Hungarian Style Guide
Contents What's New?... 4 New Topics... 4 Updated Topics... 4 Introduction... 5 About This Style Guide... 5 Scope of This Document... 5 Style Guide Conventions... 5 Sample Text... 6 Recommended Reference Material... 7 Normative References... 7 Language Specific Conventions... 8 Country/Region Standards... 8 Characters... 8 Date... 10 Time... 12 Numbers... 14 Sorting... 18 Geopolitical Concerns... 20 Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions... 20 Adjectives... 20 Articles... 21 Capitalization... 23 Compounds... 27 Gender... 30 Genitive... 30 Modifiers... 30 Nouns... 30 Prepositions... 31 Pronouns... 31 Punctuation... 31 Singular & Plural... 34 Split Infinitive... 35 Subjunctive... 35 Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces... 35 Syntax... 35 Verbs... 35 Word Order... 35 Style and Tone Considerations... 36 Audience... 36 Style... 36
Tone... 36 Voice... 36 Localization Guidelines... 38 General Considerations... 38 Abbreviations... 38 Accessibility... 40 Acronyms... 40 Applications, Products, and Features... 41 Frequent Errors... 41 Glossaries... 46 Fictitious Information... 47 Recurring Patterns... 47 Standardized Translations... 47 Unlocalized Items... 47 Using the Word Microsoft... 47 Software Considerations... 48 User Interface... 48 Standard names of UI items types... 49 Messages... 50 Keys... 54 Document Translation Considerations... 59 Titles... 59 Introductory sentences... 59 Copyright... 60
What's New? Last Updated: May 2011 New Topics The following topics were added: Standard names of UI item types 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. May 2011: The following topics were updated: Using the Word Microsoft the list of declinations added. 4
Introduction This Style Guide went through major revision in February 2011 in order to remove outdated and unnecessary content. About This Style Guide The purpose of this Style Guide is to provide everybody involved in the localization of Hungarian Microsoft products with Microsoft-specific linguistic guidelines and standard conventions that differ from or are more prescriptive than those found in language reference materials. These conventions have been adopted after considering context based on various needs, but above all, they are easy to follow and applicable for all types of software to be localized. The Style Guide covers the areas of formatting and grammatical conventions. It also presents the reader with a general idea of the reasoning behind the conventions. The present Style Guide is a revision of our previous Style Guide version with the intention of making it more standardized, more structured, and easier to use as a reference. The guidelines and conventions presented in this Style Guide are intended to help you localize Microsoft products and materials. We welcome your feedback, questions and concerns regarding the Style Guide. You can send us your feedback via the Microsoft Language Portal feedback page. Scope of This Document This Style Guide is intended for the localization professional working on Microsoft products. It is not intended to be a comprehensive coverage of all localization practices, but to highlight areas where Microsoft has preference or deviates from standard practices for Hungarian 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. 5
Sample Text A Skellig-szigeteket két óriási, tengerből kiálló kőszikla alkotja. A kisebb az idők kezdete óta sirálybirodalom, a nagyobbon viszont a VIII.-IX. században egy szerzetescsoport telepedett meg. Az egyiptomi kopt keresztény egyház befolyása alatt lévő rendet a megkísértéséről híres Szent Antal alapította. A szerzetesek a magányt keresték, ezért építették a kolostort szó szerint az akkor ismert világ végére, a viharos tengerből kiemelkedő 250 méter magas sziklaszirt tetejére. Gergely pápa naptárreformja után a kolostor az előző naptárrendszerben maradt. Ez jól jött a házasulni szándékozóknak: nagyböjt idején ugyanis nem lehetett házasságot kötni, de a kolostor más időszámítás szerint működött, így a türelmetlenek egy kis tengeribetegség és némi lépcsőzés árán kimondhatták a boldogító igent. Később rájöttek, hogy a más rendszerű naptár nemcsak a házassági, hanem az alkoholtilalom alól is kibúvót jelent, úgyhogy egy ideig igencsak vidám élet folyt (szó szerint) a szigeten. Mára viszont mindenki elköltözött, csak a romok maradtak a szikla tetején. A túra Portmagee kikötőjéből indul, ahol festőien tarka halászbárkák horgonyoznak. Már a beszállás sem egyszerű: a móló falán lógó létrán lemászva, majd több halászbárkán átkecmeregve jutunk el a csónakig. A kapitány Piszkos Fredre emlékeztet, mindenkinek odadob egy kétes