The verdict in three sentences
A successful trilingual corporate site is not just translated pages: the Arabic version needs a full mirrored layout, proper typography and content reviewed by a professional translator. In Dubai in 2026, a group site with 5 subsidiary sub-sites costs a ballpark 350,000 to 750,000 AED (about 95,000 to 205,000 USD), with 15 to 25 % for RTL integration. Plan 4 to 5 months and 3,000 to 8,000 AED of monthly hosting, and have your own teams sign off the Arabic before launch.
What real RTL involves
The head of communications of a UAE industrial group, active in cement, carton packaging and logistics, notices that the Arabic version of the current site is a translation dropped into a left-to-right layout. Menus are half reversed, numbers render oddly and arrow icons point the wrong way.
Full RTL integration relies on the dir="rtl" attribute, logical CSS properties (start and end instead of left and right), mirrored carousels, breadcrumbs and directional icons, and a readable Arabic typeface such as Noto Kufi Arabic, IBM Plex Sans Arabic or Tajawal. Tables, charts and forms must also be tested in Arabic.
Decide on number format (Western or Eastern Arabic numerals), how Latin brand names appear inside Arabic text, and date formats. These choices are made in workshops with leadership before design starts.
| RTL element | What to do | Share of RTL budget (ballpark) |
|---|---|---|
| Mirrored layout | Logical CSS, dir="rtl" across the structure | 30 % |
| Arabic typography | Dedicated font, line height, weights | 10 % |
| Interactive components | Reversed carousels, menus, tabs | 20 % |
| Tables and charts | Column order, axes, legends | 15 % |
| Forms | Mixed Arabic and Latin input, validation | 10 % |
| QA on devices and browsers | iOS, Android, Chrome, Safari tests | 15 % |
Group and subsidiary architecture
The group wants a corporate site (strategy, governance, ESG, investors, careers) and 5 subsidiary sub-sites (two cement plants, a packaging plant, a haulage company, a logistics hub in JAFZA). Each subsidiary keeps a visual identity derived from the group brand, its products and sales contacts, while sharing one CMS.
A headless CMS with an approval workflow lets each subsidiary submit news that group communications then validates. Professional Arabic translation is priced per word, and sensitive content (governance, ESG report) gets a double review.
| Project item | Ballpark 2026 (AED excl. VAT) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy, group and subsidiary architecture | 30,000 to 60,000 | Leadership workshops |
| Design system and brand variants | 60,000 to 130,000 | Variants per subsidiary |
| Development and CMS with workflow | 110,000 to 202,500 | Multi-level approval |
| Full RTL integration | 52,500 to 187,500 | 15 to 25 % of the budget |
| 5 subsidiary sub-sites | 55,000 to 95,000 | Shared templates |
| Professional Arabic and English translation | 25,000 to 40,000 | About 40,000 words |
| QA, security, launch | 17,500 to 35,000 | Audit and load testing |
| Total indicative | 350,000 to 750,000 | 4 to 5 months |
Managed hosting with CDN, backups and monitoring runs about 3,000 to 8,000 AED per month depending on traffic. At Kolonell, group websites belong to the institutional practice and are always priced on quote after scoping; languages are set in the quote. See /en/services/institutional.
Before briefing an agency, gather three inputs: the list of subsidiaries with their brand assets, a word count of the existing content per language, and the names of the people who approve Arabic copy. With these ready, scoping takes about two weeks, and the translation budget can be fixed early instead of growing during the project.
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Layla Al Mansoori, head of group communications, has a budget of 520,000 AED. RTL integration takes 20 %, or 104,000 AED. Without it, the team would fix each Arabic page by hand after publication: 6 hours a week for one communications officer, about 300 hours a year.
At 250 AED per loaded hour, that is 75,000 AED a year of fixes, plus a damaged image with regional partners and government stakeholders. The RTL investment pays back in about 17 months, and the group can then publish releases in all 3 languages on the same day.
FAQ
Can machine translation handle the Arabic version?
It can produce a first draft, but governance and ESG content must be reviewed by a professional translator. Expect 0.30 to 0.60 AED per word for corporate-grade quality.
How much does RTL cost compared with the rest of the site?
As a ballpark, 15 to 25 % of the total budget. It is cheaper when planned in the design system from day one, and up to twice as expensive when bolted on later.
Do subsidiaries need separate websites?
Not necessarily: sub-sites on the same CMS with shared templates cut cost by 40 to 60 % compared with 5 separate projects.
Which hosting suits a Gulf and international audience?
Hosting with a CDN and a Middle East point of presence keeps load times under 2.5 seconds in the UAE and Europe. Budget around 3,000 to 8,000 AED per month.
How long does such a project take?
Plan 4 to 5 months, including 4 to 6 weeks to translate and approve Arabic content. Sign-off from 5 subsidiaries is often the longest step.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your subsidiaries, target languages and timeline, and we will scope the group architecture and RTL integration over 4 to 5 months. 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.
