Arabic voice over, country by country
There is one written Arabic and many spoken ones. Modern Standard Arabic is understood across the Arab world and suits institutions, news and learning; advertising usually lands only in the Arabic people speak at home, which changes from country to country.
Arabic at a glance
Which Arabic for which market
Find the audience's country, then cast the Arabic it speaks. Markets with their own page link to it.
| Market | What to cast | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Gulf: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman | A voice from the target country for advertising: Gulf speech is shared, but Saudi, Emirati, Kuwaiti and Omani listeners each hear their own. | Arabic (Oman) |
| Egypt | Egyptian Arabic, the most widely understood spoken Arabic thanks to Egyptian film and television; first choice for Egypt and an option for pan-Arab entertainment. | On request in the brief |
| Levant: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine | Levantine Arabic for advertising and lifestyle content; Lebanese and Jordanian voices are not interchangeable for local campaigns. | On request in the brief |
| Iraq | Iraqi Arabic for local campaigns; Standard Arabic for institutions. | On request in the brief |
| Maghreb: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya | Darija is hard for eastern Arabs to follow; use it only for the country itself, and Standard Arabic for regional or institutional work. French often shares the script in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. | On request in the brief |
| Pan-Arab and international | Modern Standard Arabic, read by a voice whose accent does not pull towards one country. | On request in the brief |
Decide before the booth.
What every Arabic script needs settled, whatever the country.
Standard or spoken
Decide first between Modern Standard Arabic and a spoken variety. Standard Arabic travels across borders; spoken Arabic belongs to one market and sounds closer to the listener.
Who the script speaks to
Arabic marks gender in 'you' and in verbs. Choose masculine, feminine or plural address before casting, and keep it through every module.
Names and brands
Supply names with the vowel marks needed to read them, and say which English brand names stay in English.
Script on screen
Right-to-left script. Check subtitles and on-screen text where Arabic mixes with English words or Western digits.
Arabic: questions
Is Modern Standard Arabic enough for every country?
For institutions, news-style films and most e-learning, yes. For advertising and anything that should feel close, cast the spoken Arabic of the market, or Standard Arabic delivered with that market's colour.
Which Arabic should a pan-Arab campaign use?
Standard Arabic is the safe common ground. Some entertainment and lifestyle content uses Egyptian Arabic, which is widely understood, but Gulf and Maghrebi audiences may still prefer their own.
Does the script need vowel marks?
Not throughout, but names, brand terms and anything ambiguous should carry them, or come with a pronunciation note, so the voice reads them as you intend.
Arabic by country
Sources
- 1League of Arab States: member states · consulted 2026-11-01
- 2United Nations: official languages · consulted 2026-11-01
Brief an Arabic voice-over
It takes a few short questions. We reply with voice options and a quote for each market.
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