Download Afrikaans Style Guide

Afrikaans Style Guide
Contents
What's New? .................................................................................................................................... 4
New Topics ................................................................................................................................... 4
Updated Topics ............................................................................................................................ 4
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 5
About This Style Guide ................................................................................................................ 5
Scope of This Document .............................................................................................................. 5
Style Guide Conventions .............................................................................................................. 5
Sample Text ................................................................................................................................. 6
Recommended Reference Material ............................................................................................. 7
Normative References .............................................................................................................. 7
Informative References ............................................................................................................. 7
Language Specific Conventions ...................................................................................................... 9
Country/Region Standards ........................................................................................................... 9
Characters ................................................................................................................................ 9
Date ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Time ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Numbers ................................................................................................................................. 13
Sorting ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Geopolitical Concerns ................................................................................................................ 20
Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions ......................................................................... 21
Adjectives ................................................................................................................................ 21
Articles .................................................................................................................................... 21
Capitalization .......................................................................................................................... 22
Compounds............................................................................................................................. 23
Gender .................................................................................................................................... 24
Genitive ................................................................................................................................... 26
Modifiers ................................................................................................................................. 26
Nouns ...................................................................................................................................... 26
Prepositions ............................................................................................................................ 28
Pronouns ................................................................................................................................. 29
Punctuation ............................................................................................................................. 30
Singular & Plural ..................................................................................................................... 32
Split Infinitive ........................................................................................................................... 33
Subjunctive ............................................................................................................................. 33
Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces........................................................................................... 33
Syntax ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Verbs ....................................................................................................................................... 34
Word Order ............................................................................................................................. 36
Style and Tone Considerations .................................................................................................. 36
Audience ................................................................................................................................. 36
Style ........................................................................................................................................ 37
Tone ........................................................................................................................................ 37
Voice ....................................................................................................................................... 38
Localization Guidelines .................................................................................................................. 39
General Considerations ............................................................................................................. 39
Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... 39
Accessibility ............................................................................................................................ 40
Acronyms ................................................................................................................................ 40
Applications, Products, and Features ..................................................................................... 42
Frequent Errors ....................................................................................................................... 43
Glossaries ............................................................................................................................... 44
Fictitious Information ............................................................................................................... 45
Recurring Patterns .................................................................................................................. 45
Standardized Translations ...................................................................................................... 45
Unlocalized Items.................................................................................................................... 45
Using the Word Microsoft ....................................................................................................... 45
Software Considerations ............................................................................................................ 45
User Interface ......................................................................................................................... 46
Messages ................................................................................................................................ 48
Keys ........................................................................................................................................ 52
Document Translation Considerations ....................................................................................... 56
Titles ....................................................................................................................................... 56
Copyright ................................................................................................................................. 56
What's New?
Last Updated: February 2011
New Topics
The following topics were added:

n/a
Updated Topics
The following topics were updated:
 Another resource was added, without which a translator's library is incomplete, being "Skryf Afrikaans van
A tot Z" ,(see details in resource list).
4
Introduction
This Style Guide went through major revision in February 2011 in order to remove outdated and unnecessary
content. It contains information pertaining to all Microsoft products and services.
About This Style Guide
The purpose of this Style Guide is to provide everybody involved in the localization of Afrikaans Microsoft
products with Microsoft-specific linguistic guidelines and standard conventions that differ from or are more
prescriptive than those found in language reference materials. These conventions have been adopted after
considering context based on various needs, but above all, they are easy to follow and applicable for all types of
software to be localized.
The Style Guide covers the areas of formatting, grammatical conventions, as well as stylistic criteria. It also
presents the reader with a general idea of the reasoning behind the conventions. The present Style Guide is a
revision of our previous Style Guide version with the intention of making it more standardized, more structured,
and easier to use as a reference.
The guidelines and conventions presented in this Style Guide are intended to help you localize Microsoft products
and materials. We welcome your feedback, questions and concerns regarding the Style Guide. You can send us
your feedback via the Microsoft Language Portal feedback page.
Scope of This Document
This Style Guide is intended for the localization professional working on Microsoft products. It is not intended to
be a comprehensive coverage of all localization practices, but to highlight areas where Microsoft has preference
or deviates from standard practices for Afrikaans localization.
Style Guide Conventions
In this document, a plus sign (+) before a translation example means that this is the recommended correct
translation. A minus sign (-) is used for incorrect translation examples.
In Microsoft localization context, the word term is used in a slightly untraditional sense, meaning the same as e.g.
a segment in Trados. The distinguishing feature of a term here is that it is translated as one unit; it may be a
traditional term (as used in terminology), a phrase, a sentence, or a paragraph.
References to interface elements really only refer to translatable texts associated with those interface elements.
Example translations in this document are only intended to illustrate the point in question. They are not a source
of approved terminology. Always check for approved translation in the Microsoft terminology database.
5
Sample Text
Tel. (039) 441-6347 (W)
Boomstraat 12
NUWELAND
7700
12 Januarie 2010
Mnr. P.J. von Bezerk
TshwaneMetroraad
Posbus 10810
BRUISVILLE
2017
Meneer
AANSOEK OM BETREKKING: INTERNE VERTALER
In reaksie op u advertensie in Beeld (7 Desember 1999) doen ek hiermee graag aansoek om die bogenoemde
betrekking.
In paragraaf twee kom die aansoeker se opleiding en kwalifikasies ter sprake, asook waar hy/sy studeer het en
wat sy/haar hoogste kwalifikasies is. Datums moet ook genoem word asook watter tale die aansoeker magtig is.
Indien die aansoeker tans werk het (en indien nie, verwys na vorige ondervinding), moet melding daarvan
gemaak word (waar en hoe lank) en wat die besoldiging is. Sou die voornemende werkgewer dit vereis, kan die
aansoeker hier noem watter salaris hy/sy verlang.
Nou moet die aansoeker na die advertensie verwys en die persoonlike besonderhede wat vereis word aanvul, t.w.
kan onder druk werk, dra kennis van die media, ouderdom, besit motor/bestuurderslisensie, ens.
Sou die aansoeker oor ander bevoegdhede beskik waarna daar nie gevra word nie, maar wat die voornemende
werknemer ‘n vollediger beeld van die aansoeker gee, kan paragraaf vyf hiervoor gebruik word (bv. Dra kennis
van kopieregte, goeie fotograaf, lid van ‘n organisasie soos SAVI, kerkbywoning, ens.).
Vind hierby aangeheg gewaarmerkte kopieë van my sertifikate en ‘n getuigskrif van (moenie meer as vier byvoeg
nie, plaas dit in ‘n genommerde lys): Naam, posisie en kontakbesonderhede (e-posadres, telefoon- en
faksnommer). Terloops kan die belangrikheid van ‘n ordentlike curriculum vitae nie oorbeklemtoon word nie. Dit
moet saamgestel word met die voornemende werknemer in gedagte. ‘n Aansoekbrief soos hierdie een (wat liefs
6
getik as met die hand geskryf moet wees) gee die voornemende werknemer net in breë trekke ‘n idee van die
aansoeker.
Ek vertrou dat my aansoek gunstig oorweeg sal word en sien uit daarna om van u te hoor.
Die uwe
W ILFREDMILES
Geskep op 28 Januarie 2011 om10:52.
Source: Kunsmatig aangepas uit: Carstens, W.A.M. 2003 Norme vir Afrikaans Pretoria: Van Schaik Uitgewers.
Recommended Reference Material
Use the Afrikaans language and terminology as described and used in the following publications.
Normative References
These normative sources must be adhered to. Any deviation from them automatically fails a string in most cases.
When more than one solution is allowed in these sources, look for the recommended one in other parts of the
Style Guide.
1. Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. 2009. Afrikaanse woordelys en spelreëls. 10de uitgawe.
Kaapstad: Pharos.
10
It is absolutely crucial to follow this source [―Afrikaans spelling list and spelling rules‖ – henceforth AWS ]
carefully, consistently and conservatively. Should there ever be differences between spelling and/or
orthographic styling (i.e., whether a certain group of lexical elements is written as one word [a compound
word] or as separate words), the AWS takes precedence in all cases. This is particularly true of the Cyber
Dictionary/Kuberwoordeboek (Protea: 2006), in which several errors in this respect occur.
2. The MS glossaries prepared for this Windows 7 localization and translation project.
Informative References
These sources are meant to provide supplementary information, background, comparison, etc.
1.
Viljoen, HC (ed.), Du Plooy, NF and Murray, S. 2006. Kuberwoordeboek/Cyber Dictionary (AfrikaansEnglish/English-Afrikaans).Pretoria: Protea Boekhuis.
2.
Nasionale Vakterminologiediens. 1989. Woordeboek van biblioteekkundige, inligtingkundige en verwante
terme/Dictionary of library science, information science and related terms. Pretoria: Staatsdrukker.
3.
Du Plessis, M (red.). 2005. Pharos Afrikaans-Engels-Engels-Afrikaanse woordeboek. Kaapstad: Pharos.
4.
Botha, WJ (hoofred.). 2005. Elektroniese WAT (A–Q). Stellenbosch: Buro van die WAT.
7
OR
Botha, WJ (hoofred.). 1955–2009. Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (A–R). Stellenbosch: Buro van
die WAT.
5.
Odendal, FF, & Gouws, RH (reds.). 2005. HAT: Verklarende handwoordeboek van die Afrikaanse taal.
5de uitgawe. Kaapstad: Maskew Miller Longman.
OR
Odendal, FF, & Gouws, RH (reds.). 2009. e-HAT: verklarende handwoordeboek van die Afrikaanse taal.
5de uitgawe. Kaapstad: Maskew Miller Longman.
6.
Van Huyssteen, G.B. (hoofred.). 2005. Afrikaanse speltoetser 3.0, Tesourus 1.0, Woordafbreker.
Potchefstroom: Sentrum vir Tekstegnologie.
7.
Mùller, Dalene. 2003. Skryf Afrikaans van A tot Z.Kaapstad: Pharos.
8.
Carstens, WAM. 2003. Norme vir Afrikaans. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
9.
De Villiers, M. 1983. Afrikaanse grammatika vir volwassenes. Goodwood: Nasou.
10.
De Villiers, M. 1971. Die grammatika van tyd en modaliteit. 2de verbeterde uitgawe. Kaapstad: A.A.
Balkema.
11.
Botha, T.J.R. 1989. Inleiding tot die Afrikaanse Taalkunde. Pretoria: Academica.
12.
Combrink, J, & Spies, J. 1994. SARA: Sakboek van regte Afrikaans. Kaapstad: Tafelberg.
13.
Prinsloo, AF, & Odendaal, FF. 1995. Afrikaans op sy beste. Pretoria: JL van Schaik.
8
Language Specific Conventions
This part of the style guide contains information about standards specific to Afrikaans.
Country/Region Standards
Characters
Country/region
South Africa
Lower-case characters
a, á, ä, b, c, d, e, ê, ë, é, è, f, g, h, i, î, ï, ì, j, k, l, m, n, o, ó, ô, ñ, p, q, r, s, t, u, ø,
ù, ö, v, w, x, y, z
Upper-case characters
A, Á, Ä, B, C, D, E, Ê, Ë, É, È, F, G, H, I, Î, Ï, Í, J, K, L, M, N, O, Ô, Ö, Ó, P, Q, R,
S, T, U, Û, Ü, Ú, V, W, X, Y, Z
Characters in caseless
scripts
n/a
Extended Latin characters
n/a
Note on alphabetical order
Alphabetical order is not necessarily indicative of sorting order.
Total number of characters
41
Unicode codes
a (97); A (65); à (224); À (192); ä (228); Ä (196); b (98); B (66); c (99); C (67); d
(100); D (68); e (101); E (69); ê (234); Ê (202); ë (235); Ë (203); é (233); É (201);
è (232); È (200); f (102); F (70); g (103); G (71); h (104); H (72); i (105); I (73); î
(238); Î (206); ï (239); Ï (207); ì (237); Í (205); j (106); J (74); k (107); K (75); l
(108); L (76); m (109); M (77); n (110); N (78); o (111); O (79); ó (244); Ô (212);
ô (246); Ö (214); ñ (243); Ó (211); p (112); P (80); q (113); Q (81); r (114); R
(82); s (115); S (83); t (116); T (84); u (117); U (85); ø (251); Û (219); ù (252); Ü
(220); ö (250); Ú (218); v (118); V (86); w (119); W (87); x (120); X (88); y (121);
Y (89); z (122); Z (90)
Notes
Vowels may take other diacritics as well (e.g. â, à, í, ò, ÷) but then mostly in loan
words or proper names spelt in their original form. Some additional consonants
may be used for the same reasons, e.g. ç, Ç or ð.
9
Date
Country/region
South Africa
Calendar/Era
Christian / Common Era
First Day of the Week
Sunday
First Week of the Year
Week starting on 1 January
Separator
-
Default Short Date
Format
yyyy-MM-dd
Example
2011-03-17
Default Long Date Format dd-MM-yyyy
Example
17-03-2011
Additional Short Date
Format 1
yy-MM-dd
Example
11-03-17
Additional Short Date
Format 2
n/a
Example
n/a
Additional Long Date
Format 1
n/a
Example
n/a
Additional Long Date
Format 2
n/a
Example
n/a
Leading Zero in Day Field
for Short Date Format
Yes
Leading Zero in Month
Field for Short Date
Format
Yes
No. of digits for year for
Short Day Format
4
Leading Zero in Day Field
Yes
10
Country/region
South Africa
for Long Date Format
Leading Zero in Month
Field for Long Date
Format
Yes
Number of digits for year
for Long Day Format
4
Date Format for
Correspondence
dd MMMM yyyy or yyyy-MM-dd
Example
17 March 2011 or 2011-03-17

