Estonian Style Guide
Contents What's New? .................................................................................................................................... 4 New Topics ................................................................................................................................... 4 Updated Topics ............................................................................................................................ 4 Introduction ........................................................
Tone ........................................................................................................................................ 33 Voice ....................................................................................................................................... 34 Localization Guidelines .................................................................................................................. 35 General Considerations .........................................................
What's New? Last Updated: February 2011 New Topics This section does not apply to Estonian. 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.
Introduction This Style Guide went through major revision in February 2011 in order to remove outdated and unnecessary content. Some topics are considered to be "Core & Common" – pertaining to all Microsoft products and services, while other topics have been added for product-specific purposes. These product-specific topics are in a separate section at the end of this document.
Aastatel 1898–1903 õppis Anton Tartus Hugo Treffneri gümnaasiumis ja töötas samal ajal ka Teataja toimetuses. Gümnaasiumi lõpetamise järel alustas Hansen õpinguid Tartu ülikooli õigusteaduskonnas. Ülikooliaastatel kirjutas jutustused „Pikad sammud‖, „Üle piiri‖, „Noored hinged‖ jts. Juristidiplom jäi Hansenil saamata, kuna ta haigestus tuberkuloosi. Looming Kirjandusse tuli Tammsaare 20.
Recommended Reference Material Use the Estonian 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. Eesti keele käsiraamat (Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, 2000) 2. Eesti ortograafia (Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, 2005) 3.
Language Specific Conventions This part of the style guide contains information about standards specific to Estonian.
Country/region Estonia H - 0048 - 72 h - 0068 - 104 I - 0049 - 73 i - 0069 - 105 J - 004A - 74 j - 006A - 106 K - 004B - 75 k - 006B - 107 L - 004C - 76 l - 006C - 108 M - 004D - 77 m - 006D - 109 N - 004E - 78 n - 006E - 110 O - 004F - 79 o - 006F - 111 P - 0050 - 80 p - 0070 - 112 Q - 0051 - 81 q - 0071 - 113 R - 0052 - 82 r - 0072 - 114 S - 0053 - 83 s - 0073 - 115 Š - 0160 - 208 š - 0161 - 240 Z - 005A - 90 z - 007A - 122 Ţ - 017D - 222 ţ - 017E - 254 T - 0054 - 84 t - 0074 - 116 U - 0055 - 85 u - 0074
Country/region Estonia V - 0056 - 86 v - 0076 - 118 W - 0057 - 87 w - 0077 - 119 Õ - 00D5 - 213 õ - 00F5 - 245 Ä - 00C4 - 196 ä - 00E4 - 228 Ö - 00D6 - 214 ö - 00F6 - 246 Ü - 00DC - 220 ü - 00FC - 252 X - 0058 - 88 x - 0078 - 120 Y - 0059 - 89 y - 0079 - 121 Notes n/a Date Country/region Estonia Calendar/Era Gregorian First Day of the Week Monday First Week of the Year The first full week of the year. Separator Full stop (.) Default Short Date Format d.MM.yy Example 17.03.
Country/region Estonia Example 17.03.11 Additional Short Date Format 2 dd.MM.yyyy Example 17.03.2011 Additional Long Date Format 1 dd. MMMM yyyy. a Example 17. märts 2011. a Additional Long Date Format 2 n/a Example n/a Leading Zero in Day Field for Short Date Format No Leading Zero in Month Field for Short Date Format Yes No.
