Bilingual Website Development by Alpha Expansion
Bilingual Websites01Right-to-left layouts02Language switching03Content governanceBook a call

Bilingual Website Development

Two languages,one complete website

We design and build websites in two or more languages, with right-to-left layouts for Arabic, a language switch that keeps visitors on the same page and a content process that stops versions drifting apart.

Right-to-left layoutsLanguage switchingContent governance
Right-to-left layouts
Language switching
01Our Approach

A bilingual site is two complete websites sharing one design, and the second language fails the moment it is treated as a translation layer.

02Overview

Two languages, each built as the original

  • 01Right-to-left layouts
  • 02Language switching
  • 03Content governance

A bilingual website gives every page in each language its own address, title and content, linked so that search engines and visitors reach the right version. We design layouts that work in both writing directions, choose type for each script, build the language switch and set up the content system so both versions are edited side by side.

It suits companies serving Arabic and English speakers in the Gulf, English and French speakers in Canada, or any audience that expects to be addressed in its own language. Translation is supplied by your writers or a translator you appoint. Our part is the structure, the design in each direction and the checks that keep the two versions equal.

Talk to us about your project
03What We Do

Capabilities, End to End

01
Right-to-left design

Layouts, navigation, icons and forms are mirrored for Arabic or Hebrew, with type, line length and numerals chosen for the script instead of inherited from English.

02
Language switch

A visitor who changes language lands on the same page in the other version, and the choice is remembered without hiding either version from search engines.

03
Search engine signals

Each version carries its own address, title, description and language tags, and the pair is linked so search results show people the page in their language.

04
Paired content editing

Editors see both languages of a page together, with a status for each, so a change in one version raises a task for the other.

05
Localized forms

Forms, error messages, emails and confirmation pages follow the visitor's language, including phone, date and address formats that differ between markets.

06
Mixed text handling

Brand names, numbers and English terms inside Arabic sentences are set so they read in the right order and do not break the line.

04In The Design File

Worked Out on Screen, Before It Is Built

Four of the things you will see in the design file while the work is under way. Where a card says try it, the drawing responds to clicks.

StartSearchSelectPayDoneDeclinedUpdate cardretryMain path, 5 stepsError path, with a way back
01

Mirrored layouts

Every component flips correctly when the direction changes.

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02

Same-page switch

Changing language keeps the visitor on the page they were reading.

BUTTONINPUTCONTROLPrimarySecondaryDisabledEmail addressmaya@studio
03

Paired editing

Editors update both versions of a page from one screen.

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04

Version status

A dashboard shows which pages are waiting for translation.

05What You Receive

Handed Over, Ready to Run

SCROLL
01
Design in both directions
02
Language switch on every page
03
Paired page structure
04
Language tags and alternates
05
Bilingual content system
06
Translation workflow guide
07
Localized forms and emails
08
Review checklist per language
06How It Runs

From Kickoff to Launch

01
Plan the languages
02
Design both directions
03
Build and load
04
Verify and launch
01
Plan the languages

We agree which language leads, which pages exist in each at launch, who writes and who approves, and how addresses are structured, since these choices are hard to change later.

02
Design both directions

Key pages are designed in each language at the same stage, so that problems with longer words, mirrored layouts or missing type weights appear on the drawing board and not in production.

03
Build and load

Templates are built once with direction-aware styles, the content system is set up with paired entries, and your translated text is loaded and checked in context by a reader of that language.

04
Verify and launch

We test the switch on every template, confirm the language signals in the served pages, check forms and emails in each language and launch both versions on the same day.

07Technology

The Stack We Use

FrontendNext.jsReactTypeScriptCSS logical propertiesLocalizationnext-intlICU MessageFormathreflang alternatesUnicode bidi controlsFrontendNext.jsReactTypeScriptCSS logical propertiesLocalizationnext-intlICU MessageFormathreflang alternatesUnicode bidi controls
ContentSanityContentfulStrapiFramer CMSTestingPlaywrightBrowserStackLighthouseSearch ConsoleContentSanityContentfulStrapiFramer CMSTestingPlaywrightBrowserStackLighthouseSearch Console
08Who It Is For

Built for Teams Like Yours

FLAGSHIP
Your audience reads in more than one language

Customers, partners or regulators expect your site in Arabic and English, or in English and French, and the current second version is partial, out of date or machine translated. You want both languages complete, easy to maintain and visible to people searching in either one.

Arabic and English websites
English and French websites
Government facing companies
Regional brands across markets
Sites with partial translations
Stores selling in two languages
09Questions

What buyers ask before they start

If yours is not here, ask us directly. The first conversation is free and useful whether or not we work together.

Book a call

You supply the translation, through your own writers or a translator you appoint, because wording in a second language needs someone who knows your market and your terms. We provide the structure, a glossary template and a view of each text in its page. We also arrange a review in context, since a sentence that reads well in a document can break on a button.

Yes. Every page needs a separate address in each language, for example in a language folder, so that search engines can index both and people can share a link to the version they read. Showing a different language at the same address, based on location or browser settings, hides one version from search and frustrates visitors who prefer the other.

It can produce a first draft and nothing more. Automatic translation misses industry terms, tone and local usage, and thin translated pages tend to perform poorly in search. A smaller set of pages written properly does more than a full site of weak ones. We help you choose which pages deserve a second version first and add the rest as writers complete them.

Through the content system, not through discipline alone. Each page holds its languages as a pair with a status for each. When one version changes, the other is flagged for update and appears in a list for the translator. Editors can see at a glance which pages are complete in both languages. We also agree who approves each language before anything is published.

Direction is only the start. Arabic needs a typeface drawn for the script, more generous line height and different emphasis, since bold and italic behave differently. Numbers, dates and mixed English terms need rules. Images with a direction, such as arrows and progress bars, flip, while logos and media controls do not. A reader of Arabic should review every template before launch.

10Related services

Often built together

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Alpha Expansion is a premium digital product and engineering studio specializing in React development, Next.js development, full-stack development, mobile app development, UI/UX design, and 3D interactive experiences.

We serve industries including SaaS, FinTech, Healthcare, E-commerce, Logistics, and Real Estate.