tisztaságú, olajzöld vízhatlan nadrágot és dzsekit. Amint elkezd szemerkélni az eső, hálásak leszünk ezért a rétegért. Egy idő után feltűnik az első szikla. Fehér pettyek tarkítják, amelyekről közelebbről kiderül, hogy sirályok. A több ezer torokból jövő csivitelés túlharsogja a szirten megtörő hullámok zaját, a bárka motorjának zúgását és a gyakran zuhogó eső csapkodását. Hamarosan elénk tornyosul a másik, meredekebb és zöldebb sziget: a Skellig Michael. A sziklafalba vágott ösvény meredeken emelkedik, hamarosan felérünk egy laposabb részre. Ezen a szigeten egy fekete, nagyon aranyos, bumfordi madárfaj, a sarki lunda tanyázik. A tolla fekete, hasa fehér (ettől egy picit a pingvinre emlékeztet), a csőre és a lába pedig élénk narancssárga. Fészket nem rak, üregekben költ. Sok helyütt látni a sziklahasadékokban vagy lapos kövek alól kilógó narancsszínű csőröket, a nagydarab olajzöld betolakodókat érdeklődéssel figyelő pislogó szemeket. Jó hosszú mászás után fölérünk a kolostor romjaihoz. A szerzetesi cellák egymás mellé zsúfolt, néhány méter magas méhkas alakú építmények, kövekből, kötőanyag nélkül építették őket. A technika ősi: gondosan egymásra rakták a köveket, a boltozat felé haladva egyre beljebb, amíg össze nem értek a tetején. Három még áll belőlük, ezekkel ezer év alatt sem bírt az időjárás. A szerzetesek építési technikáját esőben értékelhetjük igazán: a cellák belülről teljesen szárazak. Ha a nyolcadik századi szerzetesek a magányt keresték a Skellig Michaelen, bizonyosan nem kellett sokáig keresgélniük. A sziget hivatalosan még ma is megközelíthetetlen; az Irish Tourist Board hajója csak megkerüli, de nem köt ki. Ennek köszönhetően a természet szinte érintetlen: sehol egy McDonald s, Burger King, Fish & Chips bodega, sőt még WC sem. Egyszer biztosan újra eljövök ide. Biztos vagyok benne, hogy akkor sem találkozom majd gazdag külföldi turistákkal tömött sétahajókkal. Azért az ír klímának is megvannak az előnyei. Ha cikkem felkeltette az érdeklődését, kérem, keressen fel az alábbi címen: Szabó Mária Budapest XI. ker., Tiszafa u. 195. 6
06 1 234 5678 Létrehozva 2011. február 1-én, 10 órakor. Source: Microsoft language kits Recommended Reference Material Use the Hungarian 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. A magyar helyesírás szabályai, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, latest edition (currently the 11th): This is the official collection of the rules of Hungarian grammar issued by the Hungarian Scientific Academy, plus it contains a limited number of basic Hungarian words. 2. Helyesírás, Osiris Kiadó, Budapest, 2005: This is an extended version of the previous book. It discusses several cases that are not or just marginally covered by the previous publication, plus it contains a very abundant dictionary of more than 200,000 words. 3. For special questions not covered by the above publications (e.g. latest geographical names, new issues not yet covered), please contact directly the Linguistic Institute of the Hungarian Scientific Academy or the relevant organization (e.g. the Hungarian Committee on Geographical Names, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc.) 7
Language Specific Conventions This part of the style guide contains information about standards specific to Hungarian. Country/Region Standards Characters Country/region Lower-case characters Upper-case characters Characters in caseless scripts Extended Latin characters Note on alphabetical order Hungary a, á, b, c, cs, d, dz, dzs, e, é, f, g, gy, h, i, í, j, k, l, ly, m, n, ny, o, ó, ö, ő, p, q, r, s, sz, t, ty, u, ú, ü, ű, v, w, x, y, z, zs A, Á, B, C, Cs, D, Dz, Dzs, E, É, F, G, Gy, H, I, Í, J, K, L, Ly, M, N, Ny, O, Ó, Ö, Ő, P, Q, R, S, Sz, T, Ty, U, Ú, Ü, Ű, V, W, X, Y, Z, Zs n/a á, Á, é, É, í, Í, ó, Ó, ö, Ö, ő, Ő, ú, Ú, ü, Ü, ű, Ű Alphabetical order is not necessarily indicative of sorting order. Total number of characters 44 Unicode codes Notes n/a The Hungarian alphabet contains 44 letters. Of these, four (q, w, x, y) are only used in words of foreign origin (examples: taxi, fax, proxy, wolfram, cinquecento). There are nine two- and three-character letters (cs, dz, dzs, gy, ly, ny, sz, ty, zs), these should never be separated (however, please note that some of these combinations can arise in compound words in which case they can be separated, such as "polc-sor"). Please note also that in these multicharacter letters, only the first character is capitalized when the letter itself should be capital. Nine vowels are accented (á, é, í, ó, ö, ő, ú, ü, ű). Of these, ő and ű can only be found in Hungarian, so this is a good test for recognizing Hungarian text. All Hungarian consonants can be doubled (to denote a longer pronunciation) and when a two- or three-letter consonant is doubled, only the first character of that letter is doubled in writing: ccs, ddz, ddzs (this does not really happen), ggy, lly, nny, ssz, tty, zzs. Example words: naranccsal, eddzél, heggyel, zsöllye, asszony etc. When separating these words, both double consonants are written out in full: narancscsal, asz-szony, etc. This also means that spelling "cscs, gygy, szsz" etc. is normally wrong. However, if the two consonants happen to be put 8