Country/region Estonia y is for year, number of y's gives number of digits (yy = two digits, yyyy = four digits) Time Country/region Estonia 24 hour format Yes Standard time format H:mm:ss (deviation from correct language usage) Standard time format example 23:43:12 (deviation from correct language usage) Time separator colon (:) Time separator examples 23:43:12 Hours leading zero No Hours leading zero example 8:04:05 (deviation from correct language usage) String for AM designator n/a S
Day Normal Form Abbreviation Monday esmaspäev E Tuesday teisipäev T Wednesday komapäev K Thursday neljapäev N Friday reede R Saturday laupäev L Sunday pühapäev P First Day of Week: Monday Is first letter capitalized? No Notes: n/a Months Country/region: Estonia Month Full Form Abbreviated Form Long Date Form January jaanuar jaan jaanuar February veebruar veebr veebruar March märts märts märts April aprill apr aprill May mai mai mai June juuni juuni juuni
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 Estonia 372 No 0 Space 7 ### #### Country/ region Number of Digits – Local Digit Groupings – Local Number of Digits – Mobile Digit Groupings – Mobile Number of Digits – International Digit Groupings – International Estonia 7 ### #### 7 and 8 ### #### and #### #### 11 and 12 +372 ### #### and +37
Example Address: Juhan Juurikas AS Päikesepaiste Ranna tee 6 12345 Pärnu Local Postal Code Format: [EE-]xxxxx Notes: • Abbreviations may be used with or without a trailing full stop. • The postal code is placed before the city's name. • One space between PostalCode and City. • ―State/province/Region‖ are not used in addresses. • The ISO/CEPT country code used in postal addresses EE and may be prefixed to the postal code in international use: EE-12345.
Currency Subunit Example 17 senti Digit Groups Country/region: Estonia Decimal Separator: , . Decimal Separator Description: comma, period Decimal Separator Example: 123.45 eurot 1,2 MB 5,25 tolli 12,58 9,5% Thousand Separator: Thousand Separator Description: space Thousand Separator Example: 1 234 567 Notes: • • A comma is used in decimals in Estonian, except in currency and other uses where the value is a concatenation of two independent units, in which case a full stop is used.
Category Mass English Units of Measurement Notes: • • English Translation Abbreviation Milliliter milliliiter ml Ton tonn t Kilogram kilogramm kg Pound nael lb Gram gramm g Decigram detsigramm dg Centigram sentigramm cg Milligram milligramm mg Inch toll n/a Feet jalg n/a Mile miil n/a Gallon gallon n/a The SI system units of measurements are used in Estonian documentation.
B -66 b -98 C -67 c -99 D -68 d -100 E -69 e -101 F -70 f -102 G -71 g -103 H -72 h -104 I -73 i -105 J -74 j -106 K -75 k -107 L -76 l -108 M -77 m -109 N -78 n -110 O -79 o -111 P -80 p -112 Q -81 q -113 R -82 r -114 S -83 18
s -115 Š -208 š -240 Z -90 z -122 Ţ -222 ţ -254 T -84 t -116 U -85 u -116 V -86 v -118 W -87 w -119 Õ -213 õ -245 Ä -196 ä -228 Ö -214 ö -246 Ü -220 ü -252 X -88 x -120 Y -89 y -121 Examples of sorted words @ 1 Aaron andere chaque chemin cote côté coté côte 19
čučēt Czech hiša irdisch Löwen lie lire llama lòza luč luck lõug lävi Lübeck lye màšta mîr Männer möchten myndig piña pint pylon savoir Sietla ślub subtle sämtlich symbol šàran Šerbūra zoo Zviedrija Zürich zysk ţal ţena Ţenēva zzlj zzlz zznj zznz verkehrt 20
vox väga waffle wood ändere yen yuan yucca 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.
Possessive adjectives This section does not apply to Estonian. Articles General considerations This section does not apply to Estonian. 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 as proper nouns in Estonian. These names are either in nominative or they are declined (case ending is added).
In Estonian, like in English, proper names (i.e., names of programs, modules, wizards) are capitalized. If the localizable software item is a phrase, capitalize only the first word. Source: Click Print Preview Target: + Klõpsake nupul Prindi eelvaade. – Klõpsake nupul Prindi Eelvaade. However, in trademarks (e.g., Microsoft Windows), every word should be capitalized. 3. Capitalization of a text in brackets In English software, additional short text in brackets often starts with a capital letter.
The above examples are not either names (but designations/appellations) or are titles, which uses the capital letter only in the beginning of the first word of the title. 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. It is very usual to use compound words in Estonian.
Example: Source: You can do the following with Lync. Target: + Rakendusega Lync saate teha järgmist. To help the user, you will have to add modifiers (descriptors) before the Estonian names of keys, objects, menus, commands, dialog box elements, icons, etc. as well as acronyms, even if they are not included in the English text. Note than only the modifier is declined; the names of the objects, menus, commands, dialog box elements, icons, etc.
