A bilingual record needs more than two fluent versions. Names, amounts, conditions and responsibilities should refer to the same thing in both. Decide how the team will handle those details before the meeting begins.
Agree the record you need.
Choose the language of the working discussion and the languages of the final record. They do not have to be the same. Identify who will review each version and who will resolve a difference in meaning.
For mixed-language meetings, invite participants to use the language that expresses the point clearly. Do not require a translation after every sentence unless someone needs it to participate.
Prepare a small terminology list.
List the names, product terms, acronyms and numbers that are likely to matter. Include the preferred form, an alternative spelling when useful and a brief explanation.
| Term | Preferred handling | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Project name | Keep the agreed Arabic and English forms | Use the same name in both records |
| SLA | اتفاقية مستوى الخدمة / SLA | Confirm the intended agreement, not just the acronym |
| Launch date | Write the full date and timezone if needed | Avoid ambiguous numeric dates |
Review meaning before polishing style.
Start with the fields that can change an outcome: decision, condition, owner, amount and deadline. Compare these across the two versions before editing tone.
- Keep the same decision and action IDs in both versions.
- Check that a conditional approval has not become unconditional.
- Preserve an unresolved question as unresolved in both languages.
- Review speaker names when a shared microphone or room recording limits identity information.
Circulate the versions together.
Link both language versions from the same delivery message. State the review status and the record location. If your organisation requires one language to govern, follow its policy rather than assuming the translation determines that status.
MAKE IT YOURS
Your editable template.
Replace the bracketed prompts, remove what you do not need, and save a version for your team.
BILINGUAL MEETING BRIEF / موجز اجتماع ثنائي اللغة Meeting / الاجتماع: [Title / العنوان] Date / التاريخ: [Date and timezone / التاريخ والمنطقة الزمنية] Discussion languages / لغات النقاش: [Languages / اللغات] Record languages / لغات السجل: [Languages / اللغات] English reviewer / مراجع الإنجليزية: [Name / الاسم] Arabic reviewer / مراجع العربية: [Name / الاسم] TERMINOLOGY / المصطلحات Term ID / رمز المصطلح: [T-001] English form / الصيغة الإنجليزية: [Term] Arabic form / الصيغة العربية: [المصطلح] Meaning and context / المعنى والسياق: [Explanation / توضيح] Names or numbers to verify / أسماء أو أرقام للمراجعة: [List / قائمة] DECISION / القرار Reference / المرجع: [D-001] English: [What was agreed] العربية: [ما تم الاتفاق عليه] Condition / الشرط: [Condition in both languages / الشرط باللغتين] Unresolved point / نقطة غير محسومة: [Details / التفاصيل] FOLLOW-UP / المتابعة Reference / المرجع: [A-001] Deliverable / المطلوب: [Specific output / مخرج محدد] Owner / المسؤول: [Confirmed name / الاسم المؤكد] Due date / الموعد: [Full date / التاريخ الكامل] REVIEW / المراجعة [ ] Names match / الأسماء متطابقة [ ] Amounts and dates match / المبالغ والتواريخ متطابقة [ ] Conditions and uncertainty preserved / الشروط والنقاط غير المحسومة محفوظة [ ] Owners confirmed / المسؤولون مؤكدون [ ] Both versions linked in the delivery message / ربط النسختين برسالة الإرسال Review status / حالة المراجعة: [Status / الحالة] Record location / مكان حفظ السجل: [Link / الرابط] Prepared with the MeetriX resource library. Adapt to your organisation. https://meetrix2.lisan.com/resources/bilingual-meetings/
