Addressing Right-To-Left Languages in Multilingual Desktop Publishing
WHAT ARE RIGHT TO LEFT LANGUAGES? The orientation and direction in which a script or written text is read plays an important role in shaping society’s communication and cultural aspects. Modern writing systems employ various script directions. Understanding them is beneficial not only in linguistics but also in appreciating the diversity of languages and cultures around the world. Languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, and other ancient languages share a unique characteristic: they are written from right to left. This trait is often seen as a marker of the language's antiquity, as it reflects the historical medium of writing, which involved carving on stone or other surfaces. Essentially, the prevalence of right-to-left scripts suggests that the language likely originated before the advent of paper-based writing systems. Some of these languages are: Arabic. Kurdish (Sorani). N’ko. Hebrew. Persian/Farsi. Urdu. RIGHT TO LEFT LANGUAGES IN DESKTOP PUBLISHING Arabic and oth...