Nouns General considerations Noun is one of basic part of speech of Estonian. There are hardly any sentences without nouns in Estonian. Nouns are typically words that change in case and number, naming different objects (things, persons etc) and they can be in a sentence as a subject and an object. Examples: + Meri kohises. Tüdrukud kuulavad muusikat. Besides typical nouns there are other nouns that have different meaning. They express action (jooksmine, jooks — running) or property (ilu — beauty).
Plural Formation Plural partitive is formed from either singular genitive or singular partitive and can take the following endings some words have two forms: * -id: one-syllable words with long vowels aa, ee, õõ, uu, öö, ää, two-syllable words with long vowels or endings -em, -en, -el, -er, -ar, -ur, -e, -ne, -s or singular genitive with one or three syllables, three-syllable words with endings -ne, -s, * -sid: one-syllable words with long vowels ii, üü or a diphthong, two-syllable words with short vowels,
but if used, write it in the lower case. This is to ensure consistency with any printed material on the same topic (which traditionally uses lowercase pronouns). Please see "Eesti keele käsiraamat" for detailed information. Example: Source: My Computer Target: + Minu arvuti Punctuation No punctuation marks are needed at the end of menu titles. No punctuation marks are needed at the end of command titles.
En Dash The en dash is used as a minus sign. There is no space when it is with a single number, but there must be spaces around en dash in mathematical operation. Example: –15 °C; 9–5=4 The en dash is also used in number ranges, such as those specifying page numbers. No spaces are used around the en dash in this case. Example: 978–88 1–6 km 700–800 eurot Em Dash The em dash („—‖) in Estonian (like in English) is used to emphasize or separate a phrase or clause within a sentence.
Quotation Marks Quotation marks are used when referring to refer to a phrase as it appears in the UI; for the title of a help topic, magazine article, or a book chapter, in place of bold when the UI doesn't allow for bold formatting, when describing a word, and not its meaning. In US source strings, you may find software references surrounded by English quotation marks. Correct quotation marks in Estonian translation are curly quotation marks: „ (Alt+0132) and ‖ (Alt+0148).
Subjunctive This section does not apply to Estonian. Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces This section does not apply to Estonian. Syntax In Estonian, verbal phrases are more common and more natural than nominal phrases. So where possible, try to use verbal phrases instead of nominal ones 1. Preparing to install: Installimiseks valmistumine BETTER: Valmistub installimiseks 2. Continue dialing: Valimise jätkamine BETTER: Jätkab valimist Please see „Eesti keele käsiraamat‖ for detailed information.
-da infinitive is used after verbs of emotion, after impersonal expressions, after et in order to and as a subject. It can be declined: -des inessive. Verb derivation: -ta- transitive/passive, -u- / -i- reflexive, -el- / -le- reciprocal, -ne- translative, -ata- momentane, el- / -skle- frequentative, -tse- continuous. Emphasis: verb + -gi after a final voiced consonant or vowel / -ki after a final voiceless consonant, verb + küll positive, verb + mitte negative.
Tone Tone refers to a writer's attitude toward the reader and the subject matter. Tone creates a personality and affects the audience's reaction to what is being said. For example, you would use a different tone to write an executive summary (formal) than you would to write a letter to your cousin (very casual). Microsoft tone should be: · Warm · Natural · Personal + Avaldatavad pildid: – Valige fotod, mida soovite üles laadida. +Siit leiate vastused.
+ Ideaalse partneri leidmine. – Leidke oma unistuste mees. (Piiritleb sihtrühma nendega, kes soovivad meestega tutvuda.) Voice In Microsoft, the text speaks directly to users in the second person plural (referring to the user as „teie‖). Writers should avoid referring to themselves as „mina‖. Example: English Translation You are now connected to the Internet. + Teil on nüüd Interneti-ühendus.
Localization Guidelines Localization Guidelines This section contains guidelines for localization into Estonian. General Considerations Use correct and consistent grammar in all texts. If in doubt, refer to Estonian grammar books or contact the Institute of the Estonian Language at www.eki.ee. The language used for translating computer software must be strictly formal, i.e.
