How to Fix Acrobat Read Out Loud Errors with Arabic and Farsi PDFs
Question details
The user needs to fix an issue where Adobe Acrobat's Read Out Loud feature reads exported Arabic and Farsi PDF documents backward or in the incorrect order.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat and InDesign
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Using the Acrobat Read Out Loud accessibility tool on Arabic or Farsi PDF files that were exported from the Middle Eastern version of Adobe InDesign.
- Observed behavior
- The text is read backward or out of logical sequence by the screen reader, and attempting to manually rearrange the tagged characters in Acrobat is extremely time-consuming.
Before attempting to fix the issue in the final PDF, ensure you have access to the original Adobe InDesign source file, as resolving tagging errors at the export stage is significantly faster than manually adjusting individual tags in Acrobat.
Adjust Document Settings and Re-export from InDesign
The most efficient and recommended way to fix reading order issues is to correct the language and reading settings in the source document and generate a new tagged PDF.
Relying on Acrobat to manually fix Right-to-Left (RTL) reading order tag by tag is inefficient. InDesign's Middle Eastern version has built-in tools to properly structure Arabic and Farsi text for screen readers upon export.
Open your InDesign document, navigate to File > Document Setup, and ensure the Binding option is explicitly set to 'Right to Left'.
Select your text frames, open the Character panel (Window > Type & Tables > Character), and verify that the language drop-down is correctly set to Arabic or Farsi, not English.
Open the Articles panel (Window > Articles) and drag your text frames into the panel in the correct logical reading sequence to define the structure.
Go to File > Export, choose Adobe PDF (Interactive or Print), and ensure the 'Create Tagged PDF' checkbox is selected in the export dialog box before clicking Save.
Verify and Adjust Tags Manually in Adobe Acrobat
If you do not have access to the original InDesign source file, you can use Acrobat's built-in accessibility tools to inspect and adjust the PDF tagging structure.
View and Manage Multilingual PDFs with WPS Office
WPS Office provides a comprehensive, lightweight PDF reader and editor that effortlessly handles document viewing, annotations, and format conversions. It is an excellent tool for reviewing exported PDFs and managing your daily document workflows.
- 1. Launch WPS Office: Open the WPS Office desktop application and select 'PDF' from the main workspace dashboard.
- 2. Open Your Document: Click on 'Open PDF' and browse your computer to select the Arabic or Farsi PDF file you want to review.
- 3. Utilize Reading Tools: Navigate to the 'View' tab on the top ribbon to adjust page layouts, zoom levels, and background reading modes for an optimal viewing experience.
- 4. Edit and Annotate: Switch to the 'Comment' or 'Edit' tabs to highlight text, add sticky notes, or make minor modifications to the document content directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat Read Out Loud read my Arabic text backwards?
Arabic and Farsi are Right-to-Left (RTL) languages. If the PDF tags are not correctly generated with RTL reading order and binding directions during the InDesign export process, screen readers will default to Left-to-Right (LTR) reading, causing the text to be read backwards.
Can I manually fix the reading order in Adobe Acrobat?
Yes, you can manually rearrange the reading order using the Tags panel and the Reading Order tool in Adobe Acrobat. However, for large documents or complex paragraphs, manually moving individual character tags to fix RTL issues is incredibly time-consuming.
Is it better to fix PDF tags in Acrobat or InDesign?
It is highly recommended to fix the language, binding direction, and article reading order settings in the source InDesign document and re-export a fresh tagged PDF. This approach prevents the need to manually correct tags in Acrobat.
What does 'Create Tagged PDF' do in InDesign?
The 'Create Tagged PDF' option embeds structural metadata tags into the exported document. These tags define the logical reading order, document language, and structural elements (like headings and paragraphs), which are mandatory for accessibility tools like Read Out Loud to function correctly.