Notes


Although Sunday has traditionally been considered the first day of the week
there is a tendency to use Monday as the first day, such as for printed
calendars. Also, the working week starts on a Monday.
(-) d/M/yy or d/M/yyyy[not recommended]
(-) 17/3/11 or 17/3/2011[not recommended]
d is for day, number of d's indicates the format (d = digits without leading zero, dd =
digits with leading zero, ddd = the abbreviated day name, dddd = full day name)
Abbreviations in Format
Codes
M is for month, number of M's gives number of digits. (M = digits without leading
zero, MM = digits with leading zero, MMM = the abbreviated name, MMMM = full
name)
y is for year, number of y's gives number of digits (yy = two digits, yyyy = four digits)
Time
Country/region
South Africa
24 hour format
Yes
Standard time format
HH:mm:ss
Standard time format
example
03:24:12
Time separator
:(colon)
Time separator examples
03:24:12
Hours leading zero
Yes
Hours leading zero example
03:24:12
String for AM designator
vm. (9 vm. / 9.30 vm.)
11
Country/region
South Africa
String for PM designator
nm. (6 nm. / 6.15 nm.)

The AM/PM designators are still used sometimes (examples above), as
is the designator ―h‖ in the 24-hour system (e.g. ―15h30‖). None of these
is recommended.
Notes
Days
Country/region: South Africa
Day
Normal Form
Abbreviation
Monday
Maandag
Ma.
Tuesday
Dinsdag
Di.
Wednesday
Woensdag
Wo.
Thursday
Donderdag
Do.
Friday
Vrydag
Vr.
Saturday
Saterdag
Sa.
Sunday
Sondag
So.
First Day of Week: Sunday
Is first letter capitalized?: Yes
Notes: When the date is to appear in a full sentence, it is better to write it out in full too (without comma or year),
e.g. Die vergadering sal op Vrydag 20 April plaasvind.
Months
Country/region:South Africa
Month
Full Form
Abbreviated Form
Long Date Vorm
January
Januarie
Jan.
Januarie
February
Februarie
Feb.
Februarie
March
Maart
Mrt.
Maart
April
April
Apr.
April
May
Mei
Mei
Mei
12
Month
Full Form
Abbreviated Form
Long Date Vorm
June
Junie
Jun.
Junie
July
Julie
Jul.
Julie
August
Augustus
Aug.
Augustus
September
September
Sep.
September
October
Oktober
Okt.
Oktober
November
November
Nov.
November
December
Desember
Des.
Desember
Is first letter capitalized?: Yes
Notes: n/a
Numbers
Phone Numbers
Country/
region
International
Dialing
Code
Area
Codes
Used?
Number of
Digits – Area
Codes
Separator
Number of
Digits –
Domestic
Digit
Groupings –
Domestic
South
Africa
27
Yes
3
Space
10
### ### ####
Country/
region
Number of
Digits –
Local
Digit
Groupings
– Local
Number of
Digits – Mobile
Digit
Groupings –
Mobile
Number of
Digits –
International
Digit
Groupings –
International
South
Africa
10
### ###
####
10
### ###
####
11
+27 ## ###
####
Notes: Area codes are sometimes indicated in brackets, but this is no longer recommended.
Addresses
Country/region:South Africa
Disclaimer: Please note that the information in this entry should under no circumstances be used in examples as
fictitious information.
Address Format:
13
1. [Title/Honorific] Initials[FirstName] LastName
2. [CompanyName]
3. Address1
4. [Address2]
5. PostalCode City
6. [Country]
Example Address:
Mnr. AB Smit
Beste Rekenaars (Edms.) Bpk.
Posbus 1234
0003 Pretoria
[Republiek van Suid-Afrika]
Local Postal Code Format: xxxx
Notes:




Instead of initials, first name may be used.
PO Box number may be replaced by a street address (and the number of the property appears after the
name of the street).
Postal code before city name or on line below city name.
Country name required only when posted outside South Africa.
Currency
Country/region
South Africa
Currency Name
South African Rand
Currency Symbol
R
Currency Symbol Position
Appears before the amount
Positive Currency Format
R192,35
Negative Sign Symbol
-R
Negative Currency Format
-R192,35
Decimal Symbol
,
Number of Digits after Decimal
2
Digit Grouping Symbol
Space
Number of Digits in Digit
Grouping
3
Positive Currency Example
R192 000 300,00
14
Negative Currency Example
-R192 000 300,00
ISO Currency Code
ZAR
Currency Subunit Name
Cent
Currency Subunit Symbol
C
Currency Subunit Example
56c
Digit Groups
Country/region: South Africa
Decimal Separator:,
Decimal Separator Description: Comma
Decimal Separator Example: 75,05
Thousand Separator: Space
Thousand Separator Description: Space
Thousand Separator Example: 1 765 234
Notes:In Afrikaans, the comma is used as a decimal separator (in the currency as well) and a space to separate
groups of three digits. This is a legal requirement in South Africa.
Measurement Units
Metric System Commonly Used?: Yes
Temperature: Celsius
Category
English
Translation
Abbreviation
Linear Measure
Kilometer
kilometer
Km
Meter
meter
M
Decimeter
n/a
n/a
Centimeter
sentimeter
Cm
Millimeter
millimeter
MM
Hectoliter
hektoliter
hℓ
Liter
liter
ℓ
Deciliter
n/a
n/a
Centiliter
n/a
n/a
Capacity
15
Category
Mass
English Units of
Measurement
English
Translation
Abbreviation
Milliliter
milliliter
Millilitre
Ton
ton
T
Kilogram
kilogram
Kg
Pound
pond
lb.
Gram
gram
G
Decigram
n/a
n/a
Centigram
n/a
n/a
Milligram
milligram
Mg
Inch
duim
dm.
Feet
voet
vt.
Mile
myl
m.
Gallon
gelling
gell.
Notes:The British units of measurement are no longer (officially) used in South Africa, but the names and
abbreviations are still known, mainly in a historical context. South Africa uses the metrical system and not the
imperial or US system (e.g. yards, inches, pints) still prevalent in the UK and USA.
In addition to common measurements such as km, m, cm, mm, and so on, the abbreviations in the following table
are used in the product user interface and in technical documentation.
Measurement
English
abbreviation
Afrikaans
abbreviation
Comment/Example
Gigabyte
GB
gig, GG
Two options
Gigabit
GBit
Gbis
Kilobyte
KB
kG
Kilobit
Kbit
kbis
Megabyte
MB
meg, MG
Megabit
MBit
Mbis
Terabyte
TB
TG
Terabit
TBit
Tbis
Note lower-case k
Two options
16
Measurement
English
abbreviation
Afrikaans
abbreviation
Comment/Example
Bits per second
Bit/s
bis/s
Use same type for similar
measurements, e.g. frames per
second => F/s
Megabits per second
MBit/s or Mbps
Mbis/s, Mbps
Kilobits per second
KBit/s or Kbps
kbis/s, kbps
Bytes per second
B/s
G/s
Megabytes per second
MB/s
MG/s
Kilobytes per second
KB/s
kG/s
Note lower-case k
Point
Pt.
pt.
No plural vorm
Inch
―
dm., "
" is acceptable in tables, sets of
figures, etc., but not in body text.
Megahertz
MHz
MHz
Hertz
Hz
Hz
Note lower-case k
Use numerals for all measurements. This is true whether the measurement is spelled out, abbreviated, or
replaced by a symbol. Numerals are also used for coordinates in tables or worksheets and for numbered sections
of documents. Avoid beginning a sentence with a numeral.
The default numerical system in South Africa is the metric (SI) system. For detailed information about the styling
10
of numerals and symbols, see Chapter 7 of AWS . Pay particular attention to the use of spaces and hyphens.
Note that in South Africa the decimal separator is a comma, and commas should therefore never be used to
separate groups of three digits. Note, also, the difference between numbers containing more than three digits and
dates (years), on the one hand, and figures on the other. In figures digits are divided in groups of three by means
of spaces, e.g. ―1 234 567 kB‖, but ―Stand No. 1234 is for sale‖ and ―In the year 1066 England was invaded‖.
English example
Afrikaans example
Envelope 110x230 mm.
(+)Koevert 110 x 230 mm
5x7 photo paper
(+)5x7-fotopapier
Please type a port number between 1 and 65535.
(+)Tik asseblief ‘n poortnommer tussen 1 en 65 535
in.
6 months
(+)6 maande
17
Percentages
•
Ensure that all percentages added together do not add up to more than 100.
•
Ensure that a percentage decrease is not more than 100.
Sorting
Sorting rules
1. Capital letters and lowercase letters are equal. No distinction is made between them.
However, if two words are spelt exactly the same, but one begins with a capital letter, that
one should appear first.
2. The extended characters are treated as separate letters of the alphabet.
3. Accented characters sort after their non-accented counterparts, so á sorts after a.
4. Diacritics are sorted in the following order: á, à, â, ä etc. (acute, grave, caret, dieresis).
There are no prescribed rules for this. Different publishers may follow different systems, but
consistency in a particular environment is crucial.
5. Non-alphabetical characters (i.e. symbols like @ ! #) sort before the letters of the alphabet.
6. Digits sort after the non-alphabetical characters and before the letters of the alphabet.
Character
sorting order
a (0061); A (0041); à (00E0); À (00C0); ä (00E4); Ä (00C4); b (0062); B (0042); c (0063); C
(0043); d (0064); D (0044); e (0065); E (0045); ê (00EA); Ê (00CA); ë (00EB); Ë (00CB); é
(00E9); É (00C9); è (00E8); È (00C8); f (0066); F (0046); g (0067); G (0047); h (0068); H
(0048); i (0069); I (0049); î (00EE); Î (00CE); ï (00EF); Ï (00CF); ì (00ED); Í (00CD); j (006A); J
(004A); k (006B); K (004B); l (006C); L (004C); m (006D); M (004D); n (006E); N (004E); o
(006F); O (004F); ó (00F4); Ô (00D4); ô (00F6); Ö (00D6); ñ (00F3); Ó (00D3); p (0070); P
(0050); q (0071); Q (0051); r (0072); R (0052); s (0073); S (0053); t (0074); T (0054); u (0075);
U (0055); ø (00FB); Û (00DB); ù (00FC); Ü (00DC); ö (00FA); Ú (00DA); v (0076); V (0056); w
(0077); W (0057); x (0078); X (0058); y (0079); Y (0059); z (007A); Z (005A)
@
1
Aaron
andere
ändere
chaque
chemin
Examples of
sorted words
cote
coté
cóte
cóté
čučēt
Czech
hiša
irdisch
18
lävi
lie
lire
llama
lõug
Lôwen
lòza
Lùbeck
luč
luck
lye
Männer
màšta
mîr
môchten
myndig
piða
pint
pylon
sämtlich
šàran
savoir
Šerbūra
Sietla
ślub
subtle
symbol
väga
verkehrt
vox
waffle
wood
yen
yuan
yucca
19
ţal
ţena
Ţenēva
zoo
Zùrich
Zviedrija
zysk
zzlj
zzlz]
zznj
zznz
Geopolitical Concerns
Part of the cultural adaptation of the US-product to a specific market is the resolving of geopolitical issues. While
the US-product should have been designed and developed with neutrality and a global audience in mind, the
localized product should respond to the particular situation that applies within the target country/region.
Sensitive issues or issues that might potentially be offensive to the users in the target country/region may occur in
any of the following:

