Macedonian Style Guide

Contents
What's New? ................................................................................................................................................. 4
New Topics ................................................................................................................................................ 4
Updated Topics .......................................................................................................................................... 4
About This Style Guide .............................................................................................................................. 5
Scope of This Document ........................................................................................................................... 5
Style Guide Conventions ........................................................................................................................... 5
Sample Text ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Recommended Reference Material ........................................................................................................... 6
Normative References ............................................................................................................................ 6
Informative References .......................................................................................................................... 7
Language Specific Conventions ................................................................................................................... 8
Country/Region Standards ........................................................................................................................ 8
Characters .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Date ........................................................................................................................................................ 8
Time...................................................................................................................................................... 10
Numbers ............................................................................................................................................... 11
Sorting .................................................................................................................................................. 15
Geopolitical Concerns .............................................................................................................................. 17
Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions ...................................................................................... 18
Adjectives ............................................................................................................................................. 18
Articles .................................................................................................................................................. 19
Capitalization ........................................................................................................................................ 20
Compounds .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Gender .................................................................................................................................................. 21
Genitive ................................................................................................................................................ 21
Modifiers ............................................................................................................................................... 21
Nouns ................................................................................................................................................... 21
Prepositions .......................................................................................................................................... 22
Pronouns .............................................................................................................................................. 22
Punctuation........................................................................................................................................... 22
Singular & Plural ................................................................................................................................... 24
Split Infinitive ........................................................................................................................................ 24
Subjunctive ........................................................................................................................................... 25
Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces ........................................................................................................ 25
Syntax................................................................................................................................................... 25
Verbs .................................................................................................................................................... 26
Word Order ........................................................................................................................................... 26
Style and Tone Considerations................................................................................................................ 26

Audience............................................................................................................................................... 26
Style ...................................................................................................................................................... 27
Tone ..................................................................................................................................................... 27
Voice ..................................................................................................................................................... 28
Localization Guidelines ............................................................................................................................... 30
General Considerations ........................................................................................................................... 30
Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................................ 30
Accessibility .......................................................................................................................................... 31
Acronyms.............................................................................................................................................. 32
Applications, Products, and Features .................................................................................................. 32
Frequent Errors .................................................................................................................................... 33
Glossaries............................................................................................................................................. 33
Fictitious Information ............................................................................................................................ 33
Recurring Patterns ............................................................................................................................... 33
Standardized Translations.................................................................................................................... 34
Unlocalized Items ................................................................................................................................. 34
Using the Word Microsoft ..................................................................................................................... 34
Software Considerations .......................................................................................................................... 34
User Interface ....................................................................................................................................... 35
Messages ............................................................................................................................................. 37
Keys ...................................................................................................................................................... 41
Document Translation Considerations .................................................................................................... 46
Titles ..................................................................................................................................................... 46
Copyright .............................................................................................................................................. 46

What's New?
Last Updated: February 2011
The structure of the Style Guide was significantly changed to simplify it and provide only the necessary
information in a more logical way. Though there are no major changes in its content, its recommended to
thoroughly review the complete document before localization.

New Topics
The following topics were added:

n/a

Updated Topics
The following topics were updated:

n/a

About This Style Guide

The purpose of this Style Guide is to provide everybody involved in the localization of Macedonian Microsoft
products with Microsoft-specific linguistic guidelines and standard conventions that differ from or are more
prescriptive than those found in language reference materials. These conventions have been adopted after
considering context based on various needs, but above all, they are easy to follow and applicable for all types of
software to be localized.
The Style Guide covers the areas of formatting, grammatical conventions, as well as stylistic criteria. It also
presents the reader with a general idea of the reasoning behind the conventions. The present Style Guide is a
revision of our previous Style Guide version with the intention of making it more standardized, more structured,
and easier to use as a reference.
The guidelines and conventions presented in this Style Guide are intended to help you localize Microsoft products
and materials. We welcome your feedback, questions and concerns regarding the Style Guide. You can send us
your feedback via the Microsoft Language Portal feedback page.

Scope of This Document

This Style Guide is intended for the localization professional working on Microsoft products. It is not intended to
be a comprehensive coverage of all localization practices, but to highlight areas where Microsoft has preference
or deviates from standard practices for Macedonian 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.

Sample Text
2008


.
, .
1.500 .

5

 .
,
.
- ,
.

, ..
, ,
,
, .

.

.
,
, . ,
-
.
-
www.mio.gov.mk/files/pdf/POIMNIK.pdf,
- , 1000 ,
, (02) 3221 882, - contact_mis@mi.gov.mk.
: ,
, LX 2009,
, 2009
10.02.2010 . 10:15 .

Recommended Reference Material

Use the Macedonian 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. ,
, 2009 www.mio.gov.mk/files/pdf/POIMNIK.pdf
2. , . .: , . ,
, , , I (-) 2003,
II (-) 2005, III (-) 2006, IV () . 2008
6

3. . . , . ., : ,
1999
4. , . , ,
1998
5. , . . : . ., 2006
6. , . . : , 1982
7. , , . : ,
1999
8. , . - . : . ., 2004
9. , . - . : . ., 2006
10. , , , 2003
11. - , , 2003
12. - , , 2003

Informative References
These sources are meant to provide supplementary information, background, comparison, etc.
1. , . . :
, 2000
2. , . . : . ., 1996
3. Murgoski, Zoze. English grammar with contrastive notes on Macedonian. : . ., 1997

Language Specific Conventions

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

Country/Region Standards
Characters
Country/region

Republic of Macedonia

Lower-case characters

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Upper-case characters

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
, ,

Characters in caseless
scripts

n/a

Extended Latin characters

n/a

Note on alphabetical order

Alphabetical order and sorting order coincide.

