Every instrument we draft in Dubai is written in Arabic and English together, not one translated from the other afterwards. Bilingual legal documents are not an optional extra here: a signatory who cannot read what they are signing is a problem for everyone, including whoever later has to rely on the instrument, and many receiving authorities will not accept an instrument in one language alone. This is why we draft both languages from the start, what that avoids, and how the two versions are kept in step with each other.
We are a document services provider, not a notary and not a law firm. Both languages are drafted by us; the notarial act itself is performed by a Dubai Courts notary, not by us.
Why we draft in both languages from the start
We work in Arabic as the default, not as an afterthought. Every instrument is drafted in Arabic and English together, with fixed terminology, so the two texts are set out from the same drafting process rather than produced by translating a finished English document afterwards.
A signatory who cannot read what he is signing is a problem for everyone, including whoever later has to rely on the instrument. A bilingual document sets the same clause twice, in parallel, so the signatory reads the text he understands and the receiving authority reads the text it requires.
What drafting in parallel avoids
Translating a document after the fact, rather than drafting both languages together, is where most bilingual documents go wrong. A clause added to one text at the last minute and not mirrored in the other produces a document that says two different things with equal formality: two texts of equal standing that diverge is an argument waiting to happen, and it is one of the more common reasons a company power of attorney is later found to be unenforceable in part.
Drafting both languages at the same time, by the same process, avoids that by construction. There is no finished document in one language that the other has to catch up with.
The governing language clause
Even two carefully matched texts can, in principle, diverge, so every bilingual instrument we draft includes a governing language clause. It settles in advance which text prevails if the two ever differ, and it takes one sentence. Leaving it unstated is the worst option, because the answer then depends on where a dispute happens rather than on what the parties actually agreed.
Keeping the two versions in step
The same discipline applies after signing as during drafting. Every amendment goes into both texts or into neither, because a clause added in one language and not mirrored in the other produces exactly the divergence a governing language clause exists to resolve, only sooner. If a document has to be revised later, both versions are revised together, not one and then the other.
When the signatory does not read either language
Occasionally neither language is one the signatory reads. In that case the instrument is read to them, before signing, in a language they do understand. Tell us in advance and it is arranged as part of the appointment rather than discovered on the day.
Which page covers which instrument
A special power of attorney and a company power of attorney are both drafted this way, and so is every other corporate and estate instrument we handle. Where each is covered in detail:
| Instrument | Covered on |
|---|---|
| Company power of attorney | /company-power-of-attorney/ |
| Special power of attorney | /special-power-of-attorney/ |
| Board resolution | /board-resolution/ |
| Shareholder resolution | /shareholder-resolution/ |
| Memorandum of association | /memorandum-of-association/ |
| Share transfer | /share-transfer/ |
| Appointment of a general manager | /general-manager-appointment/ |
| Will covering UAE assets | /wills/ |
| Estate and inheritance documents | /estate-documents/ |
The full list, with our fee and what to bring for each, is on the services page.
Send the draft, in either language
Send the draft in whichever language you have it, English, Arabic or both, and we will tell you whether it will be accepted before you commit to anything. If a counterparty or a bank has sent you a form in one language only, we will check it and produce the other. Full detail on how we draft and arrange notarisation is on the process page, and the questions that come up most are answered on the FAQ page.
Send us the draft, or describe what the document needs to achieve, and you will have an answer the same working day. Send the draft.
Questions people ask
Do you work in Arabic?
Yes, as the default. Every instrument is drafted in Arabic and English together, with fixed terminology, so the two texts cannot drift apart.
Does a document have to be in Arabic?
Many receiving authorities require Arabic, and which ones do is not something to guess at. We draft in both languages as standard so the question does not arise later.
Which language governs if the two texts differ?
The one the governing language clause names. Leaving it unstated is the worst option, because the answer then depends on where a dispute happens. It takes one sentence and we always include it.
Can you fix a draft somebody else wrote in only one language?
Yes, and most corporate work that reaches us is exactly that: a counterparty’s draft, or a template from another jurisdiction, that needs to be made workable here and produced in both languages.
The signatory does not read Arabic or English.
The instrument is read to them in a language they understand before it is signed. Tell us the language in advance.