How to write a digital menu in Arabic and English without it reading like a translation

The problem with word-for-word translation

"Grilled chicken with fragrant rice" reads naturally in Arabic, but a machine translation returns "Grilled chicken with the perfumed rice", a line no self-respecting restaurant would print. The English-reading guest expects "Charcoal chicken with saffron rice". The difference is not accuracy, it is appetite. A bilingual menu that works is written twice, not translated once.

The idea-not-the-word rule

Give every item one idea: what makes it special? The charcoal, the saffron, the fact that it is an authentic Qatari dish? Then express that idea in each language its own way:

• Arabic: مجبوس دجاج — the authentic Qatari dish, spiced rice with roast chicken and daqoos.
• English: Chicken machboos — Qatar's national dish: spiced rice, roast chicken and daqoos tomato sauce.

The English explains "machboos" because a visitor may not know it; the Arabic does not need to.

Dish names: transliterate or translate?

• International names stay the same in both languages: pizza, latte, burger.
• Local dishes are transliterated with a short explanation: Luqaimat, Balaleet, Harees.
• Brand names are never translated.

Prices and numbers

On a QR menu use Latin digits (18 QAR) in both languages. They read faster on a phone and do not shift when the guest switches language. State the currency once at the top of the page, then show numbers only.

Short descriptions sell more

The ideal description in a digital menu is one line: the main ingredient, the cooking method, the thing that makes it special. Long descriptions are read on paper, not on a 390-pixel-wide screen.

Fields that need extra care

• Allergens: fixed terms in both languages (Gluten / جلوتين, Nuts / مكسرات).
• Tags: vegan, spicy, bestseller. They render as small chips, so keep them short.
• Opening hours and branch names: write areas the way people say them (Al Sadd, West Bay), not literal translations.

How LamsaQR helps

Every field in the dashboard has two boxes, Arabic and English, and an item cannot be saved in one language only. The layout mirrors itself for Arabic automatically, and Arabic fonts are built into every template.