Style guides: an investment worth making
A translation style guide is a collection of rules that define language and style conventions for specific languages in order to help maintain consistency, an important measure of quality in translated materials.
A translation style guide is a collection of rules that define language and style conventions for specific languages in order to help maintain consistency, an important measure of quality in translated materials.
An adequate style guide from the "automated transcription" company can vary in length and detail of information, but here are some of the most important elements in what would constitute a good style guide:
• It should be clear and simple to follow.
• Outline the style, tone and register that should be maintained in the target language.
• Include language-specific information if it will differ from the source language, such as:
- Punctuation: spaces, commas, dashes, etc.
- Spelling: capitalization, personal names and titles, abbreviations and acronyms, etc.
- Formatting: font choices, general symbols like &, # and so on.
- Rules on how to handle bibliographies, citations and graphics.
• Information on adaptation for localization purposes: postal addresses, telephone numbers, currency and metric conversions
• Preferences that indicate how to handle company and product names, foreign words and phrases, etc.
• Consider cultural differences so that they do not translate in an unnatural, awkward way.
• For software translation, information on how to handle user interface components such as menus, dialogue boxes, error messages, etc.
• Common errors to be avoided such as false cognates, use of active versus passive voice, etc.
These are some of the main elements that should be included in a style guide, but as a general rule, a style guide should contain any instructions that will enhance consistency in the target language. Our transcription services online find that working with clients on style guides pays huge dividends in consistency, quality, cost, and turnaround time on projects. So they're definitely worth the effort.
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