Translation and Localization Style Guides

• Rule of Thumb for Translation Style Guides
• Elements of a Translation Style Guide
• Download Style Guides for Localization
• Download Style Guides from International Organizations

Effective translation style guides can vary in length and detail, as exemplified by the following downloadable style guides from the technology industry:

• Google’s Translation Style Guide: a single guide for all languages that is simple and concise
• Oracle and Sun’s Language Style Guides: guides in 8 languages, each of at least moderate length, French, Spanish, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Swedish
• Microsoft’s Language Style Guides: guides for 90+ languages, each of varying length

Other international organizations and governments with respectable translation teams have also made their translation style guides available online for download:

• The World Bank Translation Style Guide: English, French, Arabic, Spanish,Russian
• The European Commission Translation Style Guides: English, Danish, Finnish,Portuguese, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, and other languages