first language.
• It works in all three templates (Classic, Modern and Clean portrait) and is included on every plan, including Free.

Arabic and English is one pair; any two of the 13 languages Diplino issues certificates in can be combined. Each certificate also has its own verification page and QR code and is digitally signed, so anyone can check it without an account.

Try it before you set anything up

On the bilingual certificates page you can choose Arabic as the second language, type a name and course title in both languages and download a free sample PDF. No sign-up needed. When you are ready to issue for real, the Free plan includes 10 certificates, and paid plans start at 12 EUR a month billed annually.