Right-to-left languages like Arabic or Hebrew need more than just text flowing the opposite direction — layout, navigation, icons, and spacing often need mirroring too, and a theme built exclusively with left-to-right languages in mind frequently breaks in specific, predictable ways when RTL content is added without deliberate layout correction.
Check specific elements known to commonly break in RTL layouts
On a page displaying RTL content, check whether navigation menus, icons implying direction (like arrows), and form field alignment have actually mirrored correctly, rather than just the body text flowing right-to-left while everything else stays oriented for left-to-right reading.
RTL layout correction
RTL layout properly mirrored — navigation, icons, and alignment, not just the text direction.
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This or something else?
| RTL content displays with layout elements that haven’t correctly mirrored (navigation, icons, alignment) | This fix covers it |
| You just need the language switcher to correctly route to your RTL language version | Language switcher display & routing errors |
| The RTL text itself is missing or incorrect, not a layout issue | Missing string translation repair, a different kind of problem |
| You’re setting up RTL support for the first time, with no existing content to correct yet | Still covered by this fix, treated as an initial implementation rather than a correction |
What you are seeing
- Body text flowing right-to-left while navigation, icons, or alignment remain oriented for left-to-right reading
- Directional icons (arrows, chevrons) pointing the wrong way for RTL logical flow
- Form fields, buttons, or spacing not correctly mirrored
- The issue possibly limited to specific components or templates rather than the whole site
Common causes
- A theme built without RTL support considered at all in its original design
- Custom CSS or components added without RTL-specific styling accounted for
- A plugin or widget bringing its own layout that doesn’t respect RTL context
- Directional icons hardcoded without a corresponding RTL-aware variant
- Text alignment set with a hardcoded left/right value rather than a logical property, overriding what the RTL stylesheet was trying to do
What we do
- Audit the site’s RTL display for layout, navigation, and icon mirroring issues
- Correct CSS and component styling to properly mirror for RTL context
- Replace or flip directional icons appropriately for RTL logical flow
- Verify form fields, buttons, and spacing display correctly mirrored
- Test across a representative sample of page types with RTL content
- Confirm the LTR version remains unaffected by RTL-specific corrections
What is included
- RTL layout corrected across navigation, icons, and component alignment
- Verified consistent mirroring across representative page types
- Confirmed the LTR version remains unaffected
- The pre-fix backup, kept for 30 days
Not included
- Translating content into the RTL language — that’s supplied by you
- Missing string translation repair, a separate, related fix if that’s also needed
- A full theme redesign, if RTL support requires more extensive rework than targeted correction
- Ongoing correction as new components are added without RTL consideration
Questions about this fix
Why isn't it enough for the text itself to just flow right-to-left?
Genuine RTL support means the whole reading experience — where navigation sits, which direction icons point, how forms align — logically mirrors, not just the text direction; a page with only the text flowing RTL while everything else stays LTR-oriented feels disjointed and confusing to a native RTL reader.
Will this affect how my site looks for LTR language visitors?
No, we specifically verify the LTR version remains visually unaffected — RTL-specific styling only applies in RTL context, layered on top of rather than replacing your existing LTR design.
Is every theme capable of supporting RTL properly?
Most modern themes have some RTL support built in, though the quality and completeness varies significantly — some need only minor correction, while others need more substantial custom work to genuinely mirror correctly.
What about icons like a 'next' arrow — do those need to change too?
Yes, directional icons need to flip for RTL logical flow, since an arrow pointing right for "next" in an LTR context should typically point left in RTL to maintain the same logical meaning.
Will this need revisiting if I add new page types or components later?
Potentially, if a new component is built without RTL consideration — worth flagging any significant new addition for a quick RTL check rather than assuming it will automatically mirror correctly.
Related fixes
If this is the second time this year
A bad update breaking the site is a symptom of updates not being tested first. Care plans run every update on a staging clone before it reaches your live site, which is the actual fix for this happening again.
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Create a separate admin account for us and delete it when we are done. For anything else, we get in touch and agree a method — never a form field on this site, never by reply to an email.
We back up first, always
Before anything is touched we take a full backup and keep it for 30 days. If a fix goes wrong, we put the site back exactly as it was.
If it is not what you bought
If the problem turns out smaller than what you ordered, we refund the difference. If it is bigger, we stop and send a quote before doing any extra work.
If we cannot fix it
You get back what we received. Diagnosis is on us — you only pay when the problem is actually solved. The payment processor takes its fee before the money reaches us, so we never hold it and it is not ours to return. That is true here as everywhere else.
If it comes back
Reply within seven days of delivery and we put it back on the bench at no cost. The fix is not finished until it holds.
What we are responsible for
If something goes wrong with a fix, our responsibility is limited to what you paid for it. We take a full backup first so mistakes can be undone, and we tell you before doing anything outside what you bought.