Maps

Flags

Country/region, city and language names

Art and graphics
 Cultural content, such as encyclopedia content and other text where historical or political references may
occur
Some of these issues are relatively easy to verify and resolve: the objective should be for the localizer to always
have the most current information available. Maps and other graphic representations of countries/regions and
regions should be checked for accuracy and existing political restrictions. Country/region, city and language
names change on a regular basis and need to be checked, even if previously approved.
A thorough understanding of the culture of the target market is required for checking the appropriateness of
cultural content, clip art and other visual representations of religious symbols, body and hand gestures.
Guideline
As country/region and city names can change, please use the most up-to-date Afrikaans list for every release of
your product.
20
Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions
This section includes information on how to apply the general rules of the Afrikaans language to Microsoft
products and documentation.
Adjectives
Should an adjective appear before a noun its function is attributive. If, on the other hand, it appears after the
noun, its function is predicative.
Example of attributive function: (+) Die duur rekenaar.
Example of predicative function: (+) Die berekening lyk ingewikkeld.
Possessive adjectives
Many error messages in English vary with regard to the use of articles, demonstrative and possessive pronouns.
Please be consistent in how you deal with such variation in Afrikaans.
While it is possible in Afrikaans to follow the omission of articles and possessive pronouns of the English, it may
sound odd at times. Articles (both definite and indefinite) should be retained as far as possible. Avoid the secondperson possessive pronouns as far as possible and replace them with an article, provided, of course, that that the
sentence remains idiomatic for the mother-tongue speaker of Afrikaans.
English example
Afrikaans example
Explanation
File already exists
(+) Die lêer bestaan reeds.
In complete sentences, use
determiners consistently even if the
US string does not.
Not enough memory to complete
this operation.
(+) Geheue onvoldoende om die
bewerking te voltooi.
No need to use a demonstrative
construction, unless it is important
in context.
Windows Vista cannot start your
system. If the problem persists,
contact your network administrator.
(+) Windows Vista kan nie die
stelsel begin nie. As die probleem
voortduur, kontak die
netwerkadministrateur.
Avoid using possessive marker
―your‖ unless ownership is
important in context.
The file already exists
This file already exists
Articles
General considerations
Afrikaans makes use of the indefinite article ― ‘n‖ and ―die‖. The former always appears in the lower case, even at
the beginning of sentences, e.g. ‘n Mooi dag.
21
Unlocalized Feature Names
Microsoft product names and non-translated feature names are used without definite or indefinite articles in the
English language. They are treated in the same way in Afrikaans, e.g."Leer meer oor jou Bluetooth-foon."
Localized Feature Names
Translated feature names are handled in the same way as unlocalized feature names, they are therefore not used
with a definite or indefinite article, e.g. "Leer meer oor Kalender".
Articles for English Borrowed Terms
When faced with an English loan word previously used in Microsoft products, consider the following options:



Motivation: Does the English word have any formally motivated features that would allow a
straightforward integration into the noun class system of Afrikaans language?
o Names that usually appear in Western script, remain as such, e.g. Bill Gates.
Analogy: Is there an equivalent Afrikaans term whose article could be used?
Frequency: Is the term used in other technical documentation? If so, what article is used most often?
The internet may be a helpful reference here.
Example: Loanwords (nouns/terms) are not usually defined by an article, e.g. "HTML-formaat".
Capitalization
Some strings are concatenated ―at run-time‖ and you will occasionally find strings that seem to lack a subject or
simply start in the middle. Be careful not to start such strings with an upper-case letter, unless the spelling rules of
your language require it.
Example of a string:
is trying to connect to this computer. If you allow, you will be disconnected, but you can resume later. Do you want
to allow this connection?\r\n
10
The ordinary Afrikaans syntactical use of capital letters should be followed, as set out in Chapter 9 of AWS . This
means that normally only the initial word of a sentence and proper nouns are capitalised (subject to the
instructions in the paragraphs above). Note, in particular, the following:
1.
If a sentence (i.e. either a full sentence or an abbreviated/truncated sentence, but not a concatenated
string referred to above) starts with a symbol, number, figure etc., the following word is lower case (except
proper nouns).
2.
If more than one option (word, phrase) are given as run-ons below an introductory phrase, the run-on
options start with a lower-case letter. If, however, the ―list‖ does not consist of run-ons, but merely of
―independent‖ items (typically following ―die volgende:‖ or ―byvoorbeeld:‖), these start with a capital letter.
22
3.
Note that an initial indefinite article (‘n) always remains lower case, the following word having an initial
capital. Care should be taken not to allow an automatic capitalization function to capitalize the Afrikaans
indefinite article ― ‘n ‖ [Eng.: ―a‖] at the beginning of sentences.
4.
When a common noun refers to a command, button or something similar, that should retain its capital
letters, e.g. ―Indien jy wil voortgaan, klik Ja.‖ or ―Gaan na Opsies om te sien watter keuses daar is.‖
English example
Afrikaans example
unknown software exception\r\n
(+)onbekende programmatuuruitsondering\h\n
acquired
(+)Verkry
Log off user
(+)Teken gebruiker af
Edit...
(+)Redigeer …
Many more nouns and verbs are capitalized in the English source string than would normally be expected. You
should not try to mimic the capitalization in the source strings, but use your knowledge of the spelling conventions
of Afrikaans to decide which words in a string to capitalize and which to leave lower-case. Over-capitalization is
10
awkward and leads to inconsistencies in the UI. Refer to Chapter 9 of AWS .
Should an English noun be capitalized in the source string and be translated by two words in the target language,
be consistent in capitalizing either both words, or neither word, or capitalize one word and not the other. Be
consistent in the application of spelling rules. This is especially important when such a translation consists of or
contains Afrikaans phrasal verbs (separable verbs), e.g. ―gaan uit‖ or ―skakel af‖. If a button or command consist
of such a verb only, the first part only should be capitalized, e.g. ―Gaan uit‖ or ―Skakel af‖.
Compounds
Generally, compounds should be understandable and clear to the user. Overly long or complex compounds
should be avoided. Keep in mind that unintuitive compounds are ultimately an intelligibility and usability issue.
Noun and verb compounds are a frequent word formation strategy in English. Product user interfaces, online help,
and documentation contain a number of such examples. However, not all languages use compounding to create
complex word meanings.
An illustrative list of various types of compounds that may be formed in Afrikaans is provided under 14.3 in
10
AWS .
10
Afrikaans uses compounding extensively to form (new) words. This matter is dealt with in detail in AWS ,
especially Chapters 12 (Koppeltekens) and 14 (Skryfwyse – los en vas) and various well-cross-referenced places,
e.g. 5.6, 7.1 and 7.2. These rules should be followed strictly, consistently and conservatively.
23
Hyphens play an important role in the spelling system of Afrikaans, and special care should be taken with their
use. See Ch. 12 (Koppeltekens – ―Hyphens‖) of AWS10.






