The verdict in three sentences
Adding Arabic in RTL (right to left) to an EN/FR site is not a simple translation: you must mirror the entire interface logic, adapt typography and manage coherent trilingual editing. The realistic 2026 budget for an institution is 60,000 to 180,000 MAD (roughly 6,000 to 18,000 EUR), over 8 to 12 weeks. The RTL surcharge concentrates on interactive modules (menus, forms, dashboards), not on static content pages.
The RTL surcharge module by module
RTL does not double the overall budget, but some components require specific mirroring and testing. Here is the estimated surcharge per module.
| Module | EN/FR only cost | RTL surcharge (AR) | Total with AR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static content pages | 25,000 MAD | +6,000 MAD | 31,000 MAD |
| Navigation & menus | 12,000 MAD | +5,000 MAD | 17,000 MAD |
| Forms & search | 15,000 MAD | +7,000 MAD | 22,000 MAD |
| Tables & data figures | 10,000 MAD | +6,000 MAD | 16,000 MAD |
| Press area & documents | 14,000 MAD | +5,000 MAD | 19,000 MAD |
| Animated components (carousels) | 9,000 MAD | +8,000 MAD | 17,000 MAD |
| Indicative total | 85,000 MAD | +37,000 MAD | 122,000 MAD |
An institution with a dense site (reports, news, investor area) easily reaches 150,000 to 180,000 MAD. A lighter site stays around 60,000 to 90,000 MAD.
Arabic typography and editorial quality
Arabic typography is an underestimated item: fonts must support ligatures, Arabic-Indic or Western digits depending on context, and an adapted line height. Choosing a professional Arabic font (such as a modern Naskh family) and integrating it carefully makes the difference between a credible institutional rendering and a site that looks improvised. Budget 8,000 to 15,000 MAD for Arabic typography and layout work.
Trilingual editorial management
The core challenge is organisational: keeping three versions current. A news item published in English must exist in French and Arabic, otherwise the site loses its institutional credibility.
| Editorial approach | Setup cost | Recurring cost | Desync risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMS with validation workflow | 20,000-35,000 MAD | Moderate | Low |
| Outsourced rolling translation | 5,000 MAD | 400-600 MAD/page | Medium |
| In-house trilingual writing | 0 MAD | Staff time | High without process |
| AI reviewed by Arabic translator | 8,000 MAD | 150-250 MAD/page | Low to medium |
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A headless CMS with an editorial workflow (validation before publishing) is strongly recommended for an institution: it guarantees no version goes live unreviewed.
Mini case study
Ms El Amrani, communications director of a public institution in Dubai, launches an EN/FR/AR site with a press area, annual reports and news. She invests 138,000 MAD (about 13,800 EUR) over 10 weeks, including 37,000 MAD of RTL surcharge and a trilingual workflow CMS. Result: the site now serves 55 % of its audience in Arabic, Arabic-version visit duration climbs 40 %, and publishing a trilingual news item drops from 3 days to 4 hours thanks to the workflow. The editorial time saved amounts to about a hundred staff-hours per year.
FAQ
Does RTL double the site cost? No: the RTL surcharge is generally 30 to 45 % of the EN/FR budget, concentrated on interactive modules. Static content pages mainly need translation and typographic adjustment.
Can Arabic be added to an existing EN/FR site? Yes, but if the site was not built multilingual and RTL, templates and components often need reworking. It can be almost as costly as integrating from the start.
Which Arabic font to choose? A modern, screen-legible Naskh family supporting ligatures and a full glyph set. The licence and careful integration cost 8,000 to 15,000 MAD, an investment that lends credibility.
How to manage three versions without losing track? A CMS with an editorial workflow and per-language statuses lets you track what is translated, validated and published. It is the best protection against desynchronised versions.
What timeline should I plan? Expect 8 to 12 weeks: multilingual foundation design, RTL and typography integration, translation and trilingual QA. A dense institutional site sits at the top of the range.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your languages, modules (press, reports, forms) and editorial governance: we price the foundation, RTL and workflow. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
