Localization
Style Guide
[Free Template]
[insert your logo here]
1
Based on a template from SimulTrans
Why a Style Guide?
[Add a short explanation of why your company needs a style
guide]. Suggestion:
Company X has created a Style Guide for translators to be used
in all translation projects (including product, website, marketing
materials, legal, human resources). It covers brand identity, style,
tone, and industry-specific terminology to make translators familiar
with our preferences.
Translators, editors, and reviewers must refer to it to help improve
consistency and adhere to branding across multiple translation
projects.
What is a good style for Company X?
[Indicate what you as a company consider to be a good style that
reflects your brand and company philosophy].
Suggestion:
The translated text must always read as if it had been originally
written by a native, and not like a translation.
Sentences should be accurate but concise, and not too long or
overly complicated. Clarity is essential.
About Company X
[Add a short description of your company, its products or services,
and its goals to help the translators understand your company
better].
Suggestion:
Positioning Statement
Brand Personality
Brand Positioning
Corporate Values
Competitive Attributes
Target
[Add a short description of who is your target audience, market,
and profile].
2
Based on a template from SimulTrans
Suggestions:
Target Audience. The target audience is defined
as the group of people (potential customers) that our
product and marketing campaign are hoping to influence.
This target group determines the type of language to be
used in the localized material. Please adapt your style to the
corresponding text: legal, marketing, website, blogs, product.
Target Market. The target market refers to the Country,
State, Region, Industry, and your competition where the
product or service is going to be sold.
Target Profile. The target profile refers to the Male/Female,
Age group, Socio-economic profile, rural/urban of the
potential buyers. In some cases, the target profile will
have an impact on the style used in the target language.
For example, if the product is geared toward teenagers, a
more informal style and different terminology must be used.
Translation Material Objective
[Explain what is the objective of the material that you are sending
for translation].
Suggestion:
Company X have different objectives that we want to achieve.
This is some of the content that we send for translation and
their aim:
Awareness: Blogs, email templates, white papers, eBooks,
Case studies, etc. to make potential customers aware of our
brand, product, and service.
Promotion: website pages, CTA, landing pages with
promotional discounts, offers.
Compliance: Legal notices, privacy notices, cookies policy,
Human Resources content, etc.
Notifications: Internal communications, external notification
to customers, product updates, etc.
Tone of voice
[Pick one or two of the suggestions below that best match your
company’s values that can be reflected in the translations].
3
Based on a template from SimulTrans
Suggestions:
Visionary: Use a mix of shorter and longer sentences.
Make it sound as exciting and intriguing as you can.
Progressive: Sound active and avoid passive constructions.
Innovative: Do not use clichés and business jargon. Do not
copy our competitors.
Confident: Use language that it is simple and easy to
understand. Avoid unnecessarily complicated language.
Challenging: Get the message and feeling across that we
are challenging the accepted way of doing things.
Creative: We want people to pay attention to our message.
Human: Use 'we' and 'you' to make us sound more human,
avoid COMPANY X.
Integrity: Avoid ambiguous words. Make our intentions plain
by more conversational words.
Superlatives/Legal considerations
[Add any company specific considerations here].
Suggestion:
In most countries, it is not allowed to use superlatives especially in
marketing materials. Avoid using “the best” throughout your
translations.
Technical information
[Add any instructions regarding how to handle measurements,
time, etc. in each country here].
Suggestions:
Always convert measurement, time, weight etc. to the correct
equivalent format for your country.
Always convert Pounds to Kilos.
Always convert Miles to Kilometres.
Always convert date (day, month, year).
Always convert time to 24-hour clock.
Always convert Fahrenheit to Celsius
4
Based on a template from SimulTrans
Telephone numbers
[Add any instructions if any here].
Suggestion:
Follow each country’s guidelines for telephone numbers.
Model numbers in catalogue
[Add any company specific instructions regarding model parts,
placement of SKUs, catalogue specific information here].
Suggestion:
In the catalogue, model numbers must always come first, before
the name.
Numerals in tables
[Add any company specific instructions regarding numeral inside
tables here].
Suggestion:
In tables, please retain numerical numbers (1, 2, 3, 4…) like the
source. Do NOT write them out fully in the translation.
Packaging
[Add any company specific instructions here regarding packaging
instructions].
Suggestion:
Keep translation of packaging concise and short.
Use bullets whenever possible.
Here are a few examples:
Don’t use Use
Technical language
[Add any company specific technical language here that you would
like the translator to use].
5
Based on a template from SimulTrans
Here are a few examples:
Don’t use Use
Country specific grammar and stylistic issues
[Add any instructions regarding country specific grammar and style
if appropriate].
Suggestion:
Use new or reformed grammar and spelling rules for your
language/country on all occasions and avoid anglicisms.
Here are a few examples:
Don’t use Use
Hyphenation
[Add any instructions regarding hyphenation and style here].
Here are a few examples:
Don’t use Use
Punctuation and Quotation Marks
[Add any instructions if appropriate here].
Here are a few examples:
Don’t use Use
6
Based on a template from SimulTrans
Copyright and trademarks
[Add any instructions regarding how to handle application, product,
and feature names, here].
The names of all our applications and products are trademarked
or may be trademarked in the future, please do not translate.
As a rule, leave the English original name and keep the TM and ®
symbols. If in doubt, check with us to verity names and feature
names before you submit your translation.
Bias free language
[Add any instructions regarding how to handle gender and
stereotypes here].
Suggestion:
The language used should be as neutral as possible, avoid gender
differences and/or reinforcing stereotypical distinctions between
men and women, race or religion.
Acronyms and abbreviations
[Add any instructions regarding your preference regarding the use
of acronyms and abbreviations in your translated materials].
Suggestion:
Use the common abbreviations for your language. Note, however,
that we do not recommend extensive use of abbreviations.
Industry specific terminology
[Add any instructions regarding your preference for the use of
technical terminology in your translated materials].
Suggestion:
Use the same technical and industry specific language as
COMPANY X.
Avoid generic terminology.
Ensure that you have the latest translation memories for your
project.
Please use Company X bilingual glossary.
This glossary contains translated key terms used by our company
and related to our products such as:
Company-specific terms
Industry-specific terms
Audience-specific terms
7
Based on a template from SimulTrans
Keywords
Do not Translate terms
Reference materials
[Add any links to already translated materials (if available) or
relevant content that might aid a translator].
Suggestions:
Here are some links that can be used as references for translators:
Company website
Catalogues
Product descriptions
White Papers, eBooks, Case studies
Social Media
Contact information
[Add any links to the Contact Us webpage for your company,
or key people in your organization that are involved in translation
and can solve linguistic or stylistic queries regarding your
company’s product or style].
8
Based on a template from SimulTrans