Total number of characters

31

Unicode codes

0410, 0430, 0411, 0431, 0412, 0432, 0413, 0433, 0414,

0434, 0403, 0453, 0415, 0435, 0416, 0436, 0417, 0437, 0405,
0455, 0418, 0438, 0408, 0458, 041A, 043A, 041B, 043B,
0409, 0459, 041C, 043C, 041D, 043D, 040A, 045A, 041E,
043E, 041F, 043F, 0420, 0440, 0421, 0441, 0422, 0442, 040C,
045C, 0423, 0443, 0424, 0444, 0425, 0445, 0426, 0446,
0427, 0447, 040F, 045F, 0428, 0448, 045d, 0450

Notes

n/a

Date

Country/region

Republic of Macedonia

Calendar/Era

Gregorian Calendar

First Day of the Week

Monday

First Week of the Year

First week of January

8

Separator

. (a period)

Default Short Date

Format

dd.MM.yyyy

Example

17.03.2011

Default Long Date Format

dddd, dd MMMM yyyy . where '.' is the abbreviation for "year" in Macedonian
(""). It should follow the year number after a space

Example

, 17 2011 .

Additional Short Date

Format 1

dd.MM.yyyy .

Example

17.03.2011 .

Additional Short Date

Format 2

dd.MM.yyyy .

Example

17.03.2011 .

Additional Long Date

Format 1

dddd, dd MMMM yyyy .

Example

, 17 2011 .

Additional Long Date

Format 2

dddd, dd MMMM yyyy .

Example

, 17 2011 .

Leading Zero in Day Field

for Short Date Format

Yes

Leading Zero in Month

Field for Short Date
Format

Yes

No. of digits for year for

Short Day Format

Leading Zero in Day Field

for Long Date Format

Yes

Leading Zero in Month

Field for Long Date
Format

n/a

Number of digits for year

for Long Day Format

Date Format for

Correspondence

dd.MM.yyyy

Example

17.03.2011

Notes

Note that names of months are not capitalized.

The weekdays are not capitalized unless it is the first word of the sentence.

d is for day, number of d's indicates the format (d = digits without leading zero, dd =
digits with leading zero, ddd = the abbreviated day name, dddd = full day name)
Abbreviations in Format
Codes

M is for month, number of M's gives number of digits. (M = digits without leading
zero, MM = digits with leading zero, MMM = the abbreviated name, MMMM = full
name)
y is for year, number of y's gives number of digits (yy = two digits, yyyy = four digits)

Time
Country/region

Republic of Macedonia

24 hour format

Yes

Standard time format

HH:mm:ss.

Standard time format

example

Default: 17:30:25;

Time separator

Seldom used: 17.30; 17 30

Default: (colon, symbol /:/);
Seldom used: (period, symbol /./); (space)

Time separator examples

03:24:12

Hours leading zero

Yes

Hours leading zero example

03:24:12

String for AM designator

n/a

String for PM designator

n/a

Notes

n/a

Days
Country/region: Republic of Macedonia
Day

Normal Form

Abbreviation

Monday

Tuesday

.
10

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

First Day of Week:

Is first letter capitalized?: No
Notes: Days of the week are rarely abbreviated, and this especially applies to official writings

Months
Country/region: Republic of Macedonia
Month

Full Form

Abbreviated Form

Long Date Form

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Is first letter capitalized?: No

Notes: Abbreviated forms are rarely used.

Numbers
Official numbers in Macedonian language are Arabic numbers. In some cases Roman number may be used,
though these are limited cases (for example, volume numbers of court cases).
11

Phone Numbers
Country/
region

International
Dialing
Code

Area
Codes
Used?

Number of
Digits Area
Codes

Separator

Number of
Digits
Domestic

Digit
Groupings
Domestic

Republic
of
Macedoni
a

+389

Yes

2; 3

space, or
slash (/), or
en-dash (-)

(##) ####-###;
(##) #### ###;
## #### ###; ##
####-###; ## /
#### ###
(###) ###-###;
(###) ### ###;
### ### ###;
### ###-###;
### / ### ###

Country/
region

Number of
Digits
Local

Digit
Groupings
Local

Number of
Digits Mobile

Digit
Groupings
Mobile

Number of
Digits
International

Digit
Groupings
International

Republic
of
Macedoni
a

6, 7

### ###;

### ###-###;
### ### ###;
### / ######; ### /
### ###

12

+389 ## #######: +389 ##

#### ###; +389
### ###-###;

###-###;
## ## ##;
####-###;
#### ###;
## ## ###

+389 ### ###

###; +389 ###
## ## ##

Notes: n/a

Addresses
Country/region: Republic of Macedonia
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. [CountryCode-] PostalCode City
6. [Country]
12

Example Address:
. -

. . . ,
1000

Local Postal Code Format:
Notes: Country Code Rarely used. It precedes the country name
Postal Code Seldom used. It precedes the place name

Currency
Country/region

Republic of Macedonia

Currency Name

Denar

Currency Symbol

Currency Symbol Position

The currency is always displayed after the amount; there is always a

space between amount and currency

Positive Currency Format

100 .