Country/region Hungary together on the boundaries of a compound word, both consonants are written in full. Example: jegygyűrű. You really need to be an extremely proficient speaker of Hungarian to be able to decide whether some strange combination of letters is correct, and, more importantly, whether you can hyphenate a certain word at a certain point. Some of the letters are equal in the sorting order. Please refer to the document for sorting order. The 44 letters in alphabetical order are: A Á B C Cs D Dz Dzs E É F G Gy H I Í J K L Ly M N Ny O Ó Ö Ő P Q R S Sz 9
Country/region Hungary T Ty U Ú Ü Ű V W X Y Z Zs Date In the Hungarian date format the year is followed by the month and then the day. The year is always written numerically (Arabic) and is followed by a period. There are several possible ways to write the month, it can be alphabetical (full and abbreviated) or numeric (Roman or Arabic numbers). When written alphabetically, the name of the month is always lowercase and only the abbreviated form is followed by a period. The day is always numeric (Arabic) and followed by a full stop. However, as always, there are some exceptions to these rules as the hyphen separated format is also present in common use. The period following the year is omitted if it is part of a genitival structure like in 1848 márciusában, if it is followed by a postposition like in 1914 előtt, or if a suffix is attached to it like in 1514-ben. It can also be omitted if the year (but only the year) appears in parentheses like in the following sentence: Az elmúlt év (1977) hatalmas változásokat hozott. The period following the day is also omitted when a suffix is attached to the date as in 1941. július 1-jén. Country/region Calendar/Era First Day of the Week First Week of the Year Separator Default Short Date Format Hungary Gregorian Monday 1st full stop YYYY. MM. DD. Example 2011. 03. 17. Default Long Date Format YYYY. MMMM DD. 10
Country/region Hungary Example 2011. március 17. Additional Short Date Format 1 YYYY. MMM. DD. Example 2011. III. 17. Additional Short Date Format 2 YYYY-MM-DD Example 2011-03-17 Additional Long Date Format 1 YYYY. MMM. DD. Example 2011. márc. 17. Additional Long Date Format 2 Example Leading Zero in Day Field for Short Date Format Leading Zero in Month Field for Short Date Format No. of digits for year for Short Day Format Leading Zero in Day Field for Long Date Format Leading Zero in Month Field for Long Date Format Number of digits for year for Long Day Format Date Format for Correspondence n/a n/a yes yes 4 yes n/a 4 YYYY. MMMM DD. Example 2011. március 17. Notes MMM = would be Roman format too (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII) Using the additional short date format 2 (YYYY-MM-DD) is growing. 11
Country/region Abbreviations in Format Codes Hungary d is for day, number of d's indicates the format (d = digits without leading zero, dd = digits with leading zero, ddd = the abbreviated day name, dddd = full day name) M is for month, number of M's gives number of digits. (M = digits without leading zero, MM = digits with leading zero, MMM = the abbreviated name, MMMM = full name) y is for year, number of y's gives number of digits (yy = two digits, yyyy = four digits) Time The time format is different in common language and in the language of IT. In common texts we usually do not abbreviate, so the full forms are used: 7 óra 10 perckor csörgött a telefon. However, the short format, consisting of numerals only, can also be used. In this case a period must be used between the two numbers and there must not be a space between them: találkozzunk 10.45-kor. However, in software mostly the short format is used, and the numbers are separated by a colon. An obvious example is the clock in the bottom right corner of your screen, thus 18:31. A major difference between the US and Hungarian usage is that while the US uses the 12-hour format, in Hungarian the 24-hour format is widespread and should be used. Country/region Hungary 24 hour format Yes Standard time format Standard time format example HH:mm:ss 16:28:12 Time separator colon (:) Time separator examples 12:42:57 Hours leading zero no Hours leading zero example 8:04:05 Notes The 12-hour clock can also be used. The abbreviation for AM is "de." (délelőtt), and for PM "du." (délután). Please note that the abbreviation is followed by a full stop. Frequently used formats in written text: 10 óra 25 perckor 10.25-kor 10.25 12
