arabic sau styleguide

8/20/2019 Arabic Sau Styleguide

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Arabic Style Guide


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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 ............................................................................................. 6

Normative References .............................................................................................................. 6

Informative References ............................................................................................................. 6

Language Specific Conventions ...................................................................................................... 7

Country/Region Standards ........................................................................................................... 7

Characters ................................................................................................................................ 7

Date .......................................................................................................................................... 7

Time .......................................................................................................................................... 9

Numbers ................................................................................................................................. 12

Sorting ..................................................................................................................................... 26

Geopolitical Concerns ................................................................................................................ 27

Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions ......................................................................... 27

Adjectives ................................................................................................................................ 27

Articles .................................................................................................................................... 28

Capitalization .......................................................................................................................... 28

Compounds ............................................................................................................................. 28

Gender .................................................................................................................................... 28

Genitive ................................................................................................................................... 29

Modifiers ................................................................................................................................. 29

Nouns ...................................................................................................................................... 30

Prepositions ............................................................................................................................ 30

Pronouns ................................................................................................................................. 30

Punctuation ............................................................................................................................. 30

Singular & Plural ..................................................................................................................... 31

Split Infinitive ........................................................................................................................... 31

Subjunctive ............................................................................................................................. 31

Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces........................................................................................... 31

Syntax ..................................................................................................................................... 32

Verbs ....................................................................................................................................... 32

Word Order ............................................................................................................................. 32

Style and Tone Considerations .................................................................................................. 32

Audience ................................................................................................................................. 32


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Style ........................................................................................................................................ 33

Tone ........................................................................................................................................ 33

Voice ....................................................................................................................................... 33

Localization Guidelines .................................................................................................................. 34

General Considerations ............................................................................................................. 34

Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... 34

Accessibility ............................................................................................................................ 35

Acronyms ................................................................................................................................ 35

Applications, Products, and Features ..................................................................................... 36

Frequent Errors ....................................................................................................................... 36

Glossaries ............................................................................................................................... 37

Fictitious Information ............................................................................................................... 38

Recurring Patterns .................................................................................................................. 38

Standardized Translations ...................................................................................................... 38

Unlocalized Items.................................................................................................................... 38

Using the Word Microsoft ....................................................................................................... 38

Software Considerations ............................................................................................................ 38

User Interface ......................................................................................................................... 39

Messages ................................................................................................................................ 41

Keys ........................................................................................................................................ 45

Document Translation Considerations ....................................................................................... 50

Titles ....................................................................................................................................... 50

Copyright ................................................................................................................................. 50


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What's New?

Last Updated: February 2011

New Topics The following topics were added:

Sample Text

Country/Region Standards

Geopolitical Concerns

Style and Tone Considerations

Frequent Errors

Recurring Patterns

Updated Topics The overall Style Guide content was fully updated in February 2011 as part of major Style Guide update project

performed for all languages.


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Introduction

This Style Guide went through major revision in February 2011 in order to remove outdated and unnecessary

content.

About This Style Guide The purpose of this Style Guide is to provide everybody involved in the localization of Arabic 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 and grammatical conventions. 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 Arabic 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.

http://www.microsoft.com/Language/en-US/Feedback.aspx/http://www.microsoft.com/Language/en-US/Feedback.aspx/http://www.microsoft.com/Language/en-US/Feedback.aspx/http://www.microsoft.com/Language/en-US/Feedback.aspx/


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Sample Text لا بواا

و .ٌادم أر اوو ط يرٌرا ٌون اوب ٌب أن "ادم ت ورة. ٌ أ " ل ات ط ود ف س اوت

."إ

ف

"ن

د

ث

ٌ

ٌ

ا

ات

ادام

ضب

ٌ

ر

طق

ل

ن

ف

و

إ

ف

ا

ن

اوع

وذا

ال

ذا

ئم

ئاو رادا تا ض مادا نٌ أ إ .صا نراوأ ف سٌو ( اوٌق واوص ا دم ر دم ادا ف ل

ٌو ر ئ ادام طق ٌل ن ات ا م إ ٌادام در ٌ رٌض ن افراد.وا ادم(. وذا

اؽر ٌأو ا ؼر ٌإ دب ادام ات دٌدة أو د .ٌأ إذا دت ا دام ت د دو دٌدة ت دٌدة أو إق ن ق ت

ٌ ئٌ ف دا ٌزا اٌرات إ ٌرؽا د ات اٌق. ود دٌم رح واؾ دال ٌك فٌب رٌؼ ٌ ن و

ن

ٌ

را ل

سا ن رٌا ٌ ا بوا ت جرد ا تا هذ لف .ا لودا تاذ وأ ٌزا ٌدونب اء ات ن

.ٌرا

ط دأ/دٌا

د ٌر15 ارات ٌد اٌدة ش

ارة

ارور ٌر

ارٌدي: xxxxxارز

#### ## ## ### (####)اؾ:

ف صا اذ رٌر 2011رس8م

Recommended Reference Material

Use the Modern Standard Arabic language that could be fully understood by all Arab countries.

Normative References

N/A

Informative References

These sources are meant to provide supplementary information, background, comparison, etc.

1. MSDN Site: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspx

2. TechNet Site: http://technet.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspx

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspxhttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspxhttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspxhttp://technet.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspxhttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/ar-sa/default.aspx


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Language Specific Conventions

This part of the style guide contains information about standards specific to Arabic.

