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Launched: Add support for RTL languages


Point

Hello!
I wanted to report a problem with the text component
The component works great in all languages, but I noticed that in the Hebrew language (and probably also in Arabic) the order of the letters is reversed
This is a well-known problem in Hebrew because it needs RTL support

.redro esrever ni nettirw si txet elohw eht taht si ti gnitartsurf woh kniht tsuJ

(Just think how frustrating it is that the whole text is written in reverse.)

Another important thing to note is that we (speakers of RTL languages) are very aware of this problem, but designers who do not speak these languages ​​often encounter this problem without noticing. For example, even in the familiar game - Brawl Stars (They corrected this after the post was published) and many others have problems with the Hebrew text displayed in the screenshots of the game in Google play

For the developers of Figma- I found great documentation for the implementation of RTL in SVG: Creating SVG Tiny Pages in Arabic, Hebrew and other Right-to-left scripts

I really like to design in Figma but it’s just awful to design with Hebrew text so please add RTL support

84 replies

kolyba
  • New Participant
  • 27 replies
  • January 31, 2021

While this is not added you can take advantage of plugins for this. I’m sure you’re aware, but there are a few that help with this, Arabic & RTL Support being the most installed one.


Lishay
  • 9 replies
  • January 31, 2021

Actually, this is a real pain point for a big part of the population who speak the RTL languages.
Many companies are waiting with their transition to Figma because of the lack of support for these languages 🙄


Point
  • Author
  • New Member
  • 4 replies
  • February 1, 2021

Thanks, it works great in Hebrew too
But still, Figma needs to solve this problem


Saeed_Alipoor

The RTL PLZ plugin would help you, hope Figma adds support for RTL language ASAP.


Navid_Najm

Typing in RLT languages such as Persian (Farsi) is really a hassle in Figma, adobe xd simply fixed it from the beginning. This feature is really missing on Figma, there are plugins that reverse LRT but that’s not a consistent and permanent solution, and takes ages to do this on big projects. Please add this feature.

Love you guys at @figma


Mushon
  • New Member
  • 4 replies
  • April 23, 2021

None of the plugins are a viable solution. Especially when we get to symbols, dynamic text and responsive layouts. Figma has been ignoring the community on this subject for years. Figma it is time for you to assume the design leadership role you claim to be entitled to and realize not all of your users look, talk, and write like you.


idozaifman

We are a Community of Hebrew/Arabic Native speakers.
We love Figma but it is not inclusive. our community represents more than 1500 companies (we are 3500 people and growing every day)
Hope that you will Finally realize the potential of the Israel ecosystem with more Unicorn companies anywhere in the world outside of the US

Cheers,
Your friend from Israel,
Ido Zaifman
#fof_israel


Ofer_Ariel

It’s critical to have it, I know of many people that are still working with XD and not Figma because of this RTL issue


111474
  • 1 reply
  • May 2, 2021

It is very difficult for me to work with Figma when every word I have to make RTL with a dedicated plugin. Most of my sites are in Hebrew. I prefer to work with other software even though I did a Figma course


Ruthie
  • 1 reply
  • May 3, 2021

Working on Hebrew product is possible thanks to the community that provides plugins, but it’s still an incredible pain point. Plugins don’t work seamlessly, you need different plugins for different needs (writing va converting vs resizable components), it’s a challenge if you work with non-Hebrew speaking dev team, and makes it very difficult to make good typography.

Plugins can’t be a permanent solution.


Galita
  • 3 replies
  • May 4, 2021

Hi Figma,

Arabic is the 5th most used language in the world, with over 420 million speakers. There are also over 100 million speakers of Urdu and over 9 million speakers of Hebrew. As designers and developers, we shouldn’t just leave hundreds of millions of users behind.
from Don’t be backwards by Alan Sien Wei Hshieh
Don’t be backwards. A quick guide to making sure your app… | by Alan Sien Wei Hshieh | Prototypr

I love Figma! With proper RTL support, it would be the best Platform I ever used.
Please make me happy with other millions of users!

Thank youuu 💓


Inbal_Vermus

I think this is crucial for me to continue working on Figma as a designer who’s creating products in different languages like it’s for Arabic speakers which is a huge community…


Dima_Yarovinsky

Hi Figma team, let me draw your attention to the fact that this is the most voted-for feature request you have on your platform. It deserves your attention.


elad_star

Please fix it.
It’s the ONLY reason my team can’t use Figma!


Deckel_Mualem

Israel has a vibrant design community that works with Figma, and most of them need writing ability from right to left (in Hebrew, Arabic and Amharic) - we are sure you have the ability to create quick localization of the language - make us happy!


yulia3
  • 1 reply
  • May 7, 2021

It not just will make us happier but will improve the lives of millions of users.
Some stats about our languages:

PS. In CHI 2021 I’ll present a work about problems with BiDirectional (RTL+LTR) languages, hope, that this is also a fact, demonstarting the needing of support.
https://camps.aptaracorp.com/ACM_PMS/PMS/ACM/CHI21/420/01837ac8-45c7-11eb-8d84-166a08e17233/OUT/chi21-420.html

PPS. We understand, that it’s not a simple task and will be happy to help you! 🙂


Galita
  • 3 replies
  • May 7, 2021

מהממת!


adam_asseraf
  • New Participant
  • 6 replies
  • May 10, 2021

srengised LTR lla ot seussi ynam evlos dluow taht erutaef dedeen hcum a si siht


Ilan
  • 1 reply
  • May 10, 2021

I think it’s time to make this happen, makes all of us Hebrew / Arabic speakers work harder with plugins and workarounds just to make it work somehow.

Hope we hear some news soon, will really make a difference for all of us.


Orit
  • 1 reply
  • May 10, 2021

Hello there Figma team
This topic is a real pain point for us Hebrew/Arabic speakers.
Working on text in Figma feels arcaic like working on PS many many years ago…

FYI


Aviv_Zommer

Yes please add support for rtl!


Dan_Dushinsky

Please Figam !!
Add RTL supprt.

Really strange that I so no reply from Figma team …
It seams that we are being ignored from some reason
😦


LOAD
  • 1 reply
  • June 22, 2021

Please Figam !!
Add RTL supprt.


Mohammad_Amin_Zamani

Please add rtl support… some times small works solve big problems… its only important figma weakness that everyone knows


DP-SD
  • 7 replies
  • June 30, 2021

Dear Figma team, be different from Adobe XD – provide proper support. We moved to Figma because Adobe XD team ignores the community. Be those who help the community. Solve problems.


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