The part of speech of the English term and that of the localized term do not have to coincide, thus you should consider the possibility of translating a verb as a noun or vice versa, if that improves the result. E.g. to achieve consistency in menu titles, translate the verb title „Open‖ as the noun „Avamine‖, „Print‖ as „Printimine‖ and so on. Abbreviations Common Abbreviations You might need to abbreviate some words in the UI (mainly buttons or options names) due to lack of space.
j — jõgi; jagu j.a — juures asuv jaan — jaanuar jj — ja järgmine, -sed jm — ja muu(d); ja mujal jms — ja muud sellised, ja muud seesugust jmt — ja mitmed teised, ja mõned teised jn — joonis jne — ja nii edasi jpt — ja paljud teised jrk — järjekord, järjekorranumber jsk — jaoskond jt — ja teised juh — juhataja jun — ju(u)nior K — kolmapäev k.
nr — number nt — näiteks n-ö — nii-öelda okt — oktoober OÜ — osaühing p — punkt P — pühapäev pKr — pärast Kristuse sündi pms — peamiselt p.o — peab olema pr — proua prl — preili prof — professor ptk — peatükk R — reede s — sekund; sajand; saar; sent s.a — sel aastal saj — sajand sealh, sh — sealhulgas sen — se(e)nior sept — september skp — selle kuu päeval s.o — see on st, s.
v — või; veerg; vihik, vihk; väin; vald v.a — välja arvatud; väga austatud van — vananenud veebr — veebruar vm — või muu(d) vms — või muud sellist, või muu seesugune vrd — võrdle vt — vaata õa — õppeaasta õp — õpetaja õpil — õpilane Expression Acceptable Abbreviation For more information see page 58. + Lisateabe saamiseks vt lk 58. Don‘t abbreviate already short words such as mai, juuni, juuli, märts etc. Accessibility This section does not apply to Estonian.
Example: ISDN phone line — ISDN-telefoniliin LAN connection — LAN-ühendus USB — USB This is a high-speed connection using either a DSL or cable modem. — See on DSL-i või kaablimodemit kasutav kiire ühendus. If a US acronym is less widely used and is not explained in the original, it is advisable to localize it fully and leave the original acronym in brackets.
Examples of typical errors The following examples of incorrect and misleading translations of set phrases have been spotted in edbs, manuals, packaging texts and help files.
4. Dictionaries, grammars and standards of the Estonian language, 5. On-line dictionaries. 6. Reference material and templates of Estonian official documentation Note that the Estonian titles of the reference materials below are translated into English. I.
Title Author/Publisher Date Comment Dictionary of English Publishing Company Inglise-Eesti Tehnikasõnaraamat Euroülikool 2000 n/a Dictionary of computer and internet terms Douglas A. Downing, Michael A. Covington, Melody Mauldin Covington 2006 n/a 2002 n/a 1997 n/a 1997 n/a 2005 n/a Hauppauge (N.Y.): Barron's Inglise-eesti-inglise arvutisõnaraamat Andres Septer, Lauri Liikane, Klaire Kolmann Estada, Tallinn Dictionary of science and technology 1, A-K Rein Kull (Ed.
V. Web Resources Web Link Comment http://viki.digitark.ee/index.php/Kategooria:A-Z Definitions and descriptions of multimedia devices http://www.keeleveeb.ee/ Includes IT terms‘ standard vocabulary and many other dictionaries www.webopedia.com Computer Terms http://www.keelevara.ee/ Various dictionaries http://www.vallaste.ee/ IT and communication technology dictionary http://mt.legaltext.ee/esterm/ Legal texts‘ termbase http://www.eter.ee/5127reg_eter.
English Estonian Click the right mouse button + Klõpsake paremat hiire nuppu – Klõpsake vasakul hiire nupul Click on the menu/icon/button + Klõpsake menüül/ikoonil/nupul – Klõpsake menüüd/ikooni/nuppu Please note that the difference between a physical button (that really can be clicked = partitive) and the displayed button (that can be clicked on = adessive) has to be made.