Country/Region Standards

Characters

Country/region Arab Region

Lower-case characters N/A

Upper-case characters N/A

Characters in caseless

scriptsي

و

ـ

ن

م

ل

ك

ق

ؾ

غ

ع

ظ

ط

ض

ص

ش

س

ز

ر

ذ

د

خ

ح

ج

ث

ت

ب

أ

Extended Latin characters N/A

Note on alphabetical order Alphabetical order is not necessarily indicative of sorting order.

Total number of characters 28

Unicode codesRange: U+060x - U+06Fx

Notes

The alphabetical order is different than the alphabet, although both can be used.

The alphabetical order is:

ز

و

ـ

د

ج

ب

أ

ي

ط

ظ

ض

ذ

خ

ث

ت

ش

ر

ق

ص

ؾ

ع

س

ن

م

ل

Date


Calendar/Era Hijri and Gregorian calendars

First Day of the Week Saturday

First Week of the Year N/A

Separator /

Default Short Date

Formatyyyy/m/d


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Example 2011/3/7

Default Long Date Format yyyy mmmm dd

Example 2011رس17

Additional Short Date

Format 1N/A

Example N/A

Additional Short Date

Format 2N/A

Example N/A

Additional Long DateFormat 1

N/A

Example N/A

Additional Long Date

Format 2N/A

Example N/A

Leading Zero in Day Field

for Short Date FormatNo

Leading Zero in Month

Field for Short Date

Format

No

No. of digits for century

for Short Day Format4

Leading Zero in Day Field

for Long Date FormatNo

Leading Zero in Month

Field for Long Date

Format

No

Number of digits for

century for Long Day

Format

4

Date Format for

CorrespondenceHijri and Gregorian have the same format


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Example 1432Hijriحم17

Notes N/A

Abbreviations in Format

Codes

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)

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


24 hour format Yes, but 24 hour format is mostly used in airports or another international places.

Standard time format HH:mm:ss

Standard time format

example23:43:12

Time separator colon (:)

Time separator examples 11:43:12

Hours leading zero yes

Hours leading zero example 08:04:05

String for AM designator ص

String for PM designator م

Notes The standard time can be used in 24 hour or 12 hour format.

Days

Country/region: Algeria; Bahrain; Egypt; Iraq; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Libya; Morocco; Oman; Qatar; Saudi

Arabia; Sudan; Syria; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; Yemen

Day Normal Form Abbreviation

Monday ن ٌ ا

Tuesday ء ا


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Day Normal Form Abbreviation

Wednesday ء ر ا

Thursdayس ٌ ا

Friday ا

Saturday ت ا

Sunday د ا

First Day of Week: Saturday

Is first letter capitalized?: N/A

Notes: Abbreviated forms are rarely used.

Months



Month Full Form Abbreviated Form Long Date Form

January ٌٌر N/A N/A

February فراٌر N/A N/A

March رس N/A N/A

Aprilل

ٌ

رإ

N/A N/A

May ٌو N/A N/A

June ٌوٌو N/A N/A

July ٌوٌو N/A N/A

August أؼطس N/A N/A

September ر N/A N/A

October أور N/A N/A

Novemberوفر

N/A N/A

December دٌر N/A N/A

Is first letter capitalized?: N/A

Notes: The Gregorian calendar that is mainly used in Syria and Lebanon


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January ا نو N/A N/A

Februaryط

N/A N/A

March آذار N/A N/A

April ٌن N/A N/A

May أٌر N/A N/A

June زٌران N/A N/A

July وز N/A N/A

August آب N/A N/A

September أٌول N/A N/A

October رٌن اول N/A N/A

November ا نٌر N/A N/A

December ون اول N/A N/A

Arabic Hejri calendar


Januaryرم

N/A N/A

February ر N/A N/A

March ر ٌاول N/A N/A

April ر ٌار N/A N/A

May اودى N/A N/A

June دى ارة N/A N/A

July رب N/A N/A

August ن N/A N/A

September رن N/A N/A

October وال N/A N/A

November ذو ادة N/A N/A

December ا وذ N/A N/A


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Note: Number of days of the Hejri months and year is different from the Gregorian calendar as the Hejri calendar

is based on cycles of lunar phase. So, the calendar ceases to be linked to the Gregorian seasons and months,

and drifts each solar year by 11 to 12 days, and comes back to the position it had in relation to the solar year

approximately every 33 Hejri years.

Numbers

The following table details the rules that apply to the use of numbers:

Number element Arabic Equivalent

List Separator

Decimal Separator ,

Thousand Separator See the comment below*

Date Separator /

Time Separator :

In page numbering, when roman numbers are used in a section of the English documentation, the localizer mustuse the Arabic alphabet as equivalent in the translated documentation.

* Please note that the Thousand Separators are not used in Arabic most of the times.

Phone Numbers

Sample Country

Country/

region

International

Dialing

Code

Area

Codes

Used?

Number of

Digits – Area

Codes

Separator Number of

Digits –

Domestic

Digit

Groupings –

Domestic

Egypt 20 yes 2 space or

hyphen

10 ,11 or 12 (###) ### ## ##

## or (###) ###

## ## # or (###)

### ## ##

Country/

region

Number of

Digits –

Local

Digit

Groupings

– Local

Number of

Digits – Mobile

Digit

Groupings –

Mobile

Number of

Digits –

International

Digit

Groupings –

International

Egypt 7 ,8 or 9 ### ## ##

## or ###

## ## # or

### ## ##

8 (###) ###

### ##

13, 14 or 15 (####) ### ##

## #### or

(####) ### ##

## ### or (####)

### ## ####


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Notes: N/A

Addresses



Disclaimer: Please note that the information in this entry should under no circumstances be used in examples as

fictitious information.