Negative Sign Symbol

- (minus symbol) there should be no space between a minus symbol and

amount

Negative Currency Format

-100 .

Decimal Symbol

, (comma)

Number of Digits after Decimal

Digit Grouping Symbol

. (period)

Number of Digits in Digit

Grouping

Positive Currency Example

100.000

Negative Currency Example

-100.000

ISO Currency Code

MKD

Currency Subunit Name

Deni -

Currency Subunit Symbol

Currency Subunit Example

50

13

Digit Groups
Country/region: Republic of Macedonia
Decimal Separator: ,
Decimal Separator Description: Comma
Decimal Separator Example: 6,1%; 1,2 (million pounds)
Thousand Separator: .
Thousand Separator Description: point
Thousand Separator Example: 100.000
Notes: n/a

Measurement Units
Metric System Commonly Used?: Yes
Temperature: Celsius
Category

English

Translation

Abbreviation

Linear Measure

Kilometer

/km

Meter

/m

Decimeter

/dm

Centimeter

/cm

Millimeter

/mm

Hectoliter

/hl

Liter

/l

Deciliter

/dl

Centiliter

/cl

Milliliter

/ml

Ton

/t

Kilogram

/kg

Pound

Gram

/g

Decigram

/dg

Centigram

/cm

Milligram

/mg

Capacity

Mass

14

English Units of
Measurement

Inch

n/a

Feet

n/a

Mile

n/a

Gallon

n/a

Notes: Both Macedonian and international abbreviations are allowed.

Percentages
The percent sign (%) in documentation (including online documents) should not be separated from the number:
10%.

Sorting

Sorting rules

1. Capital letters and lowercase letters are equal. No distinction is made between them.
2. Accented characters are equal with non-accented characters; so and e are equal.
3. Non-alphabetical characters (i.e. symbols like @ ! #) sort before the letters of the alphabet.
4. Digits sort after the non-alphabetical characters and before the letters of the alphabet.

Character
sorting order

(1040) (1072) (1041) (1073) (1042) (1074) (1043) (1075) (1044) (1076)
(1027) (1107) (1045) (1077) (1046) (1078) (1047) (1079) (1029) (1109)
(1048) (1080) (1032) (1112) (1050) (1082) (1051) (1083) (1033) (1113)
(1052) (1084) (1053) (1085) (1034) (1114) (1054) (1086) (1055) (1087)
(1056) (1088) (1057) (1089) (1058) (1090) (1036) (1116) (1059) (1091)
(1060) (1092) (1061) (1093) (1062) (1094) (1063) (1095) (1039) (1119)
(1064) (1096)
@
1

Examples of
sorted words

15

16

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.

17

Sensitive issues or issues that might potentially be offensive to the users in the target country/region may occur in
any of the following:

Maps

Flags

Country/region, city and language names

Art and graphics

Cultural content, such as encyclopedia content and other text where historical or political references may
occur
Some of these issues are relatively easy to verify and resolve: the objective should be for the localizer to always
have the most current information available. Maps and other graphic representations of countries/regions and
regions should be checked for accuracy and existing political restrictions. Country/region, city and language
names change on a regular basis and need to be checked, even if previously approved.
A thorough understanding of the culture of the target market is required for checking the appropriateness of
cultural content, clip art and other visual representations of religious symbols, body and hand gestures.
Guideline
As country/region and city names can change, please use the most up-to-date Macedonian list for every release
of your product.

Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions

This section includes information on how to apply the general rules of the Macedonian language to Microsoft
products and documentation.

Adjectives
In Macedonian, adjectives should be handled in the following manner. The adjective is grammatically dependent
on the noun and should have the same grammatical characteristic as the noun it is used with, which means that
the adjective should agree in gender and number with the noun (e.g. serious error ). All plural
adjectives in Macedonian end in (e.g. serious errors ). Adjectives can be used with articles
(e.g. ).
Possessive adjectives
The frequent use of possessives is a feature of English language. Possessive adjectives are frequently used in
Macedonian language, too. Yet, in localization process, try to omit using possessive adjectives since and use
articles instead.

18

English example

Macedonian example

Open your document.

(+) .
(-) .

Articles
General considerations
Articles in Macedonian are frequently used. Articles should be used with a definite object in the sentence. Articles
are not used before proper names.

English example

Macedonian example

File already exists

The file already exists

(+)

This file already exists

Unlocalized Feature Names

Microsoft product names and non-translated feature names are used without definite or indefinite articles in the
English language. The same applies for Macedonian language.

English example

Macedonian example

Open Word.

(+) Word.
(-) Word-.

Localized Feature Names

Translated feature names are used as regular words.

English example

Macedonian example

Administrative tools contain tools for system

administrators and advanced users.

(+)
.

Use Source Manager

(+)

Quick Access Toolbar

(+)

19

Articles for English Borrowed Terms

There are English borrowed words that have been used for a long time and are already firmly integrated in
Macedonian language. These borrowed words follow the norm of Macedonian language and can be used with
articles.
Example: (+) , .

