Fix Missing Tags and Reading Order in Accessible Arabic PDFs
Question details
The user needs to troubleshoot missing accessibility tags, reading-order issues, and screen-reader mispronunciations in exported Arabic PDFs.
- Product
- Adobe InDesign / PDF
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Exporting Arabic documents to accessible PDFs and ensuring screen readers process the content, phone numbers, and punctuation correctly.
- Observed behavior
- Paragraphs are left untagged, phone numbers are read right-to-left instead of left-to-right, and screen-reader voices misinterpret spaces and punctuation.
Ensure you have the latest version of your PDF accessibility checker installed and verify that the appropriate Arabic voice packs are active on your screen reader.
Fix Untagged Paragraphs and Missing Layout Elements
Resolve issues where document content is automatically skipped or marked as an artifact during PDF export.
Layout applications like InDesign have specific rules for how master pages and structural panels translate into PDF accessibility tags. Missing tags are usually caused by these export configurations.
Content placed on master pages is automatically treated as a background artifact. Move essential text to the active document pages if it needs to be tagged and read by screen readers.
Once the Articles panel is used to define reading order, every item that requires tagging must be dragged into it. Any element left out will be excluded from the tagged PDF.
Select the untagged items, open Object Export Options, navigate to the Tagged PDF tab, and ensure they are not explicitly set to 'Artifact'.
Correct Phone Number Reading Order and Punctuation
Fix screen reader mispronunciations for left-to-right elements like phone numbers embedded within a right-to-left Arabic document.
Edit and Review PDFs Using WPS Office
While advanced accessibility tagging requires specialized layout tools, WPS PDF provides a comprehensive and user-friendly interface to view, edit text, adjust layouts, and manage your PDF files efficiently.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install WPS Office for free from the official website.
- 2. Open the PDF: Launch WPS PDF and open your exported document to review the content.
- 3. Edit the Content: Use the Edit tab to make quick text corrections, adjust spacing, or modify numbers directly within the PDF.
- 4. Save Changes: Save the optimized PDF document to your device for distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Arabic text being read backwards by the screen reader?
This usually happens if the text language is not properly set to Arabic in the source document, or if an English screen-reader voice is attempting to read Arabic text. Ensure you are using a dedicated Arabic screen-reader voice.
Why are master page items missing from the PDF tags?
By default, layout applications treat master-page content as background artifacts to prevent redundant information from being read on every page. To include this content in the reading order, you must override it onto the active document pages.
How do I ensure all items are included when using the Articles panel?
Once you activate the Articles panel to define a specific reading order, any element not dragged into the panel is automatically excluded from the exported tagged PDF. You must manually add every text box and image you want the screen reader to announce.