Address Format:

1. [Title/Honorific] FirstName LastName

2. [CompanyName]

3. Address1

4. [Address2]

5. City, PostalCode6. [Country]

Example Address:

ط دأ/دٌا

ا ٌٌادة را

اطق ان اٌل ٌ ودا رطا قٌرط اورود

ارٌدي ارز xxxxxارٌض

ٌ

دوا ٌرا ا

Local Postal Code Format: xxxxx

Notes: N/A

Currency

Country/region Algeria

Currency Name دٌر زائري

Currency Symbol د.ج.

Currency Symbol Position Left side of the digits.

Positive Currency Format د. ج.3

Negative Sign Symbol -

Negative Currency Format د. ج.3-

Decimal Symbol .


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Number of Digits after Decimal 2

Digit Grouping Symbol ,

Number of Digits in DigitGrouping

3

Positive Currency Example د. ج.3,243

Negative Currency Example د. ج.3,243-

ISO Currency Code DZA

Currency Subunit Name ٌم

Currency Subunit Symbol س

Currency Subunit Example 25ٌ

Country/region Bahrain

Currency Name ٌر دٌر

Currency Symbol د.ب.

Currency Symbol Position Left side of the digits

Positive Currency Format د.ب.3


Negative Currency Format -3.ب

.د

Decimal Symbol .



Number of Digits in Digit

Grouping3

Positive Currency Example د.ب.3,243

Negative Currency Example د.ب.3,243-

ISO Currency Code BHR

Currency Subunit Name فس

Currency Subunit Symbol ؾ

Currency Subunit Example 25ف


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Country/region Egypt

Currency Name ٌري

Currency Symbol .م

.ج


Positive Currency Format ج. م.3


Negative Currency Format ج. م.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example ج. م.3,243

Negative Currency Example ج. م.3,243-

ISO Currency Code EGY

Currency Subunit Name رش

Currency Subunit Symbol ق

Currency Subunit Example 25ر

Country/region Iraq

Currency Name ار رٌد

Currency Symbol د. ع.


Positive Currency Format د. ع.3


Negative Currency Format د. ع.3-

Decimal Symbol .




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Country/region Kuwait

Currency Name ٌو دٌر

Currency Symbol .ك

.د


Positive Currency Format د. ك.3


Negative Currency Format د. ك.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example د. ك.3,243

Negative Currency Example د. ك.3,243-

ISO Currency Code KWT




Country/region Lebanon

Currency Name ٌ ٌرة

Currency Symbol ل. ل.


Positive Currency Format ل. ل.3


Negative Currency Format ل. ل.3-

Decimal Symbol .




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Grouping3

Positive Currency Example ل. ل.3,243

Negative Currency Example ل. ل.3,243-

ISO Currency Code LBN


Currency Subunit Symbol ق

Currency Subunit Example ر25

Country/region Libya

Currency Name

ٌ

ر

ٌ

د

Currency Symbol د. ل.


Positive Currency Format د.ل.3


Negative Currency Format د.ل.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example د.ل.3,243

Negative Currency Example د.ل.3,243-

ISO Currency Code LBY

Currency Subunit Name درم

Currency Subunit Symbol .ه

.د

Currency Subunit Example 25ٌ درم


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Country/region Morocco

Currency Name رؽ مرد

Currency Symbol .م

.د


Positive Currency Format د. م.3


Negative Currency Format د. م.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example د. م.3,243

Negative Currency Example د. م.3,243-

ISO Currency Code MAR


Currency Subunit Symbol س


Country/region Oman

Currency Name

Currency Symbol ر. ل.


Positive Currency Format ر. ل.3


Negative Currency Format ر. ل.3-

Decimal Symbol .




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Grouping3

Positive Currency Example ر. ل.3,243

Negative Currency Example ر. ل.3,243-

ISO Currency Code OMN

Currency Subunit Name ٌ

Currency Subunit Symbol ب


Country/region Qatar

Currency Nameطري

Currency Symbol ر. ق.


Positive Currency Format ر. ق.3


Negative Currency Format ر.ق.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example ر. ق.3,243

Negative Currency Example ر. ق.3,243-

ISO Currency Code QAT

Currency Subunit Name درم

Currency Subunit Symbolد

Currency Subunit Example 25رد


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Country/region Saudi Arabia

Currency Name ودي

Currency Symbol .س

.ر


Positive Currency Format ر. س.3


Negative Currency Format ر. س.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example ر. س.3,243

Negative Currency Example ر. س.3,243-

ISO Currency Code SAU

Currency Subunit Name

Currency Subunit Symbol ـ

Currency Subunit Example 25

Country/region Sudan

Currency Name ٌادو

Currency Symbol . س.ج


Positive Currency Format . س.3


Negative Currency Format . س.3-

Decimal Symbol .




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Grouping3

Positive Currency Example . س.3,324

Negative Currency Example . س.3,243-

ISO Currency Code SDG


Currency Subunit Symbol . س.ق

Currency Subunit Example ودار25

Country/region Syria

Currency Name

ٌ

رو

رة

ٌ

Currency Symbol ل. س.


Positive Currency Format ل. س.3


Negative Currency Format ل. س.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example ل.س.3,243

Negative Currency Example ل.س.3,243-

ISO Currency Code SYR


Currency Subunit Symbol .س

.ق

Currency Subunit Example ر25


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Country/region Tunisia

Currency Name و رٌد

Currency Symbol .ت

.د


Positive Currency Format د. ت.3


Negative Currency Format د. ت.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example د. ت.3,243

Negative Currency Example د. ت.3,243-

ISO Currency Code TUN


Currency Subunit Symbol م


Country/region UAE

Currency Name ارإ مرد

Currency Symbol د. إ


Positive Currency Format د. 3


Negative Currency Format د. 3-

Decimal Symbol .