Capitalization
In Macedonian, capitalization is used very sparingly therefore capitalize only when you have to.
What to capitalize?
Names of user interface elements (commands, menus, dialog box titles), program names, etc. Only the first word
is capitalized, e.g. . In addition, you should capitalize nouns or noun equivalents denoting a
person, institution, city, state, newspaper.
Do not capitalize
Names of week days, months, languages, etc. are not capitalized. E.g. , , .
Note: Capitalization of source term doesn't necessarily mean that this term have to be capitalized in Macedonian.
Here are some frequently occurring cases when you should not capitalize in Macedonian:

Rule

Example

The word "web" is not capitalized

(+) -

Contrary to English names of days, months,

languages are not capitalized

(+) , ,

In names consisting of several word only the first one

is capitalized

(+)

The word "Internet" is not capitalized

(+) -

(-)

Compounds
Compounding is a word formation strategy that is used in Macedonian language. Elements of the compounds
involve qualifiers of a main term. The qualifiers can be adjectives, proper nouns, nouns and verbal qualifiers. In
terms of orthography, each morpheme of the compound can be spelled as a separate word, jointly, or delimited
by hyphens.
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.
20

English example

Macedonian example

Metadata

(+)

Web browser

(+) -

Internet Protocol

(+) -

Gender
Macedonian language distinguishes gender. Using masculine is common in Macedonian, although you should try
to avoid using masculine or feminine gender when referring to the user. Avoid combination of both genders since
it is not a common case in Macedonian language.

Genitive
This section does not apply to Macedonian language.

Modifiers
This section does not apply to Macedonian language.

Nouns
General considerations
Nouns denote creatures, things, terms, phenomena. Nouns in English text should be translated with nouns in
Macedonian. You should strive to use Macedonian words instead of borrowed words. Yet, there are borrowed
words that have been used for a long time and are already firmly integrated in Macedonian language. These
words follow the norm of Macedonian language.
Example: (+) , ,
Inflection
Nouns in Macedonian language inflect for number and articles.
Example: (+) , ,
Plural Formation
Macedonian nouns form plural with inflections. Regular plural is most commonly used in localization process.
Masculine and feminine nouns form plural by adding - after the noun.
Example: (+) , , .
21

Neuter nouns form plural by adding - and seldom by adding - after the noun.
Example: (+) ,

Prepositions
Pay attention to the correct use of the preposition in translations. Influenced by the English language, many
translators omit them or change the word order.
Being an analytic language, Macedonian makes extensive use prepositions, and often for the sake of saving
valuable space and sometimes clarity, the translator should explore the possibility of avoiding excessive use of
prepositions, but not at all cost.
English example

Macedonian example

Comment

Page Layout

(+)

Navigation pane

(+)

The literal translation without the

preposition " "
sounds awkward and is not correct

Pronouns
Pronouns , , , usually are not capitalized. For example, they should not be capitalized in
documentation, software or materials, addressed to users in general. They are capitalized in private and business
letters addressed to specific people.
In English "you/your" is used more often than in Macedonian. Try to avoid forms , , ,
etc. whenever possible. Instead use neutral structures, passive voice or articles.

English example

Macedonian example

Do you want to save the current messages?

(+) ?

Use your mouse to draw circles on the page.

(+) .

You cannot select any names now.

(+) .

Punctuation
Please follow the basic rules for the use of punctuation marks in Macedonian.
Comma
Use coma to separate parts of the compound sentence. Comma should be used to separate all items in
enumeration (e.g. , ,
) and when describing consecutive actions ( , ,
).
22

Comma is also used as the decimal separator in Macedonian language (5,25 ). After a comma, do not
capitalize the following word.
Colon
After a colon, do not capitalize the following word, unless this is used in letter salutations or enumerations that
consist of full sentences. Refer to normative sources for more information on this.
Use colon to separate hours, minutes and seconds.
Example: (+) 10:15

Dashes and Hyphens

Three different dash characters are used in English:
Hyphen
The hyphen is used to divide words between syllables, to link parts of a compound word, and to connect the parts
of an inverted or imperative verb form. The same applies for Macedonian.
Example: (+) --, -
En Dash
The en dash is used as a minus sign with spaces before and after. En-dash without spaces in Macedonian is
used in ordinal numbers.
Example: (+) 17-; 2-
Em Dash
The em dash should be used for dashes wherever technically possible. It separates words in a sentence and has
a grammatical function. Dashes should not be substituted with hyphens.
Ellipses (Suspension Points)
Make sure you remove all spaces before the ellipsis sign, even when this is used in source text. Some command
names appear in the menu followed by the ellipsis sign to indicate that when pressing it, a dialog window will
open. The same convention applies in Macedonian.

English example

Macedonian example

Save as

(+) ...

Open

(+) ...

23

Period
Use period to mark the end of a declarative sentence. After a period, the following word is always capitalized,
unless this period is used in an abbreviation. Use period after some abbreviations. Abbreviations that refer to
measures are not followed by a period, same as the acronyms. If a sentence ends with an abbreviation (which is
followed by a period), do not add a full stop.
Example: 2010 .
Quotation Marks
Please follow the basic rules for the use of quotation marks in Macedonian. Note that curly quotation marks are
used in Macedonian opening curly quotation mark () and closing curly quotation mark (). Punctuation mark
following the word in quotation marks stands outside the quotation marks in Macedonian.
Example: , . .: , . ,
, , , I (-)
Parentheses
In Macedonian there is no space between the parentheses and the text inside them. The placement of a full stop
with the parentheses depends on what they refer to: if they enclose a part of the sentence, the full stop is placed
outside the closing bracket; if they enclose the full sentence, the full stop is placed inside the parentheses.
Example:

(+) ( ).
(+) . ( .)