Never use an en dash instead of a hyphen, or a hyphen where an en dash is appropriate. Note that MS
Word tends to change a ―place-holder‖ hyphen before a word (i.e. space-hyphen-word in, for instance,
―staatskole en -hospitale‖) to a dash. Care should be taken to prevent this from happening; alternatively, a
hard hyphen (Ctrl + Shift + hyphen) should be used.
In its normal function of combining word elements, a hyphen should not have a space on either side. For
cases where there should be a space before or after a hyphen, see rules 12.24 and 12.25 of AWS10.
Special attention should be paid to consistent and systematic hyphen use – under no circumstances
should this become a random affair. Consistency is important not only in different occurrences of the
same compound word or term, but also different words or terms of the same type.
Special attention should be paid to hyphen use in compounds containing an abbreviation or acronym.
See for instance 12.8–12.11, AWS10.
Hyphens should be used conservatively, but in long compounds (four roots or more) hyphens may be
used to enhance readability or comprehensibility at first glance. Care should be taken when inserting this
type of hyphen, since its position will influence understanding of the compound by causing semantic
―grouping‖.
Note that where AWS10 allows various possibilities in compounds containing proper nouns (14.6–14.12)
the hyphenated variant (i.e. proper noun + hyphen + lower-case common noun) is the preferred form for
Windows 7.
Generally, compounds should be understandable and clear to the user. Overly long or complex compounds
should be avoided by verbally expressing the relationship among the various compound components. Keep in
mind that unintuitive compounds are ultimately an intelligibility and usability issue. While long(ish) compound
nouns are common in Afrikaans, one should always consider the option of paraphrasing, provided it can be done
effectively and without too much circumlocution.
English examples
Afrikaans example
Internet Accounts
(+)Internetrekening
Logon script processing
(+)Aantekenskripverwerking
Workgroup Administrator
(+)Werkgroepadministrateur
Internet News Server Name
(+)Internetnuus-bedienernaam
Gender
You should always recognize your audience‘s sensitivity to male and female stereotypes. Instead of stressing
gender differences or reinforcing stereotypical distinctions between men and women, use language that is as
24
neutral as possible. The neutral approach also applies to the localization of scenarios, comparisons, examples,
illustrations, and metaphors.
Create a balance when assigning roles and functions to men and women (active vs. passive roles, leading vs.
secondary roles, technical vs. non-technical professions, and so on). Scenarios, pictures, metaphors, and
comparisons should be based on areas and attributes common to both genders.
Instead of using phrases which mention the two genders separately, use a general term that includes both
genders such as ―mense‖, ―gebruikers‖ or ―persone‖.
Avoid writing sentences that refer to a single person whose gender is unknown. You can often avoid this situation
by rewriting the sentence to make the subject plural. In cases where a reference to a single person is impossible
to avoid, use ―hy of sy‖, ―sy of haar‖ or ―hom of haar‖. The language in Microsoft products should, however, sound
natural, as if part of a spoken conversation. Also, generally avoid the use of slashes to combine both genders
(although sometimes exceptions are made - see table below).
Use the following strategies to avoid the use of overtly gender-based expressions:
Linguistic method
Example
Context
Use a Neutral noun
(+)persoon, leier, spanleier,
deskundige, werknemer, gebruiker
Concept descriptions, explanations
Combine both genders by means
of a slash
(+)hy/sy, sy/haar, hom/haar
Only in exceptional cases such as
License Terms, sometimes in
tables (headers or column/row
titles, for example)
Special Afrikaans notes:
1.
In Afrikaans, it is NOT acceptable to use a plural pronoun if the antecedent is singular, e.g. ―Die
gebruiker moet hulle vergewis van die inhoud van die lisensiekontrak‖ is not acceptable, even though
this is increasingly done in English. (The only exception to this rule may occur when the antecedent is
nominally singular but notionally plural, e.g. some collective nouns.) Therefore, the use of a plural
pronoun with a singular antecedent is not an acceptable way of avoiding gender-specific language.
2.
Afrikaans uses the masculine pronoun (hy/sy/hom) to refer to non-human objects, and not the nonpersonal (neuter) pronoun dit, e.g.


(+) Die rekenaar werk nie want sy hardeskyf is stukkend. (The PC doesn‘t work because its hard disk
is broken)
(+) Die motor kan nie ry nie want hy het nie ‘n battery nie.(The car won‘t go because it doesn‘t have a
battery.)
25

(+) Die hond het vir hom ‘n skaduplekkie gesoek. (The dog found itself a patch of shade.)
The non-personal pronoun ―dit‖ is used, of course, but mostly as sentence or clause subject or object.
Please also note that this idiomatic usage of the masculine pronoun concerns grammatical gender and
not biological gender. There is therefore no need to try to avoid it because it is (mistakenly) seen as sexist
or non-inclusive language.
3.
The relative pronoun ―who‖ is translated as ―wat‖ [= ‗that, which‘] irrespective of whether its antecedent is
human or non-human, except when the relative pronoun is accompanied by a preposition or the particle
―se‖ (the possessive particle), in which case ―wie‖ [= ‗who, whose‘] is used, e.g.