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Grouping3

Positive Currency Example د. 3,243

Negative Currency Example د. 3,243-

ISO Currency Code ARE




Country/region Yemen

Currency Name

ٌ

Currency Symbol ي.ر.


Positive Currency Format ر. ي.3


Negative Currency Format ر. ي.3-

Decimal Symbol .




Grouping3

Positive Currency Example ر. ي.3,243

Negative Currency Example ر. ي.3,243-

ISO Currency Code YEM


Currency Subunit Symbolؾ



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Digit Groups

Country/region: Arab Region

Decimal Separator: Comma (,)

Decimal Separator Description: Comma

Decimal Separator Example: 1,5

Thousand Separator: N/A

Thousand Separator: N/A

Thousand Separator Example: N/A

Notes: The comma might be used as thousand separator

Measurement Units

Metric System Commonly Used?: Yes

Temperature: Celsius

Category English Translation Abbreviation

Linear Measure Kilometer ٌور م

Meter ر م

Decimeter ٌد دم

Centimeter ٌر م

Millimeter ٌ م

Capacity Hectoliter ور ل

Liter ر ل

Deciliter ٌد دل

Centiliter ٌر ل

Milliliter ٌ ل

Mass Ton طن طن

Kilogram ٌوؼرام ػ

Pound رطل رطل

Gram ؼرام غ

Decigram ٌؽراد دػ

Centigram ٌؽرام ػ


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Category English Translation Abbreviation

Milligram ارؽٌ ػ

English Units ofMeasurement

Inchو N/A

Feet دم N/A

Mile ٌل N/A

Gallon ؼون N/A

Notes: N/A

Percentages

This section does not apply to Arabic.

Sorting

Sorting rules

1. There are no capital rules in Arabic

2. The order of vowels is: unaccented, long, umlaut, or dot.

3. hamza does not sort. It sorts according to its "seat" .

4. Alphabetical order is not necessarily indicative of sorting order .

5. The alphabetical order is different than the alphabet, although both can be used .

6. Digits sort after the non-alphabetical characters and before the letters of the alphabet.

7. The alphabetical order is:

ك

ي

ط

ح

ز

و

ـ

د

ج

ب

أ

ظ

ض

ذ

خ

ث

ت

ش

ر

ق

ص

ؾ

ع

س

ن

م

ل

Examples of

sorted words

أب

اداع

اذال

أح

اع

اه

إرة

إ

طإ

أوة

أداة

اذإ

إؼرة

إفدة


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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.

Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions This section includes information on how to apply the general rules of the Arabic language to Microsoft products

and documentation.

Adjectives

Unlike English, in Arabic, adjectives should follow the number form of the modified.

Possessive adjectives

The frequent use of possessives is a feature of English language. However in Arabic, possessive adjectives

should be handled differently, where pronouns should be avoided.

Source Correct wrong Comment

My folders ا تادا اد


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Articles

General considerations

The definite article should follow the source.

Unlocalized Feature Names

Microsoft product names and non-translated feature names are used without definite or indefinite articles in the

English language. We treat them in this same way in Arabic.

Example:

Microsoft Office

Localized Feature Names

Translated feature names should be highlighted using double or single quotes, especially if it comes within other

text.

Example:

" افم"

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 Arabic language?

Analogy: Is there an equivalent Arabic 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.

Capitalization


Compounds


Gender

Transliterated words and English names need to be given a gender in Arabic. For example: the Mouse as it iscalled “سو” in Arabic, you might wonder: shall I say “و”or “”?


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As there is no real rule to this except that we tend to return to the unwritten word that indicates what the functionof the word is, here are some examples to guide you:

RAM RAM ذارة

RAM

Feminine gender

Windows Windows ر

Windows

Masculine gender

Mouse وس ز اوس Masculine gender

Due to the absence of an equivalent to “it” as a gender in Arabic, when the user points on an icon (which has the

feminine gender in Arabic) or on a button (which has the masculine gender in Arabic), a messages that says:

“Displays full pages as they will be printed” would leave you to wonder whether to say ”ر“ or ”.ٌر“

Therefore, and because we always seek a more direct and short way to translate these messages, we have optedfor the use of the verbal noun ”.اد“

Genitive

Genitive Construction: when there English word between the governed and governing word. It is looks better to

place the English after the Arabic ones. Like:

Incorrect correct

ا ٌٌراد Excelول اExcelٌود

Class Genitive Constructs : These differ in structure between English and Arabic. English uses aاف إ ائت

prepositioned singular form of the class word, while Arabic uses a postpositioned plural form of the same. Thus

“Field Area” becomes “لوا ٌ ” and not ٌال" ". Singular is used in Arabic genitive construct when the

genitive complement ( إاؾ ) is a function word, hence “Break area” becomes “لا ٌ ”, and “Add Print

Wizard” should be “ط فإ ”

Genitive Conjunctive Constructs إ" "ٌاطؾ ؾ : This is a very common Anglicism in translation. In Arabic,

the genitive complement is linked solely to its antecedent regardless of conjunctions. Two Arabic genitive

complements, the second of which is a pronoun, are needed as equivalents to an English one, i.e. the correct

translation of “Creating and Sending Reports” would be إرإو رٌرا ء and not “رٌرا .”إء وإرل

Modifiers



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Nouns

General considerations


Inflection


Plural Formation

English plural is the equivalent of both the Arabic plural () and the Arabic dual (). A proper contextualization

is needed for translating the occurrences of English plural.

