Arabic and English on one menu: when a second language brings orders
A visitor opens it and reads. A local opens it and gets lost. The fix is not Google Translate across the whole page.
In Egypt the page should open in Arabic. That is normal. The problem is putting English on top, or mixing both lines on the same card, so the guest from Abbasiya reads noise and closes it.
A second language is a sales door, not decoration for tourists. Done badly, it is just noise. Here is a practical order — no translation bureau required.
1. Arabic first, English ready
Most tables here speak Arabic. An English first screen makes the room feel like it is not for them — even when the food is Egyptian.
Better: Arabic is the default. A clear control switches to English. Do not stack both languages on the same line.
2. Translate the name and the price, not the novel
A long “our story since 1998” in two languages slows the page and never lands in the basket. A clear name and a clear price sell.
Better: item name, two lines of description, price. If there is an extra, translate that too. Put the story on another page if you want it.
3. Do not guess the translation
Shish tawook stays shish tawook, not “chicken skewer mystery.” A wrong name brings the wrong plate, then a bad rating.
Better: review the names visitors actually order. Lock one spelling. Fix a mistake from the dashboard the same day — no reprint.
4. The numbers stay one
An Arabic price and a different English number kills trust faster than bad food. Same for the currency: Egyptian pounds, not a guess.
Better: prices come from one source. Language changes the words, not the figure.
5. The team knows the switch
If the waiter cannot switch language for a visitor in ten seconds, you do not really have English.
Better: one line for the team: “the code, then the control at the top.” Try it yourself as a guest who does not read Arabic.
A tourist-night test
Sit down with the phone in English. Order a dish. If the name is muddy or the price disagrees — the translation is not ready. The guest is not difficult.
menutables runs Arabic and English from the same dashboard. Start free and have both languages ready before the season, not while you translate at the table.