Days Country/region: Hungary Day Normal Form Abbreviation Monday hétfő H. Tuesday kedd K. Wednesday szerda Sze. Thursday csütörtök Cs. Friday péntek P. Saturday szombat Szo. Sunday vasárnap V. First Day of Week: Monday (hétfő) Is first letter capitalized?: No. Notes: n/a Months Country/region: Hungary Month Full Form Abbreviated Form Long Date Form January január jan. Same as Full Form February február febr. Same as Full Form March március márc. Same as Full Form April április ápr. Same as Full Form May május máj. Same as Full Form June június jún. Same as Full Form July július júl. Same as Full Form August augusztus aug. Same as Full Form September szeptember szept. Same as Full Form October október okt. Same as Full Form November november nov. Same as Full Form 13
Month Full Form Abbreviated Form Long Date Form December december dec. Same as Full Form Is first letter capitalized?: No. 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 Hungary 36 yes 1 or 2 space or hyphen 8 (##) ### ###; (#) ### #### Country/ region Number of Digits Local Digit Groupings Local Number of Digits Mobile Digit Groupings Mobile Number of Digits International Digit Groupings International Hungary 6;7 ### ###; ### #### 9 (##) ### #### 10 +36 # ### ####; +36 ## ### ### Notes: [+][country code][area code] phone number +36 1 234 5678 If dialing from Hungary, the prefix to long-distance calls is 06 (e.g. with area code 46, it becomes 06 46). The prefix for international calls when dialing from Hungary is 00, e.g. calling Ireland is 00 353. Local phone numbers have a variable number of digits (6 or 7), depending on the size (number of subscribers) of the area. Apart from the space character, a hyphen (-) can also be used for separating digit groups, e.g. +36-1-234-5678. Addresses Country/region: Hungary Disclaimer: Please note that the information in this entry should under no circumstances be used in examples as fictitious information. Address Format 1: The format below is used on postal items (envelopes, packages) sent to Hungary (from within Hungary or from abroad). When sending abroad the postal rules of the recipient country should be followed. 14
[Title/Honorific] LastName FirstName [Company Name] [City] Address1 PostalCode City Example Address: Dr. Kovács Géza Bebex Kozmetikai Kft. Eger Nagy Erzsébet u. 2. 1500 Address Format 2: The format below is used when addresses must be written in one line. [City] Address1 PostalCode City Example Addresses: Budapest XV. kerület, Petrence utca 45. IV. em. 1/B 1156 Eger, Malom út 4-6. 3000. Local Postal Code Format: xxxx (4 digits). When sending from abroad, the country name does not necessarily need to be spelled out, the country code HU and a hyphen might be added in front of the ZIP code, e.g. HU 1580. Obviously, indicating the country is unnecessary if sent from a Hungarian to a Hungarian address. Notes: The State/Province field is not used in addresses. Address2 field is not used in addresses. Addresses are left aligned. Title refers to honorific titles such as Dr.. Obviously, either the Company line or the name can be omitted, depending on the addressee. Currency Country/region Currency Name Currency Symbol Currency Symbol Position Hungary Forint Ft The symbol comes after the numeral and there is no period after it. There is a space between the numeral and the symbol Positive Currency Format 123,45 15
Negative Sign Symbol For negative values the en dash is used in Hungarian in front of the numeral (the ordinary hyphen can be used as well) Negative Currency Format -123,45 Decimal Symbol, (comma) Number of Digits after Decimal 2 Digit Grouping Symbol Number of Digits in Digit Grouping Positive Currency Example Negative Currency Example ISO Currency Code Currency Subunit Name Currency Subunit Symbol Currency Subunit Example space 3 123 456 789,00 Ft -123 456 789,00 Ft HUF fillér f 50 f Digit Groups Country/region: Hungary Decimal Separator:, Decimal Separator Description: comma Decimal Separator Example: 56,5 Thousand Separator: Thousand Separator Description: space Thousand Separator Example: 3 234 638. Notes: The space separator should be used when the number contains 5 or more digits. The digits should be divided into groups of three numbers starting from the last digit. The digits after the decimal symbol are not separated. 16