Example: Spin Arrows are rather and notن .أم

Prepositions


Pronouns

Avoid using the second person pronoun.

Example:

Source Correct wrong Comment

My folders ا تادا اد

Punctuation

General punctuation rules are available in the recommended reference material

Comma

Spacing: No space before. Space after.

Colon


Dashes and Hyphens

It’s preferable to use the Kashida character which resides on the shifted J key in Arabic instead of the normal

dash on the keyboard due to the horizontal alignment of this character with the Arabic fonts

Ellipses (Suspension Points)

Should be used like source.


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Period


Quotation Marks

Quotation marks are used to highlight UI items like button names.

Example:

Source correct wrong

Click View menu "رض" ئا قوف ر ا ض ر ئ قوف را

Parentheses

Spacing:

Opening: Space before. No space after.

Closing: No space before. Space after.

Singular & Plural

English plural is the equivalent of both the Arabic plural () and the Arabic dual (). A proper contextualization

is needed for translating the occurrences of English plural. Example: Spin Arrows are rather and notن أم

Split Infinitive


Subjunctive


Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces

Use non-breaking spaces (CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR) between words that should not separate onto different

lines. You may use them in the following instances:

Between Part, Chapter, or Appendix and its number or letter.

Between a unit of measurement or currency, and the number that goes with it.

Between any items that should not be divided onto separate lines, such as product names “Microsoft Windows

XP” and version numbers “Word 2002”.


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Syntax This section does not apply to Arabic.

Verbs This section does not apply to Arabic.:

Word Order


Style and Tone Considerations Because of the wide number of countries which have adopted Arabic as their first language, and due to the

different culture, customs, and dialects noted between these countries, Microsoft had to approach this issue with

a lot of care and diplomacy. Therefore, we took into great consideration the two major schools: the Levant and theEgyptian schools. We conducted surveys in different countries before we established the following general rules:

1. Characters with or without upper and lower dual dots:

Characters such as “ءٌ ”and “طور ء” have to have their lower and upper dual dots respectively.

2. The guttural “g” is represented by the “ءؼ” and not by the “مٌ ”. Of course this is not always. Because

some times it is pronounced as “مٌ ” like “George” should be “جرو” not “غروؼ”.

3. The month names are used as defaults, the way they are dominantly used in most Arab countries, i.e., in

the Egyptian calendar, transliterated from English رس فراٌر ٌٌر .

Now to fine tune the written material that is a dominant component of a product, and this covers the strings in the

User Interface, the on-line assistance and the documentation, it is important to make sure that all staff has training

on “how to write.” This means having them reach a point where they all write the same way; they all have the

same style, and they all follow the same syntax and structure. This is very critical to good localization. Also, avoid

addressing the computer as a person since this is not quite acceptable in Arabic.

The style is also important throughout the components to secure that things are “homogeneous.” The

documentation or the help files are certainly split among your staff to work on. At the end of the day, once all of

the help files are built together and compiled, they should look as one entity and they should read as such as well.

One of the most important goals at Microsoft is to always make it easier for the user. We want to avoid confusing

him or her, so we provide literature that is homogenous, consistent, clear, and easy to understand.

Finally, make it easy. We want the words to be among the simplest, clearest, and most common words used in

the language

Audience

Same as in Style and Tone above


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Style


Tone


Voice

Unlike Arabic, “you” in English might refer to singular, plural or both gender types. So, this should be considered

in Arabic.

Example: You in the below source might refer to above types.

English Translation

You are now connected to the Internet. ان ل رت.أت

You are now connected to the Internet. أم ان ون رت


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Localization Guidelines

This section contains guidelines for localization into Arabic.

General Considerations In order to ensure better consistency among all the product components on one side, and among differentMicrosoft products on another side, you must ensure that you have a copy of the glossary. Everything should startwith the glossary. Whether you or another party is establishing it, do not start any work before the glossary is setand final.

The glossary is normally established for each product and comprises those terms found in that specific product.However, Microsoft glossaries should be - and are - complementary to each other. Each glossary is acontinuation of the preceding one if it concerns the same product but a later version.

For Cross-Product consistency, Microsoft Language Excellence has adopted the idea of having one Glossary formore than a product, The Glossary is called “Master Glossary”. The main purpose of “Master Glossary” is toescalate the consistency stage to the next level by expanding its vision to include more products.

In addition to glossaries that are specific to products, ther e is a certain terminology that dominates these products’language or translation. This is what we call “the Microsoft Conventions”. An example is when - at Microsoft - wedecide to call a “computer” in Arabic “روٌ ” rather than “بو”. And when we call the “mouse” simply “سو” in Arabic and not “ةرف”.

Therefore, it is very important that all your staff be familiar with these terms before they start working on any of the

components.

Abbreviations

The Arabic language has very few abbreviations most of which appear in the mathematics field. Do not attempt to

create abbreviations just because you need an equivalent to the English one. Remember that we want to conveythe information to the user in its most appropriate and clear way.

The most commonly used abbreviations in Arabic are those of country names and currencies. While it is notedthat although it is appropriate in the English or French languages for example, to use a “diminutive” or toabbreviate words such as month names, day names, etc., the same practice is not acceptable in Arabic. Andwhile abbreviations are normally followed by a dot in English, this appears not to be the rule in Arabic.

