Multilingual DTP Without the Squeeze: RTL/CJK Typography Essentials

Multilingual DTP Without the Squeeze: RTL/CJK Typography Essentials

Reading time: ~5 minutes

Great translation can still look “off” if the layout ignores script rules. The quickest wins in multilingual DTP come from two families: RTL (Arabic/Hebrew) and CJK (Chinese/Japanese/Korean). Here’s a compact field guide with practical settings you can apply today.

1) RTL basics (Arabic/Hebrew)

Direction & bi-di

• Set paragraph direction = Right-to-Left; keep numbers or Latin codes LTR using character-level direction.

• Mirror punctuation automatically (parentheses, brackets) where the font supports it.

Digits & punctuation

• Pick the right digits: Arabic-Indic vs Latin—follow client style.

• Use real RTL punctuation and quote marks from the font (avoid ASCII stand-ins).

Justification & kashida

• Avoid “letter spacing” for justification. Use Kashida (contextual elongation) sparingly; medium at most.

• Keep word spacing conservative to prevent rivers.

Lists & bullets

• Bullets/numbering must inherit RTL direction so numbers sit on the right side consistently.

InDesign tips (fast)

• Composer: Adobe World-Ready Paragraph Composer

• Paragraph Direction: RTL

• Digits: Arabic, Hindi, or Default per brief

• Kashida: None / Medium (test in long paragraphs)

• Keep Option: Keep Lines Together for headings

2) CJK essentials (Chinese/Japanese/Korean)

No hyphenation

• CJK uses ideographic breaks; turn off Western hyphenation.

Kinsoku & mojikumi

• Enable Kinsoku Shori (line-break rules) to avoid starting/ending lines with forbidden punctuation.

• Apply Mojikumi (spacing presets) for commas, periods, brackets, and emphasis dots.

Line length & grid

• Target ~28–40 full-width characters per line for body text.

• Use an em-based baseline grid so Latin and CJK sit cleanly together.

Vertical vs horizontal

• Japanese can be tategaki (vertical) or yokogaki (horizontal). Confirm early; vertical layouts affect captions, tables, and callouts.

InDesign tips (fast)

• Composer: Adobe Japanese/Chinese/Korean composer (per language)

• Kinsoku: Strong set; turn on Hanging punctuation when appropriate

• Use Proportional Metrics for Latin mixed in CJK; avoid fake bold/italic

3) Fonts & fallback strategy

• Prefer pan-CJK families for consistency across CN/JP/KR (e.g., Source Han / Noto CJK).

• For Arabic, pair Noto Naskh/Kufi or other professional families; ensure Arabic figures and contextual forms render correctly.

• Avoid system fonts or faux styles; use real bold/italic weights.

• Define a fallback chain (Primary → Secondary) to cover missing glyphs.

• Confirm licensing for embedding in PDF/X and app distribution.

4) Mixed scripts without chaos

• Keep numbers, URLs, product codes LTR inside RTL paragraphs using character direction.

• For CJK + Latin, adjust baseline shift or proportional metrics so Latin doesn’t float.

• Align tables to local reading direction; flip column order for RTL if the content requires it.

5) Export & handoff like a pro

• PDF/X-4 (preferred) or PDF/X-1a for print; embed fonts.

• Supply INDD + IDML (packaged) and linked assets.

• For web, export SVG/PNG diagrams with outlined CJK/RTL text only when necessary—keep live text wherever possible.

6) A two-minute preflight checklist

1. Paragraph directions set? RTL where needed; Latin runs protected.

2. Correct digits (Arabic-Indic vs Latin) per style?

3. CJK hyphenation OFF; Kinsoku/Mojikumi ON?

4. Line length sane (CJK 28–40 chars); grid aligned?

5. Punctuation mirrored (RTL) and not stranded (CJK)?

6. No faux styles; fonts licensed and embedded?

7. Overset text cleared after translation expansion?