Singular & Plural

Please note that in many English compound nouns and noun phrases the first noun has a singular form, though
the plural is meant. Such nouns should be translated using plural forms.
Example:
English example

Macedonian example

Template wizard

(+)
(-)

Split Infinitive
Split infinitive in English language is denoted by an adverb between the two parts of full infinitive.
Split infinitive in Macedonian is translated by - following the adverb.
Example:
English example

Macedonian example

To carefully read the instructions

(+) .
24

We need user to quickly press the button.

(+) .

Subjunctive
This section does not apply to Macedonian.

Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces

Use a non-breaking space (CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR) in any abbreviation.
If non-breaking spaces cannot be used (in Help files, for example) it is also acceptable to write these
abbreviations without a space to avoid having one letter move to the beginning of the next line.
Example: (+) .

Syntax
In procedural text, which tells the user to perform certain actions in a certain number of steps, the order in which
interface terms are to appear in the translation is usually top to bottom (for example, menu, command, dialog
box, dialog box controls). This order reflects the sequence in which the action needs to be performed, and it
should be maintained unless there are technical reasons preventing it.

English example

Macedonian example

Click the File tab and then click New.

(+) ,
.

On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and click

the Security tab

(+) ,

Remember to use the logical order even when this is not reflected in source text. This means that, for instance,
menu names need to be mentioned before menu items, as in the following example:
English example

Macedonian example

To set options for the automatic spelling and

grammar checker, click Options on the Tools
menu, and then click the Spelling Grammar tab.

(+)
,
,
.
(-)
,
,
.

25

Verbs
Verbs are words that convey action or a state. In Macedonian language a verb should agree in person, gender
and number with the noun.
Example: .
Continuous operations are usually expressed in English with a gerund, which should be translated into
Macedonian with verbal noun.
English example

Macedonian example

Printing document

(+)

Downloading messages

(+)

Word Order
Common word order in Macedonian language is subject followed by a verb and object(s). Try to follow this word
order in order to provide clear and comprehensible translation.
Example: (+) .

Style and Tone Considerations

This section focuses on higher-level considerations for audience, style, tone, and voice.

Audience
Please take the target audience into account when translating Microsoft products. For example, translation of
learning materials targeted at new users should be more direct and friendly than that of IT Pro materials, which
should be more formal.
The target audience is defined by the Microsoft Program Manager. Depending on the chosen target audience, the
contents, terminology and style may differ, but a core terminology should apply for every project.
Example:
Audience

Description

IT Professionals

An IT executive, manager or staff whos primary job is in a

formalized IT, information systems or MIS department. E.g. DB
admin, Tech. Syst. Engineer, etc.

Developers

Create software applications, build complex macros, write

computer code or develop web sites for own and/or others use at
work. E.g. Architect, programmer, analyst, etc.

Business Decision Makers (BDMs)

Significant decision-making authority at work for own departments

or multiple departments but does NOT work in the IT department.
E.g. CMO, president
26

Audience

Description

Information workers

All workers who use, transform, consume, or manage information

in the course of their daily work. E.g. translator, consultant, sales
and marketing staff, etc.

Home PC Users

Use a PC at home for personal use.

Style
Do not use colloquial, slang, local, poetic, rare words and expressions or other words and expression, which do
not belong to standard literary language. The following guidelines should apply:

Appropriate
Use a style adequate to the field discussed. For example: if introducing a game, use a conversational
style and expressions from the game. On the contrary, if presenting a university research, use a formal
style. When translating software related information, follow the Microsoft Style Guide.
Keep translations short.
The space for displaying content information is usually reduced to a section of the screen. Long
compound sentences should be avoided.
Clear
Use of shorter, less elaborate sentences (the pages should be easy to read - users don't want to waste
their time). Subject should be closely followed by verb. Compound sentences should be avoided as well
as contractions, where possible.
Local
Adapt the pages to regional conditions and use local references.
The text should read like an original. This means changing Fahrenheit to Celsius, sorting countries lists,
etc.

English example

Macedonian example

Download your file.

(+) .
(-) .

Tone
The tone depends on the audience.
Example:
Audience

Tone

IT Professionals

Information and tone used will be technical and not marketing. IT

Professionals expect to be provided with relevant, comprehensive and
neutral IT information.
27

Audience

Tone
The primary purpose of a text for the technical user is to inform.
Technical correctness and functionality is key. Where there is doubt
about technical correctness of a translation, further information should
be requested from your Microsoft PU contact.
Pages with technical content, aiming at more specialized users, may
indeed make an extensive use of field terms, acronyms, technical
jargon, etc. It is not unusual to leave terms in English or in
parentheses, especially in the case of products that are highly
technical (such as SQL, Exchange, and Visual Studio).

Developers

Same as IT Professionals.
Information and tone used, will be marketing and more business
focused. The purpose of a text directed towards the business decision
makers is to influence them to make decisions for their business.

Business Decision Makers (BDMs)

Technical abbreviations, contractions, and acronyms should be either

avoided or explained. Some technology concepts and names that
would be understood by technical users might have to be explained.
Restrict field terms and jargon to very specialized topics.

Information workers

Tone should be informative, factual and inspiring. It should not be

colloquial. Technical abbreviations, contractions, and acronyms
should be either avoided or explained. Some technology concepts
and names that would be understood by technical users may have to
be explained. Restrict field terms and jargon to very specialized
topics.