The general rule for abbreviations in Arabic is to either use the first character of the word (such as “ص” in “ ”

for “AM”), or to connect two characters that are originally present in the English word which has in fact no

translation in Arabic but a transliteration such as “م”for “رٌ ” for “Centimeter”.

List of common abbreviations:

Abbreviation Arabic Equivalent

AM ص

C (Celsius) ٌوئ رد


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CD رص ؽوط

CM م

CPU

ٌ

زرا

ا

ودة

EB ت

ٌ

إ

GB ؼٌؽٌت

USB ا ا لا

Grams ؼرام

Hz رز

KB ٌوٌت

KHz ورز

ٌ

MB ٌؽٌت

MHz ٌؽرز

Mm م

MS Microsoft

PB ت

ٌ

ٌ

PM م

Pt ط

RAM ئاوا لووا ةراذ

ROM فط

راءة

ذارة

TB ب يت

U.S. ٌٌرا اوٌت ادة

Accessibility


Acronyms

Acronyms are words made up of the init ial letters of major parts of a compound term. Some well-known examples

are WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), OLE (Object Linking and Embedding), or RAM (Random


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Access Memory). As you may notice, acronyms are pronounceable words, that is, you don’t just state the letters

that they are made of one after another.

Localized Acronyms

Acronyms are not common in the Arab world, although some of the western acronyms have been - again -transliterated in Arabic. For example: “OPEC” is spelled and pronounced and written in Arabic as “ أوٌك ”. As far asMicrosoft’s style in this regards is concerned, the acronym should be as is in English and followed by thetranslation in the full form. For example, “RAM” should be spelled as is and followed by, “ئاوا لووا ةراذ”between parentheses. This is our practice to introduce a term or to give the user the chance and the time to getfamiliar with a new term which was not long ago absent from any Arabic dictionary. And this is what werecommend you do with acronyms - and sometimes abbreviations.

Unlocalized Acronyms

However, some acronyms remain in English and are not translated nor transliterated for some or all of thefollowing reasons:

1. The acronym is so well established as an English word that it has been standardized as such.

2. Transliterating an acronym would result in an unacceptable word in Arabic.

Note

It is acceptable in some cases to present acronyms fully in English in the documentation, followed by its fullspelling in English.

For example: ANSI (American National Standards Institute).

When dealing with acronyms that appear in Software UI, like dialogs and menus, spacing constraints should beconsidered. If the space doesn't permit using the above practice, the English acronym should be used.

For example: ANSI

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.

Frequent Errors

Source Translation Fix Comment

Show and hide an image إظر وإء ورة ؤإو ةرو رظإ

There shouldn't be

space between the

genitive and its

complement


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Show and hide an image ئإو ةرو رظإ ؤإو ةرو رظإ it should be in the

nominative form

To resolve this problem,enter a valid product key. ح لدأ ا هذ ل. . ح لدأ ا هذ ل should be inthe accusative form

click All Programs, click

Accessories, right-click the

command-prompt shortcut,

and then click Run as

Administrator.

ف قوف راقوف را ارا

ار زر اوس ا ارا

م اٌن فوق ار و اوار

ؽٌل ؤول. ار فوق

"ار فوق "ارا فارا" ار فوق

م "ارا قوف نٌا ار زر اوس

ؽٌل ؤول". " م ار فوق "و اوار"

Unlike English, the

conjunction should

be used

repeatedly.

However, there may be

times when you want to

manually change your

presence status. For

example, if you are working

on something that is time-

critical, you may want to

change your status to Do

Not Disturb to avoid being

interrupted.

ن

ٌ

ا

ض

ف

د

ٌ

ر

د

ذك

و

. ٌدو ؽٌٌر اواد

إذا ت ل ء م ٌل ال

ؽٌٌر ك رٌد فد ف ذا اوت

ازج ب طك. إ وع

ر

ٌ

ٌ

ؽ

إ

ن

ٌ

ا

ض

ف

ج

د

ذك

و

ٌدو ٌاواد . إذا ت ال

إ ج دف ل ء م ف ذا اوت

" إ ك رٌٌؽ"جزا عوب

طك.

Due to literal and

incorrect translation

of "may want", it

resulted in

incoherent

meaning.

The application has three

action ق

ٌ

طااءارإ ث اطٌق إراءات Incorrect plural

form.

Not all file types can be

edited رٌر ف أواع ات ٌن رٌر ض أواع ات ٌذر د

Due to literaltranslation or

following the

wordiness of the

source, the

translation is totally

wrong.

Glossaries

Because many translators often work on one product, it is important to agree on the style in advance. In addition,it is important that all translators maintain a list of common terms, so that the same translation is always used for

standard phrases. This list of terms is the property of Microsoft.


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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.

Recurring Patterns


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.

Standard Phrases in Error Messages

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.

Software Considerations This section refers to all menus, menu items, commands, buttons, check boxes, etc., which should be consistently

translated in the localized product.

Refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/aa511258.aspx for a detailed explanation of the Windows user interface

guidelines (English).

http://www.microsoft.com/trademarks/t-mark/names.htmhttp://www.microsoft.com/trademarks/t-mark/names.htmhttp://www.microsoft.com/trademarks/t-mark/names.htmhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/aa511258.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/aa511258.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/aa511258.aspxhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/aa511258.aspxhttp://www.microsoft.com/trademarks/t-mark/names.htm


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User Interface

When explaining how to use the mouse or when giving instructions about its use, use the following conventions:

Example:

Mouse action Arabic Equivalent

Click ار ر

Click in the window ار ن اطر

Click the button ار فوق ازر

Double-click ار ازدوج ودز ار ر

Move the mouse pointer to إ رؤا سأر لا

Position the mouse pointer on فوق

اؤر

رأس

Press and hold the mouse button اؽط زر اوس وار ف اؽط

Drag ب اب

Click and drag ار واب ار واب

Press and drag اؽط واب اؽط واب

Hove the mouse رٌر اوس

Also, in order to avoid confusion while naming some of the uncommon colors, here is a table that provides the

terms in Arabic.

