[OS X TeX] Mixed Languages

[William Adams]

On Nov 1, 2012, at 7:56 PM, Ahmed Hussein wrote:

> I need to prepare a LaTex document that mixes English and Arabic. 
> 
> I use TeXshop 3.11, OSX 10.6.8 and TeXLive-2012. I am quite experienced in using LaTex, but never done any other language besides English.
> 
> Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

You'll want to use xetex. 

Jonathan Kew once noted that it was as simple as:

> To use an OpenType Arabic font, you need to activate the Arabic  
> shaping engine. In raw xetex, you'd say something like
> 
>    \font\x = "Scheherazade:script=arab" at 14pt  .......
> 
> and in xelatex with fontspec, you'd use
> 
>    \setmainfont[Script=Arabic]{Scheherazade}
> 
> (or similar options with \newfontfamily, etc.)

However, there's a specific package for this, arabxetex:

http://ctan.org/pkg/arabxetex

it may be that there's something newer / better since.

HTH!

William

-- 
William Adams
senior graphic designer
Fry Communications
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.