Arabic and international selling
What should you check in an Arabic Shopify RTL layout?
Translation changes the words; RTL work changes how the interface reads and behaves. Check the components where the layout still feels wrong.
Do not mirror the whole page blindly
Start with menus, breadcrumbs, product selectors and the cart. Directional arrows may need changing, while logos and product photography usually must keep their original orientation. Test mixed text such as an Arabic sentence with an English brand name or size. Long labels reveal problems hidden by a short demo. Include app widgets in the review: their layout can be independent of the theme even when the surrounding page is correct.
Check components, not just paragraphs
Review navigation drawers, breadcrumbs, product sliders, price rows and button icons. Directional arrows should make sense in context, while logos and product photography should retain their intended appearance. Mirroring an entire page can make some elements wrong even when the text reads correctly.
Handle mixed-direction content
Arabic sentences often contain English brand names, sizes, numbers or SKUs. Check their ordering and spacing on real products. Use a font that renders Arabic clearly, and review joined letter forms, line height and long labels. Do not solve a layout problem by removing useful product information.
Test in a controlled preview
Shopify provides theme customisation tools and recommends keeping a copy before changes. Use an unpublished preview to review Arabic fixes, then test the main menu, collection, product and cart on a real phone. Include any app widgets because their layout may differ from the surrounding theme.
Check the awkward combinations
A page can align right and still be hard to use. Look at a phone number beside Arabic text, a price beside a currency label and a carousel with directional arrows. Review the actual content on a narrow screen; a clean empty template may hide the problem.
Official references
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