Color Arabic Equivalent

Aqua ورواز

Butter Milk

Black أود

Blue أزرق

Dark gray ردي دان

Fuchsia زري

Gray ردي

Green أر

Light gray ف يدر

Lime وٌ


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Maroon أر

Medium gray ردي وط

Navy دان

أزرق

Olive ٌز

Purple اورأ

Red أر

Silver ف

Teal أزرق ر

White أٌض

Yellow أر

Aquamarine أزرق ئل رة

Blanched Almond ٌض وزي

Blue Gradient درج أزرق

Blue Violet رز لئ

Dark Magenta دان

Dark Olive Green ز ٌدان أر

Dark Orchid أروا دان

Dark Slate Blue أزرق إردوازي دان

Dark Turquoise روازي دان

Deep Pink ر دان

Dodger Blue أزرق وط

Fire Brick رٌدي ري

Green Gradient درج أر

Honeydew

Light Sky Blue ف يو قرزأ

Light Slate Gray ف يزاودرإ يدر

Medium Aquamarine أزرق وط ئل رة

Medium Turquoise روازي دل


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Mint Cream ر ٌئل رة

Misty Rose وردي

Moccasin ن

ٌ

و

Navajo White أٌض و

Olive Drab ف ٌز

Orchid ف اورأ

Pale Goldenrod أر ذ ب

Pale Turquoise روازي ب

Papaya Whip ٌا ون

Plum رز

ئل

اورأ

Powder Blue أزرق أؼر

Sandy Brown ئل رة

Sky Blue أزرق وي

Tan ري

Turquoise روازي

White Smoke دأٌض

Yellow Green أر ئل رة

Messages

Messages are on-line warnings, instructions, or descriptions that inform the user about the product or the

conditions that may require special consideration. There are two types of messages: Informative Messages and

Interactive Messages.

Informative messages an informative message appears in a message box or in the status bar at the bottom of the

screen.

Interactive messages an interactive message usually appears in a message box and requires a response or an

action.

It is important not to be too literate when translating messages. Do not forget that you are limited in many ways by

the total number of characters allowed in a message. The following table shows two frequently found ambiguities

and the work around for a better translation:


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English Arabic Rational

Windows cannot open this file ٌن ن ف ذا اWindowsم Do not say:

ٌ

ط

ٌ

Windowsا اذ ف

We need the user to understand

that under the particular

circumstances or due to the

particular status of the file, Windows

is “unable” to open it

File can not be saved ذر ظ اؾ Do not say:

ٌن ظ اؾ

This will implicate that it is not

possible to save a file, which is not

true. We need to let the user

understand that under the present

circumstances, the file cannot be

saved.

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 asabout 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).

Arabic Style in Status bar Messages

In English, the status bar messages have different forms dependent on what kind of information they give. Menu

status bar messages and commands status bar messages localized into Arabic do not differ as shown in the

tables.


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Due to the absence of an equivalent to “it” as a gender in Arabic, when the user points on an icon (which has the

feminine gender in Arabic) or on a button (which has the masculine gender in Arabic), a messages that says:

“Displays full pages as they will be printed” would leave you to wonder whether to say ”ر“ or .”ٌر“

Therefore, and because we always seek a more direct and short way to translate these messages, we have opted

for the use of the verbal noun .”اد“

Examples:

Name Category English bar message Arabic bar message

Edit menu Contains editing commands ارٌر وي أوار

Copy to Folder menuCopies the selected items to a

new location

و إ ةددا را

د

ٌ

د

New command Creates a new document دٌد إء د

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 Arabic version. Use one standard translation as in the examples below:

English term Correct Arabic translation

Press F1 to get Help اF1ٌاؽط لو

If you want Help press F1

To get Help press F1

Not enough memory ٌف ؼٌر اذارة

Insufficient memory

There is not enough memory

Save changes to %1? تارٌٌؽا رٌد ظ %1ل

Do you want to save changes to %1?


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Error Messages

What Is An Error Message?

Here is an example:

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.

Arabic 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.

Standard Phrases in Error Messages

When translating standard phrases, standardize. Note that sometimes the US uses different forms to express the

same thing.

Examples:

English Translation Example Comment

Cannot …

Could not … ذر ذر ذؾ اؾ.

Failed to …

Failure of … فل فل ذؾ اؾ.

Cannot find …

Could not find …

Unable to find …

Unable to locate …

ذر اور ذر اور اؾ.

Not enough memory

Insufficient memory

ٌ

ف ؼٌر ة ر ا ذ ا ٌ ف رٌؼ اذارة


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English Translation Example Comment



available

is not available

is unavailableر وف ٌ ؼ ر ف و رٌؼ

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

%c means

%s means

Examples of error messages containing placeholders:

"Checking Web %1!d! of %2!d!" means "Checking Web of ".

"INI file "%1!-.200s!" section" means "INI file "" section".

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).

Due to the absence of keyboards, and stickers, that have all of the function keys in Arabic, the general rulehas been to:

Keep all the keys in English when they are listed as an action to be done or an instruction to be followed, when

directly concerning the User Interface. And translate them when they occur in a narrative or explanatory manner.


