TRANSLATION STYLE GUIDE | GTE Localize

[Company name]’s Style Guide Locale: ALL LANGUAGES [Month – Year]

[Company’s logo]

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Table of Contents

1.

About this guide ......................................................................................................... 4

2.

Feedback.................................................................................................................... 4

3.

About [COMPANY NAME] ........................................................................................... 4 3.1. Language varieties ................................................................................................... 4 3.2. [Company name]’s tone and voice ............................................................................. 4 3.3. Brand and product names ......................................................................................... 5 3.4. Target audiences and level of readability.................................................................... 5

4.

General instructions.................................................................................................... 5 4.1. Formality................................................................................................................. 5 4.2. Idioms..................................................................................................................... 6 4.3. Humor and offensive content .................................................................................... 6 4.4. Guidelines on how to sound local .............................................................................. 6

5.

Glossary/Term Base and consistency ........................................................................... 6

6.

Acronyms, abbreviations and symbols ......................................................................... 6 6.1. Acronyms ................................................................................................................ 7 6.2. Abbreviations .......................................................................................................... 7 6.3. Symbols .................................................................................................................. 7

7.

Dates and time ........................................................................................................... 7

8.

Names of independent documents and publications ..................................................... 7

9.

Disclaimers, taglines and slogans ................................................................................. 7

10.

Source citing .......................................................................................................... 8

11.

Table of contents (TOC)........................................................................................... 8

12.

Charts and tables .................................................................................................... 8

13.

Cross-references ..................................................................................................... 8

14.

Website URLs ......................................................................................................... 8

16. Spelling rules .............................................................................................................. 9 16.1. Capitalization ......................................................................................................... 9

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16.2. Loanwords............................................................................................................. 9 17.

Punctuation rules ................................................................................................... 9

17.1. Quotation marks .................................................................................................... 9 17.2. Square brackets and parentheses ............................................................................ 9 17.3.

18.

Hyphenation ..................................................................................................... 9

Stylistic preferences.............................................................................................. 10

18.1. General recommendations .................................................................................... 10 18.2. Non-breaking spaces/hyphens............................................................................... 10 19.

Non-translatable items ......................................................................................... 10

20.

Tags and placeholders........................................................................................... 11

21.

Spaces around tags in MemoQ .............................................................................. 11

22.

Numbers .............................................................................................................. 11

22.1. Units of measurement .......................................................................................... 11 22.2. Percentage .......................................................................................................... 11 22.3. Currencies ........................................................................................................... 12 22.4. Footnotes ............................................................................................................ 12 22.5 Phone numbers .................................................................................................... 12 23.

App/social network localization guidelines............................................................. 12

24.

Final tips .............................................................................................................. 12

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1. ABOUT THIS GUIDE This style guide contains translation guidance that is required to meet [company name]’s quality standards for translations. All translation vendors are contractually obligated to adhere to [company name]’s quality standards as specified in the style guide.

This guide is an additional reference material in a vast universe of available resources that range from general and specific dictionaries to grammar handbooks and official websites. It does not substitute the personal training and expertise of the professional translators, editors, proofreaders, reviewers and project managers.

If you have questions after reading this document, reach out to your Project Manager or Language Lead/Manager. Your feedback is also appreciated!

2. FEEDBACK If you have any feedback about our reference materials, let your Project Manager or Language Lead/Manager know.

3. ABOUT [COMPANY NAME] [Company name] is a health care insurance provider […]

3.1. Language varieties A majority of [Company name] of California’s Spanish-speaking members originate from Mexico and Central America.

Many of [Company name]’s Chinese-speaking members in California originated from Taiwan and Hong Kong. Using words and phrases commonly used in these regions is preferred.

Traditional Chinese characters are the preferred written script for translated Chinese documents.

California Medi-Cal prefers the use of White Hmong, Eastern Armenian, Egyptian Arabic, Iranian Farsi, and southern Korean varieties.

3.2. [Company name]’s tone and voice [Company name] prefers a semiformal communication style that is friendly and supportive.

Everything is said simply, clearly, directly, and concisely.

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3.3. Brand and product names Brand, product and plan names are normally left in their original language and should not be localized unless otherwise stated by the client.

3.4. Target audiences and level of readability It is essential that translated [Company name] documents maintain low-literacy guidelines.

Collateral material must not exceed a 6th-grade reading level. Translated collateral material is expected to meet the following criteria:  For [Company name]’s Commercial product lines, employ the vocabulary a typical 8thgrade student would use.  Sentences for 6th and 8th grade readability levels involve shorter sentences rather than long sentences and simpler vocabulary. Do however always follow approved terminology in [Company name] glossaries.

For example: School Level

Description

6th grade

Easy to read. Conversational language for consumers. Understandable by 12-year old students.

8th grade

Plain language. Easily understandable by 13- to 15-year-old students.

4. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS [Company name] expects that translated content is linguistically accurate and culturally relevant to the target audience. The industry has some standard terms that don’t have exact translations.

These words and phrases may need additional explanation in the translation or may need to have the definition of the phrase translated.

Since their aim is to sound local and natural, don’t translate content word by word from the source and omit unnecessary words that don’t add any new or valuable information to the message.

However, take the utmost care not to lose any key information in the target message if you need to rework a sentence or phrase.

4.1. Formality [Company name] requests the use a formal or semiformal tone.

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4.2. Idioms When the source text contains idioms and culture-specific sayings, don’t translate them literally.

Find an appropriate equivalent in the target language.

4.3. Humor and offensive content If you find any content that could potentially be offensive in your country, let your Language Lead/Manager know immediately.

It is fine to use humor and lightheartedness when appropriate. The source language will be your guide as to when humor applies.

4.4. Guidelines on how to sound local The content should not sound as if it were translated but as if it were directly written/produced into the target language. Carefully analyze and proofread your own work by reading the target text only and see if it is: ● Easily understandable without referring to the English text: Assume that the reader does not know English. ● Carefully nuanced: Native fluency means ease in expressing nuance and detail. ● Economic: The text uses as few words as possible without loss of meaning.

Ask yourself what the source text intends to convey, and think of an equivalent or a similar communicative situation in the target language/culture.

For example, “Over the counter” is a standard phrase within the health care industry meaning medications that don’t need a prescription. If the phrase “over the counter” has no translation in the target language with the same meaning, then the definition of the phrase should be translated.

5. GLOSSARY/TERM BASE AND CONSISTENCY Be consistent with the terminology provided in the TBs available.

The TB should evolve to keep up with the client’s business needs. If you come across a term that you think should be added to the TB, inform your Project Manager or Language Lead/Manager.

6. ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

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6.1. Acronyms Acronyms are used in translations only if they were used in the English source document. If a standard acronym exists in a given language that is equivalent in meaning to the English, use the standard acronym.

The translation will not include the acronym fully written out in English in parentheses. [Company name] acknowledges that this is a violation of grammar rules for some languages, but it is necessary to meet CMS guidelines for translated materials.

There could be some cases in which the acronym appears only once in the whole document. In this case, the acronym can be removed and replaced by its explanation.

If an acronym is used in a title, don’t write the full spelling of the acronym.

If an ‘s’ is added at the end of English acronym, meaning plural, the ‘s’ should be dropped in other languages such as Spanish or Traditional Chinese.

6.2. Abbreviations Follow the rules of the target language.

6.3. Symbols A symbol is the representation of a scientific or technical word and is made up of conventional typographical characters. Most of them have been created by standardization organizations and are internationally validated: kg, ft (foot), in (inch), Fe, cm, %, &, $, @, etc.

7. DATES AND TIME Follow the target language rules to translate dates and time.

8. NAMES OF INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS Follow the target language rules to translate these.

9. DISCLAIMERS, TAGLINES AND SLOGANS A disclaimer is generally any statement intended to specify or delimit the scope of rights and obligations that may be exercised and enforced by parties in a legally recognized relationship. In contrast to other terms for legally operative language, the term disclaimer usually implies situations that involve some level of uncertainty, waiver, or risk.

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A tagline is a short catchphrase used by a business or brand to summarize its mission and the products or services it offers. Companies use their taglines on every piece of marketing and communication material, including business cards, stationery, websites and social media profiles.

A slogan is similar to a tagline in that it is also a brief, catchy statement to help with branding.

Where a slogan differs from a tagline is its scope. A tagline should represent a business, while a slogan represents a single product or is part of an advertising campaign.

Disclaimers, taglines and slogans are generally translated. In case of doubt, ask your Project Manager or Language Lead/Manager.

10. SOURCE CITING Follow the target language rules to cite sources.

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS (TOC) When documents have TOCs, always make sure to check their format, page numbers, automatic functioning, etc.

12. CHARTS AND TABLES When documents have charts and tables, always make sure to check for missing lines, incorrect alignment, missing headers, interruptions, blank spaces, etc.

When a chart is several pages long, the chart’s header may be repeated in each page.

13. CROSS-REFERENCES When content moves from one page to another in a translated version, page numbers that are cross-referenced or indexed should be changed to match the new location. The cross--referencing can apply to table of contents, indexes and other reference lists.

Some documents have a final section or chapter with the definitions of important words. In general, this list can be alphabetically ordered in English. Check with the client if this applies to the target language or file.

14. WEBSITE URLS

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Keep all [Company name]’s URLs as in the English source document. Don’t localize them unless otherwise stated by the client.

16. SPELLING RULES 16.1. Capitalization Names of associations, laws, departments, programs, job positions, days of the week, months, etc.: Follow the target language rules for capitalization in the languages this applies.