Home PC Users

Tone should be informative, factual and inspiring. May be colloquial

when dealing with games and Xbox. Everything translated. Technical
or field terms should be either avoided or explained.

Voice
Use active voice when the focus in the original is on the action rather than the doer, or when the subject is
unknown. In Macedonian, it can be achieved simply by dropping the subject without changing the verb form into
passive or rearrangement of subject and object. Use passive in error messages to avoid making the user feel
guilty for the error.

English example

Macedonian example

Hardware failure

(+) .
28

You stands for (singular, informal) and (plural, formal). Use the formal You when addressing the
user.
Example:
English example
You are now connected to the Internet.

Macedonian example
(+) .
(-) .

29

Localization Guidelines
This section contains guidelines for localization into Macedonian.

General Considerations
The localized text should be as if it was originally written in Macedonian. It has to be accurate, correct and clear.
To achieve that try to avoid wordiness and word-by-word translation.
Accuracy: As a rule all English text needs to be translated. In some cases though, text can be omitted or added;
there should be a specific reason for that and you might need to check it with project team. The translated text
should correctly reflect product functionality.
Localization: Localization means that the translated text needs to be adapted to the to the local language,
customs and localization standards. For example, in many cases you would need to use Macedonian names
rather than English, e.g. Edward , New York . Do not translate every word, but use the style
that is natural for Macedonian.
Example:
In the message "Please, press any key" not every word needs to be translated, like " ,
"; recommended translation is " ".
Consistency: Please ensure that all terminology is used consistently both within one component and across
different components (software, help, documentation). In most cases terminology needs to be consistent also
across different products. Moreover please use consistent style and register and translate similar phrases
consistently.

Abbreviations
Common Abbreviations
You might need to abbreviate some words in the UI (mainly buttons or options names) due to lack of space or
other reasons (such as avoiding grammatically wrong structures). Do not abbreviate words arbitrarily; use only the
commonly accepted abbreviations listed below.
List of common abbreviations:
Expression

Acceptable Abbreviation

(+) .

(+) . (-) -

(+) . or .

(+) -

(+) -
30

Expression

Acceptable Abbreviation

(+) ..

(+) ..

(+) ..

(+) ..

(+) . or .

(+) ..

(+) ..

(+) .

(+) -

(+) .

(+) .

(+) .

(+) .

(+) ..

(+) .

(+) .

(+) .

(+) .

(+) .

(+) .

(+) .

(+) .

Dont abbreviate such words as .

Accessibility
Microsoft provides people with disabilities (single-handed or with hearing or motion disabilities) with more
accessible products and services. These may not be available in Republic of Macedonia. Please check with your
Microsoft contact and remove these references from Macedonian text if necessary.

31

Acronyms
Acronyms are words made up of the initial 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
Access Memory).

Localized Acronyms
There are a few acronyms already consolidated in Macedonian language as common nouns, therefore they follow
the rules applicable to nouns, as in , , .
Note: National working group that has drafted Glossary of Macedonian terms from the sphere of information
technology adopted the rule for transcription of Latin acronyms with Cyrillic letters except the acronyms that do
contain letters W, Q, X, Y. Refer to the Glossary of Macedonian terms from the sphere of information technology
for the list of adopted and approved acronyms.

English

Macedonian

Full translation

RAM

(+)

ROM

(+)

OS

(+)

DPI

(+)

IP

(+)

Unlocalized Acronyms
Acronyms that do contain letters W, Q, X, Y are not localized in Macedonian.

English

Macedonian

Full translation

WPA

(+) WPA

QC

(+) QC

XML

(+) XML

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.
32

Preposition "for" is always translated in product names, unless the whole product name (including "for") is
trademarked or copyrighted. Example: "Word for Windows" is "Word Windows".

Frequent Errors
You should always follow the latest version of the glossaries and the Style Guide to avoid errors.

Description

English

Macedonian

Use the formal You when

addressing the user

You are now connected to the

Internet.

(+)
.
(-) .

not mistranslation or omission

Name not allowed.

(+) .
(-) .

Glossary is not followed

Save the document.

(+) .
(-) .

Glossaries
You can find the translations of terms and UI elements of Microsoft products at Microsoft Language Portal
(http://www.microsoft.com/Language/en-US/Default.aspx).

Fictitious Information
Fictitious content is legally sensitive material and as such cannot be handled as a pure terminology or localization
issue. Below is some basic information and contact points when dealing with fictitious content:
Vendors and Localizers are not allowed to create their own fictitious names. You must either use the source
names or use the list of legally approved names.
Please contact your product team representative for further information on how to deal with fictitious companies,
names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, etc. in your product. For technical products, you may also
check with the product team representative whether localized fictitious content is required or not (e.g. Visual
Studio).

Recurring Patterns
This section does not apply to Macedonian.

33

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 your reference.

The importance of standardization

Standard Phrases in Error Messages

Copyright

Unlocalized Items
Trademarked names and the name Microsoft Corporation shouldnt 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.
Some items should remain unlocalized in Macedonian language.
Word

Comment

OK

Macedonian translation equivalent for OK is

but OK is already incorporated into Macedonian
language.

