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Can one watermark line mix an Arabic word with the English CONFIDENTIAL and still come out in the right order?

Yes. The tool splits the text into an Arabic run and a Latin run and orders them by the rules of bidirectional text, so the Arabic word reads right to left with joined letters and CONFIDENTIAL reads left to right. Start the line with the Arabic word and it lands on the right with CONFIDENTIAL to its left, which is what an Arabic reader expects. Keep it within 60 characters, and check the preview if you add numbers.

Published · 3 min read

Why a two-language mark

In Saudi Arabia and the UAE one document can pass through an Arabic-speaking colleague, an expat auditor and a partner abroad. The Arabic for 'secret' plus CONFIDENTIAL on one line gets the message to all of them without adding two marks, and one line is easier to lay out than two separate marks that might collide.

How the line is ordered

The first letter of the text sets the direction of the whole line, just as a browser does with an auto-direction field. Start with an Arabic letter and the line runs right to left; start with a Latin letter and it runs left to right. Within the line each word keeps its natural direction. Here is what the tool worked out for real examples, from the left of the page to the right:

  • Arabic 'secret' followed by CONFIDENTIAL: CONFIDENTIAL appears on the left, the Arabic word on the right.
  • The Arabic for 'strictly confidential' followed by STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL: the whole English phrase on the left, the whole Arabic phrase on the right, each in correct internal order.
  • The Arabic for 'draft' followed by (Draft): the English word with its brackets on the left, the Arabic on the right.

The case that surprises people: numbers

Western digits have no direction of their own, so they attach to the neighbouring Latin word. Example: type the Arabic for 'copy', then 2, then COPY, meaning 'copy 2' in Arabic, and the tool shows '2 COPY' together on the left with the Arabic word on the right, so the number has moved to the English side. That is how the direction rules work, and browsers do the same. The fixes:

  1. Write the number in Arabic-Indic digits: with ٢ instead of 2, the digit stays next to the Arabic word.
  2. Or put the number on the English side on purpose: Arabic word, then COPY 2, displays 'COPY 2' on the left and the Arabic on the right.
  3. Or replace the number with a word, such as the Arabic for 'second copy' followed by COPY 2.
  4. In every case, press Add watermark and look at the preview before downloading.

Limits of the line

  • The limit is 60 characters after trimming spaces at both ends. The Arabic word plus CONFIDENTIAL is just 16 characters, while 61 characters triggers the error 'The text is longer than 60 characters'.
  • A mark is always one line. If you want the Arabic above the English, run PDF watermark twice with two placements, such as Top centre and then Bottom centre.
  • A longer line takes more room: the Arabic word plus CONFIDENTIAL at size 40 in bold is about 371 points wide, more than half an A4 page. Reduce the size if you are tiling it.

Common questions

Is it one font for both languages?

Yes. IBM Plex Sans Arabic covers Arabic and Latin in one matching design, so neither language looks out of place next to the other.

Do brackets flip in Arabic text?

The direction rules handle brackets by position, but the preview is always the judge. If a bracket lands in the wrong place, reorder the text or drop the brackets.