How can I change a language like Farsi on InDesign.

[Farima0101]

I wanted to use the language Farsi for a project in school. What I have to chance or to do in InDesign if I wanted to use Farsi as a language. 

[radzmar]

InDesign is available in different languages including an Arabic version. However, there's no specific farsi version. See specs under https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/system-requirements.html 

Further information can be found under https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/exchange-product-language-os.html and https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/change-install-language.html.

Hope this helps.

[Diane Burns]

Forgive my ignorance in how Farsi might differ from Arabic. But assuming you have a font that supports it, you can create a style that will support right-to-left text.

1. Create text frame

2. Hold down Ctrl or Command key (on Mac) go to Type menu > Fill with Placeholder Text.

3. You have a choice of languages, choose Arabic.

4. Create a Paragraph style from this text, it will give you right to left. Apply it to text as needed.

Hope this helps.

[Zaid Al Hilali]

You need to download a Middle Eastern version of InDesign. To get this version just follow the below steps…

If you have installed Adobe applications and found that it doesn’t support Arabic/Farsi, then follow all steps from step#1.

If however, you didn’t install any application yet, then start from step#4 to install Adobe applications with Arabic/Farsi support.

1. From the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop menu, click on All Apps to view a list of installed Adobe applications
2. Click the three ellipses shown beside each installed application
3. Choose Uninstall to remove the non-Arabic application
4. Once ALL installed applications have been uninstalled/removed, click on the “Account” icon found on the top-right corner of the Creative Cloud desktop application and choose “Preferences”

5. In the newly opened Preferences dialogue window, click on “Apps” in the left pane

6. Scroll down to the bottom of the window, from the “Default install Language” drop menu choose English يدعم العربية in order to have Arabic support in Adobe applications, then click the “Done” button.

Now you may proceed to install Adobe applications once again.

[Diane Burns]

I'd like to qualify Zaid's reply.

Whether or not you need the Arabic version of InDesign depends on the complexity of the project. All of the features of the Arabic version are in the US/Euro version, you just don't have access to them via the interface.

Among other considerations are four levels of right-to-left composition:

1. Characters

2. Paragraphs

3. Text threading

4. Page direction

If your project involves only #1 and #2, you may very well just use the technique I described, in the English version, along with the correct font and World-Ready composer (which is applied by making the paragraph style from the Arabic placeholder text), and you should be successful.

If the project involves #3 and #4, or if it requires more advanced diacritical formatting, then you'd be better off downloading the Arabic version. The technique Zaid describes should give you an English interface, but with all the Arabic (Middle Eastern) features exposed in the UI.