Measurement Units Metric System Commonly Used?: Yes Temperature: Celsius Category English Translation Abbreviation Linear Measure Kilometer kilométer km Meter méter m Decimeter deciméter dm Centimeter centiméter cm Millimeter milliméter mm Capacity Hectoliter hektoliter hl Liter liter l or L Deciliter deciliter dl Centiliter centiliter cl Milliliter milliliter ml Mass Ton tonna t Kilogram kilogramm kg Pound font lb Gram gramm g Decigram decigramm dg Centigram centigramm cg Milligram milligramm mg English Units of Measurement Inch hüvelyk " Feet láb n/a Mile mérföld n/a Gallon gallon n/a Notes: There should always be a space between the number and the measurement unit. Example: (-)54kg. (+)54 kg. 17
Percentages Either the word százalék or the % symbol that stands for it can be used. There is no space between the % symbol and the number: 45%. Case endings should stand after it with a hyphen and with no space between: 10%-os. Sorting Sorting rules 1. Capital letters and lowercase letters are equal. No distinction is made between them. 2. The extended characters are the equivalents of the normal characters (a á, e é, i í, o ó, ö ő, u ú, ü ű). If it is the only difference between two words, then the normal character comes first, e.g. kerek, kerék. 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 Examples of sorted words A Á B C D E É F G H I Í J K L M N O Ó Ö Ő P Q R S T U Ú Ü Ű V W X Y Z (65 193 66 67 68 69 201 70 71 72 73 205 74 75 76 77 78 79 211 214 336 80 81 82 83 84 85 218 220 368 86 87 88 89 90). @ 1 Aaron andere ändere chaque chemin cote coté côte côté čučēt Czech hiša irdisch lävi lie lire llama lõug 18
Löwen lòza Lübeck luč luck lye Männer màšta mîr möchten myndig piña pint pylon sämtlich šàran savoir Šerbūra Sietla ślub subtle symbol väga verkehrt vox waffle wood yen yuan yucca ţal ţena Ţenēva zoo Zürich 19
Zviedrija zysk zzlj zzlz zznj zznz Geopolitical Concerns Part of the cultural adaptation of the US-product to a specific market is the resolving of geopolitical issues. While the US-product should have been designed and developed with neutrality and a global audience in mind, the localized product should respond to the particular situation that applies within the target country/region. Sensitive issues or issues that might potentially be offensive to the users in the target country/region may occur in any of the following: Maps Flags Country/region, city and language names Art and graphics Cultural content, such as encyclopedia content and other text where historical or political references may occur Some of these issues are relatively easy to verify and resolve: the objective should be for the localizer to always have the most current information available. Maps and other graphic representations of countries/regions and regions should be checked for accuracy and existing political restrictions. Country/region, city and language names change on a regular basis and need to be checked, even if previously approved. A thorough understanding of the culture of the target market is required for checking the appropriateness of cultural content, clip art and other visual representations of religious symbols, body and hand gestures. Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions This section includes information on how to apply the general rules of the Hungarian language to Microsoft products and documentation. Adjectives In Hungarian, adjectives should be handled according to the standard rules of the language. Prefixed verbal adjectives and "nem" When the Hungarian prefixed verbal adjective is preceded by the word "nem", it is a common mistake not to alter the word order of the prefix and the adjective, although polished Hungarian style would require it: 20
English Correct Hungarian Incorrect Hungarian The file is unavailable A fájl nem érhető el A fájl nem elérhető The message cannot be sent Az üzenet nem küldhető el Az üzenet nem elküldhető The location cannot be determined A hely nem határozható meg A hely nem meghatározható Possessive adjectives The frequent use of possessives is a feature of English language. However in Hungarian, possessive adjectives should be avoided if possible. The most frequent possessive adjectives occurring in English texts are my and your. English My Documents My Pictures My Videos If your computer does not support DirectX Your system has the following components: Hungarian translation Dokumentumok Képek Videók Ha a számítógép nem támogatja a DirectX-et A rendszer a következő összetevőket tartalmazza: The above pattern should be followed in translations with the exception of My Computer which should always be translated as Sajátgép. Articles General considerations English and Hungarian article usage differs considerably. English often requires using articles when Hungarian does not, and vice versa. It often happens that when English uses some kind of article (definite or indefinite), Hungarian must use a different article or a different number. Beware of the following cases: English uses an indefinite article, but Hungarian should use plural with no article: English Correct Hungarian translation Incorrect Hungarian translation Copying a File (section title) Creating a shortcut is a simple task Fájl másolása Fájlok másolása A parancsikonok létrehozása egyszerű feladat Egy fájl másolása Egy parancsikon létrehozása egy egyszerű feladat 21