(+) Die program wat gebruik word, is verouderd. (The program that is used is obsolete.)
(+) Iemand wat die lisensievoorwaardes oortree, sal… (Someone who does not comply with …)
(+) ‘n Gebruiker wat sukkel, kan die hulplyn gebruik. (A user experiencing problems may use the help
line.)
(+) ‘n Gebruiker wie se rekenaar te klein is, gaan sukkel. (A user whose PC is too small …)
(+) Die mense na wie jy soek, is … (The people you‘re looking for are …)
Genitive
This section does not apply to Afrikaans.
Modifiers
This section does not apply to Afrikaans.
Nouns
General considerations
Many languages differentiate between different noun classes based on features such as animacy, shape, gender,
and so on. English loan words must be integrated into the noun class system of your language. When faced with
an English loan word not previously used in Microsoft products, consider the following options:
1. Motivation: Does the English word have any formally motivated features that would allow a
straightforward integration into the noun class system of your language?
2. Analogy: Is there an equivalent Afrikaans term that could be used to justify the noun class the noun gets
assigned to?
3. Frequency: Is the term used in other technical documentation? If so, what noun class is it assigned to
most often? The Internet may be a helpful reference here.
If the choice of noun class is left up to you, ensure that you provide consistent translations within the Microsoft
product. Please consult with your translation team lead and team members to decide what noun class to assign.
26
Afrikaans does not have noun classes in this sense, nor will it use loan word/terms other than those that
are well established in the language and hardly recognized as such any more.
English example
Afrikaans example
Delete it from server.
(+)Skrap dit uit die bediener.
Enter a password to log into the server
(+)Tik ‘n wagwoord in om op die bediener aan te
teken.
DNS cannot resolve the server IP address
(+)DNS kan nie die bediener-IP-adres oplos nie.
Verify the name of the server‘s certificate
(+)Verifieer die naam van die bedienersertifikaat.
The examples below show how English loanwords inflect for number in Afrikaans.
English example
Afrikaans example + plural
CD
(+)CD – CD‘s
CD-ROM
(+)CD-ROM – CD-ROM‘e of CD-ROM‘s
HTML
(+)HTML – HTML‘e
HTTP
(+)HTTP – HTTP‘s
SIM
(+)SIM – SIM‘s
English example
Afrikaans example
Clients
N/A
Websites
N/A
Downloads
N/A
Proxys
N/A
Administrators
N/A
Inflection
This section does not apply to Afrikaans.
27
Plural Formation
Refer to AWS for rules relating to plural formation. The apostrophe is used for the plural form in each of the
following:
•
for abbreviations, e.g. TV's, 1990's
•
degrees and diplomas, e.g. B.Ed.'s
•
single letters (e.g. b’s),
•
dates (the year),e.g. 1980's
•
digits, e.g. 10'e, gr. 8's
Prepositions
Prepositional phrases in English need to be translated according to their context; anglicisms should be avoided.
The table below contains frequently used verbs and the prepositions that follow them. Please use this table as a
reference.
This is a particularly problematic area, because some verbs used transitively in English cannot be so used in
Afrikaans, and then something needs to be added or changed in translation, for instance migrate cannot be used
transitively in Afrikaans, and so a link verb like laat needs to be added: laat migreer (or a similar translational
solution used). Also, Afrikaans phrasal verbs will change (be ―split‖) depending on the particular syntactical
environment. This matter should be dealt with extremely carefully.
US-English expression
Afrikaans expression
Comment
migrate to
(+) migreer na
Migrate from
(+) migreer vanaf
import to
(+) invoer na
import from
(+) invoer vanaf
export to
(+) uitvoer na
export from
(+) uitvoer vanaf
Note that this is not a transitive
verb in Afrikaans
The preposition ―vanaf‖ should not
be used in conjunction with ―na‖.
Depending on the context, the
preposition may also be ―in‖.
Context may require ―voer … in
na‖.
Preposition may also be ―uit‖, and
vanaf‖ should not be used in
conjunction with ―na‖. Context may
require ―voer … in vanaf‖.
Context may require ―voer … uit
na‖.
Preposition may also be ―uit‖, and
vanaf‖ should not be used in
conjunction with ―na‖. Context may
28
US-English expression
Afrikaans expression
update to
(+) bywerk tot
upgrade to
(+) opgradeer na
change to
(+) verander na
click on
connect to
welcome to ...
(+) klik op
(+) verbind met
(+) welkom by
Comment
require ―voer … uit vanaf‖.
Context may require ―tot op‖ and
―werk … by tot (op)‖. ―Opdateer‖ is
NOT to be used.
Context may require ―gradeer … op
na‖.
Context may require ―in‖; there is a
distinct difference in meaning.
Context may require ―aan‖
The examples below contain frequently occurring noun phrases that are preceded by a preposition. Please use
this table as a reference.
US-English expression
Afrikaans expression
Comment
in the toolbar
(+) op die nutsbalk
on the tab
(+) op die duimgids
on the menu
(+) op die kieslys
on the net
(+) op die Net
Note the capital letter
on the Internet
(+) op die Internet
Note the capital letter
on the Web
(+) op die Web
Note the capital letter
on a web site
(+) op ‘n webwerf
on a web page
(+) op ‘n webblad
Pronouns
The possessive pronoun ―se‖ needs to be as close to the noun it refers to as possible and should definitely not be
separated by a noun.
The comparative pronoun ―wat‖ is used with reference to people, animals and objects. When it appears as ―wie‖, it
is usually in conjunction with ―se‖. It is when a preposition occurs with the pronoun that errors creep in, e.g.
Rekenaarkundiges moet hiervan kennis neem [NOT: Rekenaarkundiges moet van dit kennis neem].
29
Punctuation
Comma
Commas and Other Common Punctuation Marks
Please follow the following basic rules for the use of punctuation marks in Afrikaans. If your language uses a
character set that is based on the Latin alphabet, make sure to include a space after commas and periods.
There are a few important punctuation conventions that need to be observed:
1.
The predicates of complex sentences are separated by a comma, whether or not they occur next o each
other in the sentence. After the infinitive (om te + verb) as a noun clause no comma is needed.
2.
A defining adjectival clause is terminated by a comma, unless two equivalent clauses are linked by ―en‖ or
―of‖, or, of course, unless it is the final clause of the complex sentence.
3.
A non-defining adjectival clause is preceded by a comma before the relative pronoun and is terminated by
a comma.
4.
A dash (en dash) between words should be preceded and followed by a single space.
Comma vs. Period in Numerals
US English uses a period as the decimal separator, while many other languages use a comma. In Afrikaans a
comma is used – this is a legal requirement. Do not use a space for this purpose as a space separates the
numeral from the abbreviation.
In paper sizes (the last example in the table below) the decimal separator and the abbreviation "in" for inches are
kept, since the sizes are US norms and should be represented accordingly.
The ―in‖ as abbreviation for ―inch‖ is not acceptable in Afrikaans, and should be changed to ―dm.‖ – note the full
stop! – which has been the recognized abbreviation for decades. Before independence, South Africa as part of
the British Empire used the imperial measurement system in which ―inch = duim‖ and ―in = dm.‖.
English example
Afrikaans example
5.25 cm
(+) 5,25 cm
5 x 7.2 inches
(+) 5 x 7,2 duim
Letter Landscape 11 x 8.5 in
(+) Letter Landskap11 x 8,5 dm.
For thousands, English uses a comma while many other languages use a period (at Microsoft we normally do not
use a space for this purpose, but we use a period instead to avoid wrapping problems). In Afrikaans a space is
used – this is a legal requirement.
30
Note that neither a full stop nor a comma may be used for thousands, because both may be interpreted as a
decimal separator. A space should be used for thousands and preferably a hard space (Ctrl Shift Spacebar) to
avoid wrapping problems.
English example
Afrikaans example
1,526
(+) 1 526
$ 1,526.75
(+) $1 526,75
Note that there should be NO SPACE between the currency symbol and the first digit!
Colon
Colons are generally not followed by a capital letter unless it is a proper noun or full sentence.
Example: Vermy asseblief die volgende elemente: selfspeur, grafieka en tabelle.
Example: Koop asseblief hierdie koeldranke op my lys: Coke, Fanta en Sprite.
Dashes and Hyphens
Refer to Ch. 12 (Koppeltekens – “Hyphens”) of AWS
10
Three different dash characters are used in English:
Hyphen
The hyphen is used to divide words between syllables, to link parts of a compound word, and to connect the parts
of an inverted or imperative verb form.
Example: bo-op, vroue-emansipasie
En Dash
The en dash is used in number ranges, such as those specifying page numbers. No spaces are used around the
en dash in this case.
When combined with a symbol, the en dash is used.
Example: 9 mm-pistool; 5 l-bottels, A4-formaat.
Em Dash
This section does not apply to Afrikaans.
Ellipses (Suspension Points)
Keep in mind the following when using ellipses/suspension points:
•
An ellipse consists of three dots only
•
A space should be left between each dot as well as the word preceding and following the ellipse
31
•
Should part of the word preceding an ellipse fall away, the space preceding the ellipse does not appear
•
No period appears (as fourth dot) if the ellipse falls at the end of a sentence.
Example: Werkers wat heeldag slaap?
Example: “Ek het jou mos gewaarsku . . .,” het sy gesê.
Period
A period is used to end the sentence.
Example: Dit is die einde.
Periods are also used for abbreviations, the rules can be found in Chapter 3 of the AWS.
Quotation Marks
Please follow the following basic rules for the use of quotation marks in Afrikaans.
The default quotation marks are double quotes in both the initial and final positions, both in the raised (above the
line) position. Use single quotes within double quotes. Please ensure that both the initial and the final quotation
marks are present.
Example: “In „Siener in die suburbs‟ word die vraag gestel of „eendsterte‟ normale lewens kan lei.”
Parentheses
In English, there is no space between the parentheses and the text inside them. Afrikaans follows this style
convention, e.g. "Ek gaan volgende week – Dinsdag en Woensdag – in die Kaap wees."
Singular & Plural
Please refer to Chapter 13 in the AWS for an in-depth discussion of the various rules regulating the plural in
Afrikaans. In short, some of the basic rules are:
-nouns that end with a b, d, f, g, k, p, s and t get an "e" at the end to form the plural, eg. taak - take, greepgrepe
-words ending on a, e ,i ,o and u and on an unstressed ie or ee get a "s" at the end to form the plural, eg. radioradio‟s, foto- foto's.
-nouns that are formed from loan words and end on a "y" get aan "s" at the end to form the plural, e.g. essay essays. Note that the "y" changes to "ie" if the plural of an English loanword is used, e.g. derby-derbies,
whisky-whiskies.
32
Split Infinitive
This section does not apply to Africaans.
Subjunctive
This section does not apply to Africaans.
Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces
This section does not apply to Africaans.
Syntax
In error messages, describe the action the user is supposed to take before the purpose of the action. Phrases like
―To skip creating your startup disk, click Cancel‖ should be rephrased as ―Click Cancel to skip creating your
startup disk‖. Avoid personified inanimate subjects and try to replace active constructions with passive ones
where possible.
In error messages that use the imperative (as in the above-mentioned example), start with the imperative verb
(the ―command‖) and the description of the action to be performed plus the infinitive (either ―om … te … [verb]‖, or
―ten einde … te … [verb]‖). Note that phrasal verbs (separable verbs), such as instel, afskakel, etc., should be
split in such instances, the main verb being at the beginning and the particle following later, but usually before the
infinitive.
Note that in impersonal passive constructions such as in the first row of the table below the impersonal adverb (in
many cases representing a preliminary subject) is mostly daar (seldom dit).
Note also, however, that using a personified inanimate subject is not uncommon in Afrikaans and very often this
would result in a simpler, more natural Afrikaans sentence, whereas avoiding it might well result in a long,
convoluted, unclear sentence. Another possibility is to use the definite article and an ordinary common noun as
sentence subject instead of personifying the subject.
English example
Afrikaans example
Explanation
Setup encountered an error while
creating your startup disk.
(+) Die opsteller het ‘n fout
teëgekom terwyl jou aanskakelskyf
geskep is.
Avoid personified subjects if the
context allows for omission ( e.g.
Setup encountered/Setup cannot ...
in Setup error messages).
Rephrase and change the word
order. In many cases, a passive
construction may be possible.
Setup cannot find the remote
computer.
Setup cannot get disk information.
(+) Die opsteller kan nie die
afgeleë rekenaar opspoor nie.
(+) Die opsteller kan nie
skyfinligting kry nie.
Remove any existing settings to
(+) Verwyder alle bestaande
Generally, describe the action
33
English example
Afrikaans example
Explanation
free space.
instellings om ruimte te skep.
before the purpose instead of the
other way around.
Attempt to remove current directory (+) Probeer om die huidige gids te
verwyder.
In procedural text, which tells the user to perform certain actions in a certain number of steps, the order in which
interface terms are to appear in the translation is usually top to bottom (for example, ―menu,‖ ―command,‖ ―dialog
box,‖ ―dialog box controls‖). This order reflects the sequence in which the action needs to be performed, and it
should be maintained unless there are technical reasons preventing it.
This convention is less important in normal body text, which is usually written in a more personal tone and less
formal style, thus requiring the translator to be more creative.
English example
Afrikaans example
On the View menu, click Filter
(+) Klik Filter op die Aansig-kieslys
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and click
the Security tab
(+) Klik Internetopsies en dan die Sekuriteit-duimgids
op die Nutsmiddels-kieslys
Verbs
Sometimes an English verb can be used as loan word in the target language. Such loan words usually follow the
syntactic and morphological rules of the target language. For the sake of exposition, let us assume that the verbs
in red below are not translated in Afrikaans.
English example
Afrikaans
examples
Afrikaans
examples
Afrikaans
examples
chat
N/A
N/A
N/A
crawl
N/A
N/A
N/A
debug
N/A
N/A
N/A
Continuous operations are usually expressed in English with a gerund, which should be translated into Afrikaans.
Translating gerunds very often is quite difficult in Afrikaans, and using a nominalised form of the verb may result
in very awkward translations. Nominalisation may be achieved by using a derived noun (e.g. by means of a suffix
10
like -ing). If this route is followed, translators should take note of rules 14.24–14.26 of AWS . Every verb in
Afrikaans can also be used as a noun without any morphological change, and this may well be a better option
than deriving a noun from the verb. However, this may also lead to awkward translations. Either format will
34
probably require the definite article and the insertion of a preposition, such as van. Despite the need for
consistency, translators should consider using a verb format for heading should a particular nominalised heading
be idiomatically awkward. In the examples in the table below, such an alternative may be ―Hoe om ‘n lêer te stuur‖
or ―Hoe om style te gebruik‖, for instance.
Be consistent in how you translate verbs in error messages. If it is grammatical to omit the predicate ―be‖ in your
language, you can omit it in error messages, but you should be consistent in your usage across all error
messages. Be concise without changing the meaning of the source string.
There are a few important matters to remember about verb (and participle) use in Afrikaans:
10
1.
For the use of ge-/-ge- in certain verb categories, see rules 17.1–17.8 in AWS . Consistency where
alternatives are possible is crucial.
2.
While the verb (or the main verb of a complex verb) very often occurs later in the sentence than in
English, it is a misconception to think that all verbs should be placed ―at the end of a sentence‖. Subject
to maintaining idiomaticity, verbs should be placed as close to their subjects as possible, especially in
complex sentences. Care should be taken not to string several verbs belonging to different clauses
together at the end of a complex sentence.
3.
Care should be taken to split phrasal verbs correctly in the applicable types of sentences. See inter alia
10
rules 14.48–50, 17.2 and 17.3 of AWS .
4.
Note that predicates belonging to different clauses are separated by a comma.
5.
The verb to be (Afr. wees/is/was) may be omitted in certain (short) sentences, but this should be done
sparingly and, in the same lexical environment, consistently.
6.
Generally speaking the English modal auxiliary may is translated as kan, while mag should be reserved
for instances where permission is granted or where a negative (e.g. geen, nie) or restrictive adverb (e.g.
slegs) occurs. Instead of kan, sal plus a modal adverb (e.g. dalk, miskien) may sometimes be more
appropriate.
English example
Afrikaans example
Explanation
The document is too large.
(+) Die dokument is te groot.
Be consistent in your usage of the
verb ―to be‖
(+) Toegang geweier.
In complete sentences, use verbs
and the same tense as in the
source string.
The file '%s' is an unknown
graphics format.
(+) Die lêer ‗%s‘ het ‘n onbekende
grafikaformaat.
Rephrase ―is‖ with ―have‖ if
necessary to produce an
appropriate translation.
The application may attempt to
convert the graphic.
(+) Die toepassing sal miskien
probeer om die grafika te omskep.
may + Verb can be rephrased as
Verb + possibly
A problem occurred while trying to
(+) ‘n Probleem het voorgekom in
Shorten and rephrase if necessary
Document too large.
Access was denied.
Access denied.
35
English example
Afrikaans example
Explanation
connect to the network share
'%1!s!'.
die poging om met die gedeelde
netwerk-‗%1s!‘ te verbind.
to ―A problem occurred while
connecting to the network share
'%1!s!'
The following error occurred:
'%1!s!' (error #%2!lx!)
(+) Die volgende fout het
voorgekom:'%1!s!' (fout no. %2!lx!)
Shorten this construction where
possible, e.g. Error: '%1!s!' (error
#%2!lx!).
An unknown error has occurred./
No error occurred.
(+) ‘n Onbekende fout het
voorgekom./Geen fout het
voorgekom nie.
Shorten this construction where
possible, e.g. Unknown error. / No
error
Word Order
Afrikaans has a strict word order, described in many text books as the so-called "STOMPI rule". The name of the
rule indicates the order in which the parts of a sentence should appear.
The "STOMPI" rule:
S
V1
T
O
M
P
V2
I
Subject, First verb, Time, Object, Manner, Place, Second verb, Infinitive
Example:"Die rekenaar wat ek by die huis gebruik, het tans 'n virus en ek kan nie enige program oopmaak
nie."
Word order in Afrikaans follows broadly the same rules as in Dutch: in main clauses, the finite verb appears in
"second position" (V2 word order), while subordinate clauses (e.g. content clauses and relative clauses) have
Subject, Object, Verb order, with the verb at (or near) the end of the clause.
Style and Tone Considerations
This section focuses on higher-level considerations for audience, style, tone, and voice.
Audience
The people who will use computers with a Language Interface Pack (LIP) installed are largely novice computer
users. Therefore, the LIP content should be localized to accommodate the requirements of novice computer users
who depend heavily on the localized terminology in their software to understand how to use that software.
Example: Gaan na "Start" wat gewoonlik links onder op die skerm verskyn.
36
Style
The bottom line for good Afrikaans language usage (so-called ―Standaardafrikaans‖) is to familiarize yourself with
the AWS and apply the rules as set out there-in. Constantly consulting this in addition to Skryf Afrikaans is far
better than setting out a list of do‘s and don‘ts for spelling, grammar, style, etc. etc.
It is important to have the right style when addressing your target audience – a music magazine discussing the
latest hits and trends in popular music, would have a very laidback, colloquial and informal manner in addressing
the target audience. A speech delivered in Parliament would be formal, reserved and aimed at educated
professionals.
Example: Klik hier as jy wil 'n koel luitoon wil aflaai.
Tone
The text should be translated using a semi-formal, courteous tone, that is, the user should in all cases be treated
as an adult/mature professional. In most cases where English uses imperatives, Afrikaans will use them too. The
following must be borne in mind, however:
1. Strings containing imperative verbs can come across as too curt or abrupt. Care should be taken to tone
them down where necessary, for instance by adding the polite ―asseblief‖ (‗please‘) or in another way,
e.g. ―Plaas asseblief die skyf in die speler‖.
2. Curt commands can often be avoided by using the passive voice plus the modal ―moet‖ (‗must, should‘),
e.g. ―Die skyf moet nou ingesit word‖ (‗Insert the disk now‘), or even the active voice plus ―moet‖: ―Jy moet
nou die skyf insit‖ (‗You should now insert the disk‘). Please note that this type of passive usage is very
common in Afrikaans and need not be avoided as a matter of principle.
3. Afrikaans uses two forms of direct address (second person), namely the polite form ―u‖ (singular and
plural, second person; possessive pronoun the same) and the familiar form ―jy/jou‖ (singular, second
person/possessive [‗you/your‘]). Extreme care should be taken in this regard, because younger people,
especially those in puberty, adolescence or early adulthood, may regard ―u‖ as too formal and stiff, while
older people, especially professionals, may prefer the polite form to the familiar form. Furthermore, even
regular ―u‖ users would never address children or high school students as ―u‖, and once one has become
friendly or familiar with someone, one would also drop the ―u‖ in favour of ―jy/jou‖.
One also has to consider the fact that users tend to develop a certain ―relationship‖ with their computers – they
become ―friendly‖ or ―familiar‖ with their computers – and so the continued use of ―u‖ would probably become
annoying or ―unnatural‖.
In view, therefore, of the changing social standards and attitudes, in view of the fact that by far the greater
majority of computer users are of the younger generation and in view of the Windows 7 tone advocated in this
document, Afrikaans should use ―jy/jou‖ where the direct form of address is advisable.
However, often direct forms of address may be avoided. Wherever this is possible without becoming too longwinded or circumlocutory it may be done. However, clarity and brevity remain the most important factors, and
therefore passives, impersonal pronouns or ―zero options‖ (i.e. no pronouns) should be treated with
circumspection. Also see ―Voice‖ below.
37
Voice
Direct forms of address can often be avoided by using passives or impersonal pronouns. This style is very
common in Afrikaans, and there is no stylistic need to avoid it where it comes naturally. However, see the note in
the previous paragraph: it should be used with circumspection.