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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.

The ampersand (&) is used in the localization of software to designate hot keys. A hot key is the character thatappears underlined on a menu or inside a dialog box.

The general rule is that the hot key should be clearly visible to the user. So it is very important to avoid – whenever possible – using the ampersand on ligatures to designate a hot key. This means avoiding the “alef withhamza,” for example.

Where the hot keys have already been established for commonly used commands such as the File menu, forexample, and all its menu commands, the hot keys must always remain the same – whenever possible – in allMicrosoft products.

Avoid using & on English abbreviation unless it is necessary (e.g. &TCP/IP), where there is no Arabicalternative or would result in duplication.

Avoid assigning keys that require using the shift key like . as & is used by pressing the shift keyأ

Avoid using the & with Alef with Hamza under; e.g.; &جاردإ

Sometimes the English uses && representing the meaning of And. This should be replaced with "و"

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.


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Right Arrow اٌن ح ام ن ٌ ا ما ح

Left Arrow اٌر ح ام اٌح ام

Up Arrow ما ح ما ح

Down Arrow ح ام ل ل ما ح

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.

Shortcut Keys

Shortcut keys are keystrokes or combinations of keystrokes used to perform defined functions in a softwareapplication. 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.

Standard Shortcut Keys

US

Command

US English

Shortcut Key

Arabic

Command

Arabic

Shortcut key

General Windows Shortcut keys

Help window F1 اٌت فذة F1

Context-sensitive Help Shift+F1 اٌق اٌت ا ظر ب Shift+F1

Display pop-up menu Shift+F10 ائ ارض Shift+F10

Cancel Esc إؽء ار Esc

Activate\Deactivate

menu bar mode

F10 رٌط اوائ/ٌط و طٌ إؽء F10

Switch to the next

primary application

Alt+Tab ا ا قٌطا إ لٌدا Alt+Tab

Display next window Alt+Esc ارض افذة Alt+Esc

Display pop-up menu

for the window

Alt+Spacebar رض ائ ا فذة Alt+Spacebar

Display pop-up menu

for the active child

Alt+- طا ٌرا رض ائ ا فذة Alt+-


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US

Command

US English

Shortcut Key

Arabic

Command

Arabic

Shortcut key

window

Display property sheet

for current selection

Alt+Enter ا دٌد رض ور ائص Alt+Enter

Close active

application window

Alt+F4 اطٌق اط إؼق فذة Alt+F4

Switch to next window

within (modeless-

compliant) application

Alt+F6 اطٌق ادٌل إ اطر ا ن Alt+F6

Capture active window

image to the Clipboard

Alt+Prnt Scrn ظفا ف طا ةذف ةرو طا Alt+Prnt Scrn

Capture desktop

image to the Clipboard

Prnt Scrn ظفا ف طا ةذف ةرو طا Prnt Scrn

Access Start button in

taskbar

Ctrl+Esc رٌط ااوول ف "أدا" إ ازر Ctrl+Esc

Display next child

window

Ctrl+F6 ٌا ٌرا رض افذة Ctrl+F6

Display next tabbed

pane

Ctrl+Tab ا بوا ءزا ضر Ctrl+Tab

Launch Task Managerand system

initialization

Ctrl+Shift+Escإدارة

"ل

ٌ

ؽظا

ئ

ٌ

و

"ام

Ctrl+Shift+Esc

File Menu

File New Ctrl+N دٌد ؾ Ctrl+N

File Open Ctrl+O ف ؾ Ctrl+O

File Close Ctrl+F4 إؼق ؾ Ctrl+F4

File Save Ctrl+S ظ Ctrl+S

File Save as F12م

ظ

F12File Print Preview Ctrl+F2 طا ٌ Ctrl+F2

File Print Ctrl+P ط Ctrl+P

File Exit Alt+F4 إء Alt+F4

Edit Menu


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US

Command

US English

Shortcut Key

Arabic

Command

Arabic

Shortcut key

Edit Undo Ctrl+Z ار Ctrl+Z

Edit Repeat Ctrl+Y رار Ctrl+Y

Edit Cut Ctrl+X ص Ctrl+X

Edit Copy Ctrl+C Ctrl+C

Edit Paste Ctrl+V ق Ctrl+V

Edit Delete Ctrl+Backspace ذؾ Ctrl+Backspace

Edit Select All Ctrl+A دٌد ال Ctrl+A

Edit Find Ctrl+F ث Ctrl+F

Edit Replace Ctrl+Hادال

Ctrl+H

Edit Go To Ctrl+B إ لا Ctrl+B

Help Menu

Help F1 ٌت F1

Font Format

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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 …".

General guidelines when translating titles

Avoid resorting to literal or word by word translation. The Target should read as original in simple andunderstandable way.

Avoid the use of American idioms or Microsoft jargon/acronyms/abbreviations that would not be readilyunderstood in the Arabic market.

If something seems to be unsuitable for a market either because it is “too American” or culturallyinappropriate, alert your Microsoft PU contact

Consistency

Consistency is very important, and all related titles should be translated consistently. In a few cases it might be

advisable to adopt a solution different from the above guidelines, e.g. by using infinitives only, if this ensure better

consistency and improved understand ability for the end user.

Recurring patterns

When translating titles there are certain recurrent patterns that you should pay attention to, as indicated below:

A few examples of course titles:

Source Target

What's New in ف دٌدا"اا"

Getting Started with "اا"اروع ف ادام

Installing and Configuring ت

ٌ

"اا"ٌوو

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.

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Documents