WPA
QC

Latin acronyms containing letters W, Q, X, Y should

remain unchanged

XML

Using the Word Microsoft

Both in English and in Macedonian, it is prohibited to use MS as an abbreviation for Microsoft. The word
"Microsoft" is not transliterated in unlocalized or localized product names.
Example: Microsoft Word
Referencing Microsoft Corporation in text: Microsoft Corporation should not be translated when referring to
Microsoft Corporation or its products descriptively in text.
Microsoft software 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.

34

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

guidelines (English).

User Interface
Ribbon Tabs
Names of the Ribbon Tabs should be consistently translated in all localized products; the same US term should
have identical translation in all localized applications. If an exception to the rule is necessary, please approve the
new translation with the Macedonian Terminologist.
You should always strive to use nouns as translation equivalent when translating names of the Ribbon Tabs, e.g.
File , Page Layout .
Ribbon tabs in Microsoft Word:

Commands
Command names should be consistently translated in all localized products; the same US term should have
identical translation in all localized applications. If an exception to the rule is necessary, please approve the new
translation with the Macedonian Terminologist.
Command names should be preferably translated as verbs, e.g. Save , Copy , Paste
.

Dialog Box Components

When translating dialog box interface you should remember that you are expected to use consistent terminology
and language style in all dialog boxes not only within currently localized application. You also need to ensure that
your translations are consistent with translations in other localized applications. This is particularly important when
localizing common (identical) dialog boxes found in several applications. The example of such a common dialog
boxes containing often the same terminology are dialog boxes like Spelling , usually found in the
Review - tab.

35

Check Boxes And Radio Buttons

Check boxes or radio button names should be capitalized. For instance:

Dialog Box Tabs

The dialog box tabs are either nouns e.g. | | / | , or verbs, e.g.
| | .

36

Buttons
The general rule for button names is that verbs are translated as verbs, e.g. Cancel , Remove
; and nouns are translated as nouns, e.g. Help , Keyboard ; the same applies to
other parts of speech, e.g. General .

Messages
Continuous operations
Continuous operations are usually expressed in English with a gerund which should be translated into
Macedonian by a verbal noun:
English example

Macedonian example

Printing document

(+)

Downloading page

(+)

Please

The word "please" is often used in English sentences. In localization into Macedonian language it is omitted.

English example

Macedonian example

Please wait

(+)

Please insert

(+) ...

Status Messages
What is a Status Bar Message?
A status bar message is an informational message about the active document or a selected command as well as
about any active or selected interface item. Messages are shown in the status bar at the bottom of the window
when the user has chosen a menu, a command or any other item, or has started a function. The status bar
messages refer to actions being performed or already complete (for example in Microsoft Word below).

37

Macedonian Style in Status bar Messages

In English, the status bar messages have different forms dependent on the information they must convey. In
Macedonian, menu and commands status bar messages should follow the format below.

Name

Edit
Copy to
Folder...
New

Macedonian Name
(+)
(+)
...
(+)

Category

English Status Bar

message

Macedonian Status Bar

message

menu

Contains editing commands

(+)

menu

Copies the selected items to

a new location

(+)

command

Creates a new document

(+)

Make object visible?

(+)
?

Word is converting the

document. Press Esc to
stop.

(+) Word
.
Esc .

Datasheet View

(+)

Done

(+)

38

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 Macedonian version. Use one standard translation as in the examples
below:
English term

Correct Macedonian translation

Press F1 to get Help

(+) F1

If you want Help press F1

To get Help press F1
Not enough memory

(+)

Insufficient memory
There is not enough memory
Save changes to %1?

(+) %1?

Do you want to save changes to %1?

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.
Macedonian 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.
39

Many error messages in English end with exclamation marks, but usually they should not be used in Macedonian.
You should decide whether exclamation mark is appropriate in Macedonian translation in each particular case.
Standard Phrases in Error Messages
When translating standard phrases, standardize. Note that sometimes the US uses different forms to express the
same thing.
In the table below you will find the most common constructions used in the error messages and the recommended
translations. These translations should be used in all new Microsoft translations and fixed in legacy strings if such
strings review is a part of the current translation/review project. There is no need to request special/separate
review to use the below translation in legacy materials as long as legacy translation is correct.
Examples:
English
Cannot
Could not
Failed to
Failure of

Translation

English Example

Macedonian Example

...

Cannot load

(+)
...

...

Failed to create

(+)
...

...

Unable to find drivers for

this device.

(+)

.

There is not enough

memory available to
perform this task.

(+)

.

...

Location is not available.

(+)
.

Cannot find
Could not find
Unable to find
Unable to locate
Not enough memory
Insufficient memory
There is not enough memory
There is not enough memory
available
... is not available
... is unavailable

Error Messages Containing Placeholders

When localizing error messages containing placeholders, try to find out what will replace the placeholder. This is
necessary for the sentence to be grammatically correct when the placeholder is replaced with a word or phrase.
Note that the letters used in placeholders convey a specific meaning, see examples below:
%d, %ld, %u, and %lu means <number>
%c means <letter>
40

%s means <string>
Examples of error messages containing placeholders:
"Checking Web %1!d! of %2!d!" means "Checking Web <number> of <number>".
"INI file "%1!-.200s!" section" means "INI file "<string>" section".
You should always take into consideration whether the word following the placeholder is in singular or in plural
form in order to achieve agreement in gender and number.

English example

Macedonian example

%1 files detected.

(+) %1 .

%1 file detected.

(+) %1 .

