Poll: How often do you use style guides provided by clients? Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How often do you use style guides provided by clients?".
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In over 40 years only one client has provided a style guide! I translate a lot for the European Institutions and “The Interinstitutional Style Guide” contains all the stylistic rules and conventions which must be used…
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In fact, very rarely. Because clients very rarely provide them.
| | | | Luis M. Sosa 
Ecuador
Local time: 01:57
inglés al español
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| Agree with previous comments | Apr 6 |
A style guide may not necessarily be immediately provided, but, it turns out (IMO, and in my experience), you should request it, if you are about to start a big project.
For sure, a style guide will result in reduced revision cycles, and you might well end up doing less heavy unpaid revisions.
[Edited at 2026-04-06 17:43 GMT]
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Liena V.
Letonia
Local time: 09:57
Miembro 2014
francés al letón
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For my regulars – hardly ever, I am quite familiar with their style.
For others – also hardly ever because they are usually provided as "Reference" which typically consists of multiple files in various folders and subfolders which may or may not contain anything specific to my language or task at hand. I may take a quick look to find something that interests me, but I am not going to read all that unless I'm being paid for it.
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When I was a language lead, the style guide was not my favorite method to give guidance to translators. Yes, it will offer a systematic overview of topics, but you'll have to cover all the basics of grammar and style before you get to any interesting advice that's relevant to the project. I preferred to give feedback about actual errors we encountered in reviews and updates about new instructions from the end client. Of course it was a challenge to keep this organized. When I started, translator... See more When I was a language lead, the style guide was not my favorite method to give guidance to translators. Yes, it will offer a systematic overview of topics, but you'll have to cover all the basics of grammar and style before you get to any interesting advice that's relevant to the project. I preferred to give feedback about actual errors we encountered in reviews and updates about new instructions from the end client. Of course it was a challenge to keep this organized. When I started, translators had to search meeting notes and check that the guidance wasn't changed later. Eventually, I created a regularly updated three-page document which became a kind of second style guide, without trying to be comprehensive. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | When they are provided | Apr 10 |
I have been given style guides, which sometimes were more concerned with formatting than strictly linguistic style, and I do my best to respect the client's wishes.
However, there are dozens of different opinions about English, and while they do not amount to a whole styule guide, I have on occasions checked a client's website and asked about details - Oxford comma or not? Do they specialise or specialize in whatever they do, and organise or organize?
I then check my ow... See more I have been given style guides, which sometimes were more concerned with formatting than strictly linguistic style, and I do my best to respect the client's wishes.
However, there are dozens of different opinions about English, and while they do not amount to a whole styule guide, I have on occasions checked a client's website and asked about details - Oxford comma or not? Do they specialise or specialize in whatever they do, and organise or organize?
I then check my own work, especially where they do not want my default style (organise, and no Oxford commas).
One regular client asked me to use the APA guide, and I have tried to comply with the Chicago style guide, but normally I write British English, and quote my own gurus!
There is no Académie Anglaise or other single authority, and people love to complain about the Danish Language Council (Dansk Sprognævn). ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Unclear (AI?) questioning! | Apr 10 |
There's a common misconception about style guides in the translation industry. When provided by clients, generally these are guides that indicate how the client wishes acronyms to be handled, institutions to be translated, logos to be formatted, and so on, not a manual on how the target language "should" be written.
How often do you use style guides [that are] provided by clients?
How often do you use style guides [when these are] provided by clients?
Therefore, I... See more There's a common misconception about style guides in the translation industry. When provided by clients, generally these are guides that indicate how the client wishes acronyms to be handled, institutions to be translated, logos to be formatted, and so on, not a manual on how the target language "should" be written.
How often do you use style guides [that are] provided by clients?
How often do you use style guides [when these are] provided by clients?
Therefore, I follow style guides whenever they are provided by the client. There are occasional exceptions, where guides contain errors or inaccuracies, and in those cases I translate as I would normally and let the client know. ▲ Collapse
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