diff --git a/recovery.cpp b/recovery.cpp
index 6ced420d013b65163ac3252ed80d938cd0523622..3b58138766b9fb6da19d0af759d6ba1248de5afc 100644
--- a/recovery.cpp
+++ b/recovery.cpp
@@ -781,7 +781,7 @@ load_locale_from_cache() {
     if (fp != NULL) {
         fgets(buffer, sizeof(buffer), fp);
         int j = 0;
-        int i;
+        unsigned int i;
         for (i = 0; i < sizeof(buffer) && buffer[i]; ++i) {
             if (!isspace(buffer[i])) {
                 buffer[j++] = buffer[i];
@@ -849,6 +849,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv) {
     ui = device->GetUI();
 
     ui->Init();
+    ui->SetLocale(locale);
     ui->SetBackground(RecoveryUI::NONE);
     if (show_text) ui->ShowText(true);
 
diff --git a/res/images/erasing_text.png b/res/images/erasing_text.png
index 2cd2e382515bbe6fefd2affe934b000a48db3be5..8b9f265fb570af8e0e15d40829ce4796309608a5 100644
Binary files a/res/images/erasing_text.png and b/res/images/erasing_text.png differ
diff --git a/res/images/error_text.png b/res/images/error_text.png
index 91be5fe5424dc6fbc440fca5904c492e07e5c27f..b64b3d7acafca7781252b8da589974f77e2560d0 100644
Binary files a/res/images/error_text.png and b/res/images/error_text.png differ
diff --git a/res/images/installing_text.png b/res/images/installing_text.png
index 42704b9965f544f57c7916f444dfde22119ca046..9c16c7708e5ea7b81ff0e6f8e468dea0851be6bc 100644
Binary files a/res/images/installing_text.png and b/res/images/installing_text.png differ
diff --git a/res/images/no_command_text.png b/res/images/no_command_text.png
index fbc20743f9ff95e51854e9d35d68bb0f93108471..2241259e2be5998c183f4727c5d3dbb74867e633 100644
Binary files a/res/images/no_command_text.png and b/res/images/no_command_text.png differ
diff --git a/screen_ui.cpp b/screen_ui.cpp
index 0b343754743994fa414ab69cbd4b6414d61c13a6..64a5dcdd2cd0efac09b93898bbcce1e4929adcd0 100644
--- a/screen_ui.cpp
+++ b/screen_ui.cpp
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ static double now() {
 ScreenRecoveryUI::ScreenRecoveryUI() :
     currentIcon(NONE),
     installingFrame(0),
+    rtl_locale(false),
     progressBarType(EMPTY),
     progressScopeStart(0),
     progressScopeSize(0),
@@ -158,18 +159,35 @@ void ScreenRecoveryUI::draw_progress_locked()
             float p = progressScopeStart + progress * progressScopeSize;
             int pos = (int) (p * width);
 
-            if (pos > 0) {
-                gr_blit(progressBarFill, 0, 0, pos, height, dx, dy);
-            }
-            if (pos < width-1) {
-                gr_blit(progressBarEmpty, pos, 0, width-pos, height, dx+pos, dy);
+            if (rtl_locale) {
+                // Fill the progress bar from right to left.
+                if (pos > 0) {
+                    gr_blit(progressBarFill, width-pos, 0, pos, height, dx+width-pos, dy);
+                }
+                if (pos < width-1) {
+                    gr_blit(progressBarEmpty, 0, 0, width-pos, height, dx, dy);
+                }
+            } else {
+                // Fill the progress bar from left to right.
+                if (pos > 0) {
+                    gr_blit(progressBarFill, 0, 0, pos, height, dx, dy);
+                }
+                if (pos < width-1) {
+                    gr_blit(progressBarEmpty, pos, 0, width-pos, height, dx+pos, dy);
+                }
             }
         }
 
         if (progressBarType == INDETERMINATE) {
             static int frame = 0;
             gr_blit(progressBarIndeterminate[frame], 0, 0, width, height, dx, dy);
-            frame = (frame + 1) % indeterminate_frames;
+            // in RTL locales, we run the animation backwards, which
+            // makes the spinner spin the other way.
+            if (rtl_locale) {
+                frame = (frame + indeterminate_frames - 1) % indeterminate_frames;
+            } else {
+                frame = (frame + 1) % indeterminate_frames;
+            }
         }
     }
 }
@@ -360,6 +378,28 @@ void ScreenRecoveryUI::Init()
     RecoveryUI::Init();
 }
 
+void ScreenRecoveryUI::SetLocale(const char* locale) {
+    if (locale) {
+        char* lang = strdup(locale);
+        for (char* p = lang; *p; ++p) {
+            if (*p == '_') {
+                *p = '\0';
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // A bit cheesy: keep an explicit list of supported languages
+        // that are RTL.
+        if (strcmp(lang, "ar") == 0 ||   // Arabic
+            strcmp(lang, "fa") == 0 ||   // Persian (Farsi)
+            strcmp(lang, "he") == 0 ||   // Hebrew (new language code)
+            strcmp(lang, "iw") == 0) {   // Hebrew (old language code)
+            rtl_locale = true;
+        }
+        free(lang);
+    }
+}
+
 void ScreenRecoveryUI::SetBackground(Icon icon)
 {
     pthread_mutex_lock(&updateMutex);
diff --git a/screen_ui.h b/screen_ui.h
index 16ee741b7959a57d0d3130070b85074c01be622d..80051724b78a7d6819757cc08af28a81d0a2e440 100644
--- a/screen_ui.h
+++ b/screen_ui.h
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ class ScreenRecoveryUI : public RecoveryUI {
     ScreenRecoveryUI();
 
     void Init();
+    void SetLocale(const char* locale);
 
     // overall recovery state ("background image")
     void SetBackground(Icon icon);
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ class ScreenRecoveryUI : public RecoveryUI {
   private:
     Icon currentIcon;
     int installingFrame;
+    bool rtl_locale;
 
     pthread_mutex_t updateMutex;
     gr_surface backgroundIcon[5];
diff --git a/ui.h b/ui.h
index ccbb466ac658e2cd67656ad76a1ec56f3dc2a605..acb57663e607feb7a9d8702bc68ac7422c3a6092 100644
--- a/ui.h
+++ b/ui.h
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ class RecoveryUI {
     // Initialize the object; called before anything else.
     virtual void Init();
 
+    // After calling Init(), you can tell the UI what locale it is operating in.
+    virtual void SetLocale(const char* locale) { }
+
     // Set the overall recovery state ("background image").
     enum Icon { NONE, INSTALLING_UPDATE, ERASING, NO_COMMAND, ERROR };
     virtual void SetBackground(Icon icon) = 0;