The whole document layout will have to be mirrored (flipped horizontally) to match the requirements of languages read right to left.Įverything located on the right portion of the document will have to be placed on the left. The problem with directions is not only limited to the text. This is because creating content for languages read right to left can be a recipe for disaster for individuals unaware of the differences.Īny material produced for markets where content is read right to left will not only require translation, but also a localization process to ensure correct and natural text flow for the consumers.ĭo you need help with your translations? Contact us! What extra measures should be taken for languages read right to left? Knowing the text directionality can be important for authors and web designers. Why is the writing system of a language so important? Japanese also uses the traditional tategaki ('vertical writing') style which, similarly to Traditional Chinese, is read right to left and down the columns. In modern times, however, left-to-right horizontal Chinese has become more popular. For example, Traditional Chinese is written in vertical columns which are read from top to bottom the first column being on the right side of the page and the last column being on the left. Some languages can be written with more than one writing system. Hebrew is an example of a language read right to left Do some languages have more than one direction?Īmong the most popular languages read right to left, we can list Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and Hebrew. This brings us to our question: which languages are read right to left ? However, not all scripts share the same writing direction.

This is why left to right is the predominant writing paradigm for Western languages. The reason for Latin and Greek being read left to right is not particularly well known, but an important theory is that the medium of writing strongly influenced the direction of the text. Many modern languages, especially in the Western world, originated from Latin and Greek.

Why does hebrew read right to left