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). The same applies for Macedonian.
Below is the list of key names that should be translated into Macedonian. All other key names are not localized.
English name

Macedonian name

Space bar

(+)

Up

(+)

Down

(+)

Left

(+)

Right

(+)

41

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.
Currently access keys are often assigned automatically by a special tool, so please be sure to ask your manager
whether you need to pay attention to access keys or not.
Hot Key Special Options

Usage: Is It Allowed?

Notes

"Slim characters", such as I, l, t, r, f

can be used as hot key

yes

Slim characters are allowed, though

they are not recommended because
they might be hard to see

Characters with downstrokes, such

as , , , , , , , , , and can
be used as hotkeys

yes

Characters with downstrokes are

allowed, though they are not
recommended because they might
be hard to see. A hotkey can be
assigned to these characters if there
are no other options (i.e. all other
character have hotkeys assigned to
them)

Extended characters can be used as no

hotkeys
An additional letter, appearing
between brackets after item name,
can be used as hotkeys

yes

A number, appearing between

brackets after item name, can be

yes

42

used as hotkey
A punctuation sign, appearing
between brackets after item name,
can be used as hotkey

yes

Duplicate hotkeys are allowed when

no other character is available

no

No hotkey is assigned when no

yes
more characters are available (minor
options only)
Additional notes: n/a

Arrow Keys
The arrow keys move input focus among the controls within a group. Pressing the right arrow key moves input
focus to the next control in tab order, whereas pressing the left arrow moves input focus to the previous control.
Home, End, Up, and Down also have their expected behavior within a group. Users can't navigate out of a control
group using arrow keys.
All arrow key names should be localized and capitalized, as described above.

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 software
application. Shortcut keys replace menu commands and they are sometimes given next to the command they
represent. In opposition to the access keys, which can be used only when available on the screen, shortcut keys
can be used even when they are not accessible on the screen.
Standard Shortcut Keys
US
Command

US English
Shortcut Key

Macedonian
Command

Macedonian
Shortcut key

General Windows Shortcut keys

Help window

F1

F1

Context-sensitive Help

Shift+F1

Shift+F1
43

Display pop-up menu

Shift+F10

Shift+F10

Cancel

Esc

Esc

Activate\Deactivate
menu bar mode

F10

F10

Switch to the next

primary application

Alt+Tab

Alt+Tab

Display next window

Alt+Esc

Alt+Esc

Display pop-up menu

for the window

Alt+Spacebar

Alt+Spacebar

Display pop-up menu

for the active child
window

Alt+-

Alt+-

Display property sheet

for current selection

Alt+Enter

Alt+Enter

Close active
application window

Alt+F4

Alt+F4

Switch to next window

within (modelesscompliant) application

Alt+F6

Alt+F6

Capture active window

image to the Clipboard

Alt+Prnt Scrn

Alt+Prnt Scrn

Capture desktop
image to the Clipboard

Prnt Scrn

Prnt Scrn

Access Start button in

taskbar

Ctrl+Esc

Ctrl+Esc

Display next child

window

Ctrl+F6

Ctrl+F6

Display next tabbed

pane

Ctrl+Tab

Ctrl+Tab

Launch Task Manager

and system
initialization

Ctrl+Shift+Esc

Ctrl+Shift+Esc

File Menu
File New

Ctrl+N

Ctrl+N

44

File Open

Ctrl+O

Ctrl+O

File Close

Ctrl+F4

Ctrl+F4

File Save

Ctrl+S

Ctrl+S

File Save as

F12

F12

File Print Preview

Ctrl+F2

Ctrl+F2

File Print

Ctrl+P

Ctrl+P

File Exit

Alt+F4

Alt+F4

Edit Menu
Edit Undo

Ctrl+Z

Ctrl+Z

Edit Repeat

Ctrl+Y

Ctrl+Y

Edit Cut

Ctrl+X

Ctrl+X

Edit Copy

Ctrl+C

Ctrl+C

Edit Paste

Ctrl+V

Ctrl+V

Edit Delete

Ctrl+Backspace

Ctrl+Backspace

Edit Select All

Ctrl+A

Ctrl+A

Edit Find

Ctrl+F

Ctrl+F

Edit Replace

Ctrl+H

Ctrl+H

Edit Go To

Ctrl+B

Ctrl+B

Help Menu
Help

F1

F1

Font Format
Italic

Ctrl+I

Ctrl+I

Bold

Ctrl+G

Ctrl+G

Underlined\Word
underline

Ctrl+U

Ctrl+U

Large caps

Ctrl+Shift+A

Ctrl+Shift+A

Small caps

Ctrl+Shift+K

Ctrl+Shift+K

Paragraph Format
Centered

Ctrl+E

Ctrl+E
45

Left aligned

Ctrl+L

Ctrl+L

Right aligned

Ctrl+R

Ctrl+R

Justified

Ctrl+J

Ctrl+J

Document Translation Considerations

Document localization may require some specific considerations that are different from software localization. This
section covers a few of these areas.

Titles
In English the titles for chapters usually begin with "How to " or with phrases such as "Working with " or
"Using ". In the Macedonian version of Microsoft documentation, try to use nouns (particularly verbal nouns)
whenever possible.

English example

Macedonian example

How to create ...

(+)

Working with tables

(+)

Using charts

(+)

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.
Translation of copyright text should be consistent both within the product being localized and across Macedonian
versions of Microsoft products.
46

English example

Macedonian example

2011 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

(+) 2011 Microsoft Corporation.

.

47