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Poll: Do you follow one particular style guide or authority when writing in your native language?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Apr 25, 2014

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you follow one particular style guide or authority when writing in your native language?".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 07:01
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes Apr 25, 2014

For some clients (international organizations, European Institutions and a Portuguese media group)

 
Terry Richards
Terry Richards
France
Local time: 08:01
French to English
+ ...
No Apr 25, 2014

Unless you count the one in my head

Of course, if the customer provides a style guide for a particular project, I will use it.


 
Samantha Payn
Samantha Payn  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:01
Member (2008)
Russian to English
+ ...
Other Apr 25, 2014

It depends on the client

 
Platon Danilov
Platon Danilov  Identity Verified
Ukraine
Local time: 09:01
English to Russian
+ ...
it depends Apr 25, 2014

it depends on the text

 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 08:01
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Apr 25, 2014

Me.
I am my own style guide and authority. I usually check with colleagues, friends, my mother - or indeed any native speaker that happens to be nearby - if I have any doubts about my own opinions or choices. Some language areas call for more brainstorming and comparison, for example marketing/advertising, literature... whereas others are more boilerplate.


 
Victoria Britten
Victoria Britten  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 08:01
French to English
+ ...
Couldn't have put it better Apr 25, 2014

neilmac wrote:

Me.
I am my own style guide and authority. I usually check with colleagues, friends, my mother - or indeed any native speaker that happens to be nearby - if I have any doubts about my own opinions or choices. Some language areas call for more brainstorming and comparison, for example marketing/advertising, literature... whereas others are more boilerplate.


Also, in case of indecision, and in the absence of an available - and trustworthy - native speaker, I have been known to Google in order to test my instincts: my reaction to what comes up nearly always nails it within a minute.


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 08:01
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
Indeed Apr 25, 2014

neilmac wrote:

Me.
I am my own style guide and authority. I usually check with colleagues, friends, my mother - or indeed any native speaker that happens to be nearby - if I have any doubts about my own opinions or choices. Some language areas call for more brainstorming and comparison, for example marketing/advertising, literature... whereas others are more boilerplate.


My thoughts and practice.


 
Helen Hagon
Helen Hagon  Identity Verified
Local time: 07:01
Member (2011)
Russian to English
+ ...
My own Apr 25, 2014

My style guide is more or less what I was taught at school. If I am uncertain about something I consult the dictionary (OED or Chambers). Occasionally the customer specifies something, and so I follow that, if appropriate e.g. American spellings or terminology. On very rare occasions, a customer has suggested something which I consider to be incorrect English and so I politely decline.

 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 08:01
German to English
+ ...
Some clients impose own Apr 25, 2014

Some clients impose their own style guide, which I actually find a little irritating. One sent me a style guide about ten pages long. I try not to work for them if possible, because it's not worth my while.

 
Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japan
Local time: 16:01
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
Other N/A Apr 25, 2014

Like the rest of you, I have my own style that I have culled from a variety of sources such the Chicago Manual of Style and the Economist Style Guide (recommended readings ), which suits a lot of people - plain technical English, the bricks and mortar of technical documentation.

However, I provide a 'bespoke' service - I don't provide off-the-shelf suits if asked otherwise. A lot of my customers are major manufacture
... See more
Like the rest of you, I have my own style that I have culled from a variety of sources such the Chicago Manual of Style and the Economist Style Guide (recommended readings ), which suits a lot of people - plain technical English, the bricks and mortar of technical documentation.

However, I provide a 'bespoke' service - I don't provide off-the-shelf suits if asked otherwise. A lot of my customers are major manufacturers who have their 'whatsit' together. They have their own style guides which are sometimes very comprehensive.

I take pride in 'quick turnaround.' I can absorb the differences, i.e. what they want that is different to my own style, in a relatively short time and apply that style to their translation.

Oh, I can write more 'prosey' or flowery stuff for company profiles and Annual Reports, as well, if that's the cut of their suit.

It's all about pleasing the customer, isn't it!?
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Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 08:01
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Interesting that most of the answers here refer to English... Apr 25, 2014

... Which can be a can of worms!
So like others, I tend to be my own authority!

I envy my Danish colleagues, who can refer to Dansk Sprognævn/ the Danish Language Council's rules and recommendations, although they are not universally accepted.

And I looked in on the Swedish Academy's websites yesterday.

Danish clients sometimes ask for an explanation, and then it is useful to be able to quote chapter and verse, as they know that there are mysterious
... See more
... Which can be a can of worms!
So like others, I tend to be my own authority!

I envy my Danish colleagues, who can refer to Dansk Sprognævn/ the Danish Language Council's rules and recommendations, although they are not universally accepted.

And I looked in on the Swedish Academy's websites yesterday.

Danish clients sometimes ask for an explanation, and then it is useful to be able to quote chapter and verse, as they know that there are mysterious differences between UK and US English. (That is also why some of them pay me to translate instead of writing in Danglish themselves. )

I have a row of books on my shelf which I refer to about English - my favourites are the Longman Guide To English Usage, Michael Swann, the latest revision of Ernest Gowers' Plain Words (and sometimes the earlier one revised by Donald Fraser!!).

But I also have a handy little APA guide and the Chicago Manual for academic friends.

Plus a neat little volume on punctuation (RL Trask) which is great for explaining to Danes that there is actually a certain logic behind commas in English!
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Enrico Zoffoli
Enrico Zoffoli  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 08:01
Member (2013)
German to Italian
+ ...
Other Apr 25, 2014

It depends on the clients (i.e. on whether they are OK with standard Italian or require the Swiss variant).

 
Al Zaid
Al Zaid
United States
English to Spanish
+ ...
RAE Apr 25, 2014

In my native language there is an authority, which is the "Real Academia Española (RAE)", and I try to follow it as much as I can, since it prescribes very standardized and reasonable guidelines for Spanish language usage.
This however has gotten me into some dust-up with some of the engineers I usually work for, since some have no clue about style and sometimes point out "mistakes" in my writing. I then have to make use of my utmost patience to make them understand it's they who are mist
... See more
In my native language there is an authority, which is the "Real Academia Española (RAE)", and I try to follow it as much as I can, since it prescribes very standardized and reasonable guidelines for Spanish language usage.
This however has gotten me into some dust-up with some of the engineers I usually work for, since some have no clue about style and sometimes point out "mistakes" in my writing. I then have to make use of my utmost patience to make them understand it's they who are mistaken.
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Little Woods
Little Woods  Identity Verified
Vietnam
English to Vietnamese
It depends on clients and territories Apr 25, 2014

I learned that the writing standards for my language may differ if it is for the clients/end readers in the US when I worked for some clients over there. Now everytime I work for the clients over there I use a somewhat different style from that in my country.

 
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Poll: Do you follow one particular style guide or authority when writing in your native language?






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