This can be supplemented by using the so-called zero reference plus passive and/or imperative verbs.
Where this style would lead to clumsy or cumbersome strings, commands, etc., the user should be
addressed in the 2nd person pronoun.
The possessive pronoun ―jou‖ (‗your‘) can often be avoided by using the definite article ―die‖ (‗the‘), for
instance ―Om die inhoud te bekyk wat op die rekenaar gestoor word, …‖ instead of ―… jou rekenaar …‖
[‗To view the content stored on your/the computer …‘].
Examples:
English
You are now connected to the
Internet.
You cannot drop directories here.
Game Over -- You Win
Confirm your password
You can apply the view you are using
for this folder to all folders
To scroll down, place the cursor …
You can save the file by clicking on…
Translation
(+) Jy is nou aan die internet verbind.
(+) Gidse kan nie hier gelos word nie.
(+) Spel verby — jy wen!
(+) Bevestig asseblief jou wagwoord.
(+) Die aansig wat vir hierdie omslag gebruik word, kan ...
(+) Jy kan die aansig wat jy vir hierdie omslag gebruik, ...
(+) Jy kan afrol deur die loper op … te plaas
(?) Om af te rol plaas die loper op ...
(+) Stoor die lêer deur op … te klik
(?) Die leer kan gestoor word deur op … te klik
38
Localization Guidelines
This section contains guidelines for localization into Afrikaans.
General Considerations
Localization is more than the process of simply translating a product for a specific international market.
Localization includes the adaptation of the product to the language, standards, and cultural norms of a particular
country or region, as well as the accommodation of the requirements and expectations of a specific target group.
Language, gestures, images, symbols, values, and norms can vary significantly from one country or region to the
next.
Therefore, localizers must be thoroughly familiar with both the culture of the original language and that of the
target language.
Abbreviations
Common Abbreviations
Lists of abbreviations appear in most dictionaries as well as the AWS.
You might need to abbreviate some words in the UI (mainly buttons or short screen messages) owing to a lack of
space. This may be necessary especially where Afrikaans uses a prepositional phrase instead of a single (short)
preposition, such as t.o.v.,d.m.v.; i.v.m.; m.b.t.; m.b.v.


In such abbreviations full stops are to be used. The general rule is that each (lower-case) letter (including
the last one!) is followed by a full stop, but there are several types of abbreviations where this does not
apply. The general rules for abbreviations are contained in Ch. 3 (Afkortings – ―Abbreviations‖) in AWS10.
A list of common abbreviations appears on pp. 473–521 of AWS10.
Note that some common nouns are abbreviated using capital letters. In such cases full stops are NOT to
be used. Also note that the full forms of such capital-letter abbreviations do NOT require initial capital
letters, e.g. PIN's (persoonlike identifikasienomers), OTM'e (outomatiese tellermasjiene).
The following table lists some common Afrikaans expressions and their associated, acceptable abbreviations.
Afrikaans
Acceptable abbreviation
afsender
(+)afs.
antwoord
(+)antw.
as gevolg van
(+)a.g.v.
asseblief
(+)asb.
39
Afrikaans
Acceptable abbreviation
byvoorbeeld
(+)bv.
deur middel van
(+)d.m.v.
dit wil sê
(+)d.w.s.
en dergelike
(+)e.d.
ensovoorts
(+)ens.
in verband met
(+)i.v.m.
met ander woorde
(+)m.a.w.
met behulp van
(+)m.b.v.
met betrekking tot
(+)m.b.t.
persoonlike rekenaar
(+)PR
punt
(+)pt.
straat
(+)str.
ten opsigte van
(+)t.o.v.
van links na regs/links na regs
(+)v.l.n.r./l.n.r.
versus
(+)v.
Note that ―bv.‖ and ―ens.‖ are not to be used in the same list of items.
Accessibility
Microsoft provides people with disabilities (single-handed or with hearing or motion disabilities) with more
accessible products and services. These may not be available in Africaans. Please check with your Microsoft
contact and remove these references from Africaans text if necessary.
Acronyms
The term acronym refers to words that are made up of the initial letters of the major parts of a compound term if
they are pronounced as a new word. Some well-known examples of acronyms are WYSIWYG (What You See Is
What You Get), OLE (Object Linking and Embedding), or RAM (Random Access Memory).
Caution: Do not include a generic term after an acronym or abbreviation if one of the letters in the acronym
stands for that term. Even though this might occur in the US-English version, it should be ―corrected‖ in the
localized version. The following examples show the redundancy in red for English terms.:
40




(-) RPC call
(-) HTML language
(-) TCP/IP-Protocol
(-) PIN Number
Afrikaans:
 (-) MIV-virus
 (-) HOD-diploma
 (-) OTM-masjien
 (-) PIN-nommer
Localized Abbreviations and Acronyms
In online help or documentation, spell out the words that comprise an acronym or abbreviation the first time that
acronym is used in the text. You should include the language-specific translation, the US term, and the acronym
as in the following example:


