EN 
DE 
ZH Client+Tech
Project Solutions
Translation is far more complex than a simple mechanical conversion from one language to another – and without a clear set of guidelines for translators, it can be very tricky to produce a translation that satisfies a client’s expectations. With that being said, it’s important to solidify and communicate these expectations in a written translation style guide.
formtell™ offers style guide creation to guarantee that clients receive homogenous and consistent industry and company-specific language. This also allows clients to save on in-house resources for adapting translated documents themselves. Style guides can of course be revised or expanded at any time.
formtell™ offers style guide creation to guarantee that clients receive homogenous and consistent industry and company-specific language. This also allows clients to save on in-house resources for adapting translated documents themselves. Style guides can of course be revised or expanded at any time.
The steps to creating a translation style guide:
➊ Brand Identity Overview
Please summarize the look and feel of the company or product. Who are you as a company? Who are your customers? How do you want your customers to think of you? What are your company values?
➋ Tone of Voice
Define the company’s personality and how that should come across in its copy. This is your chance to make your tone consistent and on-brand. This may differ per country/market so this needs to be customized per language. For example, is your tone light and fun? Is it serious and important? Is it posh and sophisticated?
➌ Copy-Writing Guide
This is your chance to document certain company specifics when writing on a per language basis. For example:
• Punctuation (spacing, type of quote marks used)
• Formatting (bolding, italicizing, trademarks, capitalization)
• Localization (how to deal with currencies, addresses, phone numbers, dates, opening hours, measurements)
• Do you use the informal or formal case (certain languages only)?
• How are titles or product names handled? Are they left in English or translated? How do you handle upper case vs. lower case in a product name or title?
• Punctuation (spacing, type of quote marks used)
• Formatting (bolding, italicizing, trademarks, capitalization)
• Localization (how to deal with currencies, addresses, phone numbers, dates, opening hours, measurements)
• Do you use the informal or formal case (certain languages only)?
• How are titles or product names handled? Are they left in English or translated? How do you handle upper case vs. lower case in a product name or title?
➍ Specific Instructions for Translators
This is your chance to speak directly with the translators about any specifics you want to include not covered before. Examples include:
• How far can the translators stray from the source copy? Should they be translating literally or trans-adapting to match the look and feel of the original writing?
• Do the translators need to be wary of any length limitations?
• How far can the translators stray from the source copy? Should they be translating literally or trans-adapting to match the look and feel of the original writing?
• Do the translators need to be wary of any length limitations?
The benefits to creating a translation style guide:
Engagement: Increase relevance to customers and prospects
The glossary, in particular, ensures that the terms used by you and your customers are translated properly into target languages. This is crucial for building and maintaining your brand’s reputation, establishing trust, and improving engagement.
Time: Get to market faster
The style guide and glossary reduce protracted discussions about how to handle certain terms or which voice is appropriate. They also reduce cycle times by negating the need for back-and-forth emails and calls with questions about basic rules. Your LSP’s team works faster and more accurately by accessing the guide and enforcing its rules during the localization process, instead of having to stop and wait for guidance from you.
Quality: Present a consistent message across markets
These assets also ensure consistency across markets, enabling you to maintain consistent brand messaging in any language. Providing your LSP with these guidelines empowers their language experts to localize and/or transcreate from the same core concepts, giving you one voice in many languages.
Cost: Reduce spend
Style guides and glossaries reduce confusion and rework by providing a standard, authoritative reference for your marketing and translation teams. Approximately 15% of all translation project costs arise from rework, and the primary cause of rework is inconsistent terminology.