As a general rule, if the English document contains phrases or words with all capital letters such as USE ONLY BLUE INK in a form, the translation will mirror the source text. However, Chinese translation will use a different font for that phrase or word to set it apart from the rest of the text, since capitalization does not exist in Chinese characters. Bolding, underlining or quotation marks should not be used to distinguish text that is in all capital letters.

16.2. Loanwords Follow the target language rules for distinguishing loanwords from the rest.

Proper names (names of plans, individuals, companies, etc.) left untranslated are not to be italicized or made stand out from the rest of the text in any way, regardless of the language in which the name is written. More information on non--translatable items here.

17. PUNCTUATION RULES Follow the target language punctuation rules.

17.1. Quotation marks Use the “curly” ones for Roman languages. For Chinese, use the quotation marks「」 to set apart phrases, words or sentences.

17.2. Square brackets and parentheses Follow the target language rules for square brackets [ ] and parentheses ( ).

17.3. Hyphenation Hyphenation is the division of a word with a hyphen at the end of a line on a page. [Company name] does not allow hyphenation.

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18. STYLISTIC PREFERENCES 18.1. General recommendations Apply the necessary language rules to achieve a simple, precise and fluent style in the target files.

18.2. Non-breaking spaces/hyphens In word processing and digital typesetting, a non-breaking space, also called no-break space, nonbreakable space (NBSP), hard space or fixed space, is a space character that prevents an automatic line break at its position. In some formats, including HTML, it also prevents consecutive whitespace characters from collapsing into a single space.

To add a non-breaking space: - On a Mac: Option+Spacebar - On a PC: Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar - In Smartling: Use the built-in feature and simply click the non-breaking space button to insert - In MemoQ: Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar - To a hyphenated text, like a phone number: Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen key

19. NON-TRANSLATABLE ITEMS Per [Company name]’s request, the following items should not be translated. A non-translatable items’ list is available in memoQ and should be attached to all projects.    

Trademarks. Make sure that trademarks are in superscript if applicable.

Registered logos.

Company names.

Geographical names (cities, counties, countries, etc.), with the exception of United States that is usually translated.  Street names or addresses.  URL addresses. Check with the PM if an URL needs to be localized or report it if not working properly.  Mail and e-mail addresses.  Postal codes.  Document/Material IDs.  Proper names.  Specific campaigns.  Multilanguage Insert: Since some paragraphs are non-editable images, the insert is left as it is, no localization of languages names is needed.

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20. TAGS AND PLACEHOLDERS Tags and placeholders may contain formatting, hyperlinks and other important information. You may move these items around according to sentence structure, but make sure they are in the right place.

When a placeholder is not self-explanatory, ask for more context.

21. SPACES AROUND TAGS IN MEMOQ These tags, which reflect format styles such as bold type, italics, superscript characters, etc., should mirror the source file. Make any necessary adjustments so that the tags are in the right place.

22. NUMBERS Numbers should be kept in the American format. They are not to be converted into the target language format, unless required otherwise.

Decimal separator: period (.)

Decimal separator example: 0.75 Thousand separator: comma (,) Thousand separator example: $2,500.00

22.1. Units of measurement Measurements, including distance, temperature, volume, size, weight, etc., should keep the English System of Measurement. They should not be converted into the Metric System unless otherwise stated.

Use a non-breaking space between the unit and the number. (More information on non-breaking spaces here.)

Check the most common units of measurement here.

22.2. Percentage Per client’s request, don’t insert a space between the number and the percentage symbol (25%).

The number and the symbol should not be in separate lines. (More information on non-breaking spaces here.)

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22.3. Currencies Currencies in dollars should be kept as they are. They are not to be converted into a different currency, unless specifically required otherwise.

Generally, it is preferred to only use the symbol $ and avoid the letters identifying the country (for example, USD).

22.4. Footnotes Footnotes may be translated unless they are a citation or specific reference to an Internet location or titled publication. The document owners should clearly highlight what needs to be translated and what does not.

22.5 Phone numbers Phone numbers are translated based on the target language.

23. APP/SOCIAL NETWORK LOCALIZATION GUIDELINES In mobile app localization, accuracy and consistency are the priority for localization. Wear the shoes of the reader: the translations for apps should be clear and user-friendly, avoiding ambiguity.

In social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., there are certain guidelines that should be followed as regards space limitation, target audience, degrees of formality and so on.

Consistency applies to terminology, syntax and style. Make sure to comply with the available TB. If a string is repeated with the same context, translate it the same way.

Keep in mind that many strings have limited space in the app. If possible, translations should have a similar length as the source.

For error messages, try to be as clear, concise and fluent as possible.

Check Microsoft Terminology Collection and User Interface translations here.

24. FINAL TIPS Run a spellchecker and any other available QA tool (E.g. Xbench, QA Distiller, Verifika, ErrorSpy, Lingistic Toolbox, etc.).

Check for double spaces, and font size and type; indents; vertical alignment; numbers; etc.

Check the most updated glossary/TB available.

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