Datatoegangsobjekte (Data Access Objects, DAO)
ActiveX-dataobjekte (ActiveX Data Objects, ADO)
In the user interface, there is usually not enough space for all three terms (US term, language-specific translation,
and the acronym); only in wizards, the acronym can easily be spelled out and localized on first mention. If there
are space constraints or there is no 'first' occurrence, it is up to you to judge to the best of your knowledge
whether the acronym or abbreviation can be left as is or should be spelled out and localized.
You should also consider that different users will have different levels of knowledge about a product. For example,
an Italian Exchange user will understand ―DL,‖ but the average Italian Windows user might not understand ―DL‖
and would need to see ―lista di distribuzione‖ (distribution list) instead. Try to be consistent within a product with
your use of acronyms and initializations.
Note: Although the English acronym cannot generally be derived from the language-specific translation, creating
a new acronym derived from the language-specific translated term is not an option. For example, do not replace
an English acronym with a language-specific acronym; instead, leave the English acronym or abbreviation intact,
as in the following examples ―where DLL‖ and ―DPI‖ are correctly rendered as ―DLL‖ and ―DPI‖:
Afrikaans notes:
(1)
This approach is acceptable, especially as far as technical abbreviations and acronyms are concerned,
but well-known, existing, general Afrikaans abbreviations/acronyms should not be discarded in favor of
AmE abbreviations/acronyms, for instance ―PC‖ for ―rekenaar‖ or ―PR‖ is not acceptable, nor is something
like ―US‖ or ―UK‖ acceptable for ―VSA‖ or ―VK‖.
41
(2)
If the full form of an acronym or abbreviation is of a technical nature and the context/place of occurrence
allows, supply an Afrikaans explanatory translation as well. In program (pop-up) messages, the available
space should be taken into account. If the acronym or abbreviation is well-known, use it without the full
form or translation; if not, consider using an explanatory translation only instead of the acronym or
abbreviation.
Unlocalized Abbreviations and Acronyms
Many abbreviations and acronyms are standardized and remain untranslated. They are only followed by their full
spelling in English if the acronym needs to be explained to the speakers of a different language. In other cases,
where the acronym is rather common, adding the fully spelled-out form will only confuse users. In these cases,
the acronym can be used on its own.
The following list contains examples of acronyms and abbreviations that are considered commonly understood;
these acronyms and abbreviations should not be localized or spelled out in full in English:










ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
ISO (International Standards Organization)
ISDN
DOS
DSL
CD, CD-ROM
DVD
ASCII
ADSL
SABS
Afrikaans notes:
(1)
If you are unsure what an acronym or abbreviation stands for or refers to, please consult the
10
Kuberwoordeboek/Cyber Dictionary, the abbreviations list in AWS or a similar source, or contact the
Moderator responsible for this Style Guide.
(2)
Please note that if such an acronym or abbreviation forms part of a compound noun, it should be linked
10
by hyphen to the rest of the compound. See 3.14 and 12.8–12.11 of AWS . For the plurals of acronyms
10
or abbreviations, see 3.18, 13.9 and 13.18 of AWS .
(3)
No full stops are used in acronyms or capital-letter abbreviations.
Applications, Products, and Features
Application/product names are often trademarked or may be trademarked in the future and are therefore rarely
translated. Occasionally, feature names are trademarked, too (e.g. IntelliSense™). Before translating any
application, product, or feature name, please verify that it is in fact translatable and not protected in any way.
In Afrikaans these words are rarely translated, if at all and generally follow the source text.
42
Frequent Errors
The influx of English into other languages has significantly increased in recent years. Some speaker communities
welcome this trend, while others resist it. Microsoft must guard against taking a stance in this debate and,
therefore, use the terminology that is most widely used in the computer press and among users. This terminology
usage naturally depends on the target market of each product (technical products are bound to contain more
specialized language, which usually means more English terminology).
While it is acceptable to use English terms if they are indeed the industry standard in your country or region, you
should also research current industry standards. For example, stylistic Anglicism's are still a major translation
mistake (see section on Anglicism's below).
When incorporating English terms, you must follow the spelling, grammar, and syntax rules of your language.
Sometimes English words get incorporated as a whole into other languages, but most often the English word gets
―phonologized‖ and integrated into the target language. If you are sure that there is no Afrikaans-specific
equivalent for an English loan word and decide to incorporate an English word instead, please check with your
translation lead and other team members. In many languages the spelling of incorporated loanwords is not
documented and it is important that English loan words are spelled consistently in the target language.
Apart from proper nouns (specifically MS product and component names) and certain acronyms and certain
(capital-letter) abbreviations, Afrikaans should not, for this project, take over English terms, whether transliterated
(―phonologized‖) or not. While the use of English terms in (informal) spoken language is common, the same does
not apply to written language. In this respect Afrikaans differs markedly from Dutch. Note, however, that Afrikaans
and English share a common Romance and Germanic heritage, so they might well use words/terms of the same
origin and so appearance. Using words of Romance origin in Afrikaans does not (necessarily) constitute using
Anglicism's. Furthermore, many Afrikaans terms are mere translational equivalents and as such might also
display a certain resemblance with the English term. Translators/localisers should, however, guard against
Anglicism's in idiom, syntax and phrasing, for this is where the danger of Anglicism's lurks, not so much at the
lexical level.
10
For the transliteration of foreign words in Afrikaans, see Chapter 18 of AWS .
Anglicism's often sneak into sentence structure and word usage. Please edit your documents with this concern in
mind.
The following examples from German and Italian illustrate ―direct translations‖ with syntactic and lexical mistakes
that you should try to avoid in your own translations. The text marked in red in the target language highlights the
wrong choice.
43
English example
Anglicism in target language
Correct example
For several minutes
(-) fùrmehrereMinuten
(+) mehrereMinutenlang
Middle East
(-) MittlererOsten
(+) NaherOsten
For more information please
contact ...
(-) Fùr weitere Informationen
kontaktieren Sie ...
(+) Um weitere Informationen zu
erhalten, wenden Sie sich an ...
Assume
(-) assumere
(+) supporre
fatal error
(-) errore fatale
(+) erroreirreversibile
resolved invalid
(-) risoltoinvalido
(+) risolto non valido
English example
Anglicism in Afrikaans language
Correct example
for several minutes
(-) vir ‘n paar minute lank
(+) vir ‘n paar minute (momentele
handeling)
(+) ‘n paar minute lank (durende
handeling)
update information
(-) dateer inligting op
(+) werk inligting by
Click
(-) kliek
(+) klik
two days in a row
(-) twee dae in ‘n ry
(+) twee dae ná mekaar
end up in the Recycle Bin
(-) in die Snippermandjie opeindig
(+) in die snippermandjie
beland/eindig
by far the best
(-) by verre die beste
(+) verreweg die beste
MS was the first to introduce …
(-) MS was die eerste om ... in te
voer
(+) MS was die eerste wat ...
ingevoer het
Type in the password yourself
(-) Tik die wagwoord jouself in
(+) Tik die wagwoord self in
Please see more general information concerning Frequent Errors in Windows Live here.
Glossaries
You can find the translations of terms and UI elements of Microsoft products at Microsoft Language Portal
(http://www.microsoft.com/Language/en-US/Default.aspx).
44
Fictitious Information
Fictitious content is legally sensitive material and as such cannot be handled as a pure terminology or localization
issue. Below is some basic information and contact points when dealing with fictitious content:
Vendors and Localizers are not allowed to create their own fictitious names. You must either use the source
names or use the list of legally approved names.
Please contact your product team representative for further information on how to deal with fictitious companies,
names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, etc. in your product. For technical products, you may also
check with the product team representative whether localized fictitious content is required or not (e.g. Visual
Studio).
Recurring Patterns
This section does not apply to Africaans.
Standardized Translations
There are a number of standardized translations mentioned in all sections of this Style Guide. In order to find
them more easily, the most relevant topics and sections are compiled here for you reference.
See for example: Localized Abbreviations and Acronyms and Unlocalized Abbreviations and Acronyms .
Unlocalized Items
Trademarked names and the name Microsoft Corporation shouldn‘t be localized. A list of Microsoft trademarks is
available for your reference at the following location: http://www.microsoft.com/trademarks/t-mark/names.htm.
Using the Word Microsoft
In English, it is prohibited to use MS as an abbreviation for Microsoft. Afrikaans follows the same rule, e.g.
"Microsoft-produkte is maklik om te gebruik."
Software Considerations
This section refers to all menus, menu items, commands, buttons, check boxes, etc., which should be consistently
translated in the localized product.
45
Refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/aa511258.aspx for a detailed explanation of the Windows user interface
guidelines (English).
User Interface
You might need to abbreviate some words in the UI (mainly buttons or short screen messages) owing to a lack of
space. This may be necessary especially where Afrikaans uses a prepositional phrase instead of a single (short)
preposition, such as t.o.v., d.m.v.; i.v.m.; m.b.t.; m.b.v.
Here is an example of how Menu options and the Statusbar look in a UI:
In the tab "Page Layout" there are various menu options, being Themes, Page Setup, Page Background,
Paragraph and Arrange. The statusbar is in the left corner above "Start " and shows the current status of
Document1, which is Page 1 of 1 (meaning it has only 1 page) and the language for the proofing tools, which is
set to "Afrikaans".
46
Checkboxes allow a user to select one or more options of a number of choices. Here is an example of what a
checkbox can look like in an Afrikaans UI, the option "Afrikaans" has been checked, meaning it has been
selected.
With a radio button, users make a choice among a set of mutually exclusive, related options. Users can choose
only one option. Radio buttons are so called because they function like the channel presets on radios.
An example of a radio button is shown below, where the user can choose only one option in the Page Range:
{Source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa511488.aspx}
47
Messages
Messages should be translated as closely as possible to the source text. Take note of verb usage, as well as the
ellips, e.g. "Loading calendars..." is translated as "Laai tans kalenders...", but "Loading calendars" on the other
hand is translated as "Laai kalenders".
Status Messages
What is a Status Bar Message?
A status bar message is an informational message about the active document or a selected command as well as
about any active or selected interface item. Messages are shown in the status bar at the bottom of the window
when the user has chosen a menu, a command or any other item, or has started a function. The status bar
messages refer to actions being performed or already complete (for example in Outlook below).
Afrikaans Style in Status bar Messages
In English, the status bar messages have different forms dependent on the information they must convey. In
Afrikaans, menu and commands status bar messages should follow the format below.
Name
Edit
Copy to
Folder...
New
Afrikaans Name
(+) Redigeer
Category
English Status Bar
message
Afrikaans Status Bar
message
menu
Contains editing commands
(+) Bevat
redigeringsboodskappe
menu
Copies the selected items to
a new location
(+) Kopieer die
geselekteerde items na 'n
nuwe ligging
command
Creates a new document
(+) Skep 'n nuwe
dokument
Make object visible?
(+) Maak objek sigbaar?
Word is converting the
document. Press Esc to
(+) Word skakel die
dokument tans om. Druk
(+) Kopieer na vouer….
(+) Nuwe
48
Name
Afrikaans Name
Category
English Status Bar
message
Afrikaans Status Bar
message
stop.
Esc om te kanselleer.
Datasheet View
(+) Aansig van databladsy
Done
(+) Gedoen
The importance of standardization
In the US product you can often find messages that are phrased differently even though they have the same
meaning. Try to avoid this in the localized Afrikaans version. Use one standard translation as in the examples
below:
English term
Correct Afrikaans translation
Press F1 to get Help
(+) Druk F1 vir Hulp.
If you want Help press F1
To get Help press F1
Not enough memory
(+) Geheue onvoldoende
Insufficient memory
There is not enough memory
Save changes to %1?
(+) Wil jy die veranderinge in %1 stoor?
Do you want to save changes to %1?
Error Messages
What Is An Error Message?
Error messages are messages sent by the system or a program, informing the user that there is an error that
must be corrected in order for the program to keep running. For example, the messages can prompt the user to
take an action or inform the user of an error that requires rebooting the computer.
49
Here is an example:
Afrikaans Style in Error Messages
It is important to use consistent terminology and language style in the localized error messages, and not just
translate as they appear in the US product. e.g."Cannot connect to the internet' is translated as "Kan nie koppel
aan die internet nie."
Standard Phrases in Error Messages
Error messages written in US-English are occasionally inconsistent. As you localize the software into Afrikaans,
you should ensure that you use a standard phrase for error messages that have the same meaning and purpose
in the US-English version.
The following table provides US-English examples of inconsistent error messages and their corresponding,
standardized Afrikaans:
English phrase
English example
Afrikaans example
Cannot
Could not
File cannot be found
(+) Kon nie die lêer kry nie
Failed to …
Failure of …
Failed to connect
Cannot find …
Could not find …
Unable to find …
Unable to locate …
Cannot find driver software
Could not find driver software
Unable to find driver software
File could not be found
(+) Kon nie verbind nie
Failure to connect
(+) Kon nie die
aandrywerprogrammatuur kry nie
Unable to locate driver software
Not enough memory
Insufficient memory
There is not enough memory
(+) Geheue onvoldoende.
There is not enough memory
available
… is not available
The command is not available
(+) Die bevel is nie beskikbaar nie.
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English phrase
English example
... is unavailable
The command is unavailable
English
Translation
Cannot …
Kan nie …
Could not …
Kon nie …
Failed to …
Kan nie …
Failure of …
Kon nie …
Cannot find …
Kan nie …
Could not find …
Kon nie …
Unable to find …
Kon nie … kry nie
Unable to locate …
Kon nie … vind nie
Not enough memory
Nie genoeg geheue nie
Insufficient memory
Onvoldoende geheue
There is not enough memory
Die geheue is nie genoeg nie
There is not enough memory
available
Daar is nie genoeg geheue
beskikbaar nie
... is not available
…is nie beskikbaar nie
... is unavailable
…is nie beskikbaar nie
Afrikaans example
Example
(+) Kon nie die lêer kry nie
(+) Kon nie verbind nie
(+) Kon nie die lêer kry nie
(+) Geheue onvoldoende
(+) Die bevel is nie beskikbaar nie.
Error Messages Containing Placeholders
When localizing error messages containing placeholders, try to find out what will replace the placeholder. This is
necessary for the sentence to be grammatically correct when the placeholder is replaced with a word or phrase.
Note that the letters used in placeholders convey a specific meaning, see examples below:
%d, %ld, %u, and %lu means <number>
%c means <letter>
%s means <string>
Examples of error messages containing placeholders:
"Checking Web %1!d! of %2!d!" means "Checking Web <number> of <number>".
"INI file "%1!-.200s!" section" means "INI file "<string>" section".
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Keys
The keyboard is the primary input device used for text input in Microsoft Windows. For accessibility and efficiency,
most actions can be performed using the keyboard as well. While working with Microsoft software, you use keys,
key combinations and key sequences.
In English, references to key names, like arrow keys, function keys and numeric keys, appear in normal text (not
in small caps). Afrikaans follows the same principle.
Access Keys/Hot keys
Sometimes, there are underlined or highlighted letters in menu options, commands or dialog boxes. These letters
refer to access keys (also known as hot keys) that allow you to run commands, perform tasks, etc. more quickly.
Hot Key Special Options
Usage: Is It Allowed?
Notes
"Slim characters", such as I, l, t, r, f
can be used as hot key
Yes
Characters with downstrokes, such
as g, j, y, p and q can be used as
hotkeys
Yes
Avoid using g as a hot key.
Extended characters can be used as
hotkeys
No
It would be very difficult to insert a
vowel with diacritics and use Ctrl,
Alt, etc. at the same time.
An additional letter, appearing
between brackets after item name,
can be used as hotkeys
Yes
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Hot Key Special Options
Usage: Is It Allowed?
A number, appearing between
brackets after item name, can be
used as hotkey
Yes
A punctuation sign, appearing
between brackets after item name,
can be used as hotkey
Yes
Duplicate hotkeys are allowed when
no other character is available
Yes
Notes
In principle it would be acceptable,
but it would more likely be
confusing. If used, restrict to @, #,
%, &, =
No hotkey is assigned when no more Yes
characters are available (minor
options only)
Additional notes: N/A
Arrow Keys
The arrow keys move input focus among the controls within a group. Pressing the right arrow key moves input
focus to the next control in tab order, whereas pressing the left arrow moves input focus to the previous control.
Home, End, Up, and Down also have their expected behavior within a group. Users can't navigate out of a control
group using arrow keys.
Numeric Keypad
It is recommended that you avoid distinguishing numeric keypad keys from the other keys, unless it is required by
a given application. In case which keys to be pressed is not obvious, provide necessary explanations.
The same principle should be followed in the Afrikaans translation.
Shortcut Keys
Shortcutkeys are keystrokes or combinations of keystrokes used to perform defined functions in a software
application. Shortcut keys replace menu commands and they are sometimes given next to the command they
represent. In opposition to the access keys, which can be used only when available on the screen, shortcut keys
can be used even when they are not accessible on the screen. This general principle holds true for Afrikaans as
well.
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Standard Shortcut Keys
US
Command
US English
Shortcut Key
Afrikaans
Command
Afrikaans
Shortcut key
General Windows Shortcut keys
Help window
F1
Hulpvenster
F1
Context-sensitive Help
Shift+F1
Kontekssensitiewe hulp
Shift+F1
Display pop-up menu
Shift+F10
Wys opspringerkieslys
Shift+F10
Cancel
Esc
Kanselleer
Esc
Activate\Deactivate
menu bar mode
F10
Aktiveer/deaktiveer
kiesbalkmodus
F10
Switch to the next
primary application
Alt+Tab
Skakel oor na die volgende
primêre program
Alt+Tab
Display next window
Alt+Esc
Wys volgende venster
Alt+Esc
Display pop-up menu
for the window
Alt+Spacebar
Wys opspringerkieslys vir die
venster
Alt+Spacebar
Display pop-up menu
for the active child
window
Alt+-
Wys opspringerkieslys vir die
aktiewe syvenster
Alt+-
Display property sheet
for current selection
Alt+Enter
Wys eienskapbladsy vir huidige
seleksie
Alt+Enter
Close active
application window
Alt+F4
Sluit aktiewe programvenster
Alt+F4
Switch to next window
within (modelesscompliant) application
Alt+F6
Skakel oor na volgende venster
in (modusloos - voldoenend)
program
Alt+F6
Capture active window
image to the Clipboard
Alt+PrntScrn
Neem aktiewe venster se beeld
na die klembord
Alt+PrntScrn
Capture desktop
image to the Clipboard
PrntScrn
Neem werkskermbeeld na die
klembord
PrntScrn
Access Start button in
taskbar
Ctrl+Esc
Kry toegang tot Begin-knoppie in
taakbalk
Ctrl+Esc
Display next child
window
Ctrl+F6
Wys volgende syvenster
Ctrl+F6
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US
Command
US English
Shortcut Key
Afrikaans
Command
Afrikaans
Shortcut key
Display next tabbed
pane
Ctrl+Tab
Wys volgende oortjiepaneel
Ctrl+Tab
Launch Task Manager
and system
initialization
Ctrl+Shift+Esc
Lanseer Taakbestuurder en
stelselaanvang
Ctrl+Shift+Esc
File Menu
File New
Ctrl+N
Lêer Nuut
Ctrl+N
File Open
Ctrl+O
Lêer Oop
Ctrl+O
File Close
Ctrl+F4
Lêer Toe
Ctrl+F4
File Save
Ctrl+S
Lêer Stoor
Ctrl+S
File Save as
F12
Lêer Stoor as
F12
File Print Preview
Ctrl+F2
Lêer Drukvoorskou
Ctrl+F2
File Print
Ctrl+P
Lêer Druk
Ctrl+P
File Exit
Alt+F4
Lêer Verlaat
Alt+F4
Edit Menu
Edit Undo
Ctrl+Z
Redigeer Herroep
Ctrl+Z
Edit Repeat
Ctrl+Y
Redigeer Herhaal
Ctrl+Y
Edit Cut
Ctrl+X
Redigeer Sny
Ctrl+X
Edit Copy
Ctrl+C
Redigeer Kopieer
Ctrl+C
Edit Paste
Ctrl+V
Redigeer Plak
Ctrl+V
Edit Delete
Ctrl+Backspace
Redigeer Skrap
Ctrl+Backspace
Edit Select All
Ctrl+A
Redigeer Kies almal
Ctrl+A
Edit Find
Ctrl+F
Redigeer Vind
Ctrl+F
Edit Replace
Ctrl+H
Redigeer Vervang
Ctrl+H
Edit Go To
Ctrl+B
Redigeer Gaan na
Ctrl+B
Help Menu
Help
F1
Hulp
F1
Font Format
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US
Command
US English
Shortcut Key
Afrikaans
Command
Afrikaans
Shortcut key
Italic
Ctrl+I
Skuins
Ctrl+I
Bold
Ctrl+G
Vet letters
Ctrl+G
Underlined\Word
underline
Ctrl+U
Onderstreep/Onderstreep woord
Ctrl+U
Large caps
Ctrl+Shift+A
Hoofletters
Ctrl+Shift+A
Small caps
Ctrl+Shift+K
Kleinletters
Ctrl+Shift+K
Paragraph Format
Centered
Ctrl+E
Gesentreer
Ctrl+E
Left aligned
Ctrl+L
Linksopstelling
Ctrl+L
Right aligned
Ctrl+R
Regsopstelling
Ctrl+R
Justified
Ctrl+J
Gelyk
Ctrl+J
Document Translation Considerations
Document localization may require some specific considerations that are different from software localization. This
section covers a few of these areas.
Titles
In English the titles for chapters usually begin with "How to …" or with phrases such as "Working with …" or
"Using …".In the Afrikaans version of Microsoft documentation, such titles are usually translated using the
infinitive.
Example: Hoe om te werk met …
Copyright
Copyright protection is granted to any original work of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression from
which it can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated.
Please note that SA‘s Copyright Act, 1978 (Wet op Outeursreg, 1978), uses the term ―outeursreg‖ and not
―kopiereg‖. The former is the term is to be used.
English text
Afrikaans translation
Copyright
(+) Outeursreg
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English text
Afrikaans translation
All rights reserved
(+) Alle regte voorbehou
Microsoft Corporation
(+) Microsoft Corporation
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