English Estonian See/See also Vt / Vt ka Cf. Vrd. Table Tabel Version Versioon Standard Translations For Remarks, Hints etc. The following words or phrases may be used in manuals. Examples: English Estonian Attention! Tähelepanu! Caution! Ettevaatust! Important Tähtis/NB! Note Märkus Tip Näpunäide Translation of most commonly used phrases 1. Please note the translation of most common user interface phrases.
2. Typical patters in help files: English Estonian Titles: How to ... Kuidas ... - infinitive + infinitive How to: Kuidas: - verb - infinitive More see ... Lisaks vt ... 3. The functionality of the SL phrase has also to be taken into account. Sometimes, to convey the meaning of the SL text better, you might consider using a phrase that has the same function in TL, but is not a direct translation of the SL phrase.
Translation of legal texts Special attention should be paid to translation of legal texts (esp. EULAs and packaging texts). It is highly recommended that localizers seek legal assistance when addressing more complex or ambiguous legalese.
Using the Word Microsoft In English, it is prohibited to use MS as an abbreviation for Microsoft. Microsoft is not translated. It is handled as a proper noun in Estonian.
The language of both localized software and help files has to be user friendly, i.e., easily understood, unambiguous, and correspond to the source text not only in terms of linguistic accuracy, but also have the same style, the same level of formality/informality and serve the same function. The source text has to be adapted to the target audience.
In English, the status bar messages have different forms dependent on the information they must convey. In Estonian, menu and commands status bar messages should follow the format below. They do not differ as shown in the tables. When the message is a direct instruction, the plural form of the imperative mood is used for addressing the user and the infinitive for the system. Periods are used at the end of sentences in status bar messages, if they are full sentences.
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.
Estonian error messages (except questions) always finish with the period. Exclamation marks and other punctuation marks are used only in exceptional cases. English Estonian Gathering required information... Kogub soovitud teavet ... Congratulations! You have successfully installed the selected device! Õnnitlused! Olete edukalt installinud valitud draivi. Please note that exclamation mark is used only after interjections and exclamative sentences.
Examples: English Cannot … Could not … Translation Example ... ei saa ... (present) Cannot create the file — Faili ei saanud luua. ... ei saanud ... (past) ... ei suutnud ... (past) ... ei ole võimeline ... ... ei ole ... Failed to … Failure of … Comment Microsoft Office setup cannot continue — Microsoft Office‘i häälestusega ei saa jätkata. Ei Failed to delete [2] — saanud/suutnud/pääsenud Üksuse [2] kustutamine ... ebaõnnestus/nurjus. ...
English Translation Example Comment The specified path ‗[2]‘ is unavailable. — Määratletud tee „[2]‖ pole saadaval. Unavailable Locations — Kättesaamatud asukohad. 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.
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 No hotkey is assigned when no more characters are available (minor options only) Yes n/a 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.
US Command US English Shortcut Key Estonian Command Estonian Shortcut key Display next window Alt+Esc Kuva järgmine aken Alt+Esc Display pop-up menu for the window Alt+Spacebar Kuva akna jaoks hüpikmenüü Alt+Tühikuklahv Display pop-up menu for the active child window Alt+- Kuva aktiivse tütarakna jaoks hüpikmenüü Alt+- Display property sheet for current selection Alt+Enter Kuva praeguse valiku jaoks atribuutide leht Alt+Sisestusklahv Close active application window Alt+F4 Sule aktiivne
US Command US English Shortcut Key Estonian Command Estonian Shortcut key Edit Menu Edit Undo Ctrl+Z Redigeeri > Võta tagasi Ctrl+Z Edit Repeat Ctrl+Y Redigeeri > Korda Ctrl+Y Edit Cut Ctrl+X Redigeeri > Lõika Ctrl+X Edit Copy Ctrl+C Redigeeri > Kopeeri Ctrl+C Edit Paste Ctrl+V Redigeeri > Kleebi Ctrl+V Edit Delete Ctrl+Backspace Redigeeri > Kustuta Ctrl+Tagasilüke Edit Select All Ctrl+A Redigeeri > Vali kõik Ctrl+A Edit Find Ctrl+F Redigeeri > Otsi Ctrl+F Edit Replace C
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 …".