English usually does not use articles in front of proper nouns, while Hungarian must use a definite article: English Correct Hungarian translation Incorrect Hungarian translation Using Outlook Az Outlook használata Outlook használata Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation A Windows a Microsoft Corporation bejegyzett védjegye Windows a Microsoft Corporation bejegyzett védjegye There are cases when English uses plural with no article, while Hungarian must use a definite article: English Correct Hungarian translation Incorrect Hungarian translation Working with wizards Munka a varázslókkal Munka varázslókkal Definite articles should precede all definite object and function names, but not object and function types. A minlocalrequestfreethreads értéke nem haladhatja meg a minfreethreads értékét. Az inicializálás sikertelen, mert a CategoryName hiányzik. SystemCommand típusú objektumok nem támogatják az ablakkezelést. MemberInfo csak illesztőfelület metódusa lehet. Unlocalized Feature Names Microsoft product names and non-translated feature names are used without definite or indefinite articles in the English language. In Hungarian translations the definite article should be used. The allophone to be used is determined by the initial sound of the product or feature name following it according to the standard grammar rules of the Hungarian language. Example: English Please wait while Windows configures Office. Correct Hungarian translation Kis türelmet, a Windows az Office konfigurálását végzi. Localized Feature Names Translated feature names are handled in the same way as unlocalized feature names: a definite article should be used. 22
Articles for English Borrowed Terms When faced with an English loan word previously used in Microsoft products, consider the following options: Motivation: Does the English word have any formally motivated features that would allow a straightforward integration into the noun class system of Hungarian language? The allophone of the article before the loan word to be used is determined by the first sound of the word. The allophones of the case endings are determined by the vowels of the word (vowel harmony). Analogy: Is there an equivalent Hungarian term whose article could be used? Frequency: Is the term used in other technical documentation? If so, what article is used most often? The internet may be a helpful reference here. Example: English Turn on HTML rendering for this message. Hungarian A HTML üzenetmegjelenítés bekapcsolása. Capitalization In English, it is a general practice to capitalize all first characters of the words in titles, names, etc. However, in Hungarian different rules apply. Product names All standalone product names should be capitalized; if they consist of several words, all words are capitalized (Irodai Kiszolgálócsomag). However, when translating names of localized services, we treat them as common names, and spell them lowercase. Some examples: távtároló (Remote Storage), távtárolási szolgáltatás (Remote Storage service), médiatár (Clip Organizer). However, when these names appear with the word Microsoft preceding them, they should be capitalized. Microsoft Kereső (Microsoft Search Companion), but English How do you want to use Search Companion? Hungarian translation Hogyan szeretné használni a keresőt? We treat most other software elements as common names as well, like súgó (Help), vágólap (Clipboard), or telepítő (Setup). Please note that process names like telepítés are never capitalized. UI elements The first letter of UI elements (buttons, dialog titles, checkboxes, etc.) should be capitalized, if the English is also capitalized. However, the rest of the words should not be capitalized, unlike the English. 23
English Remote Control Properties (dialog title) Save (button name) Rules and Alerts (button name) Hungarian translation Távvezérlés tulajdonságai Mentés Szabályok és értesítések Reference to UI elements The easiest way to refer to GUI elements (such as buttons, check boxes, dialogs, tabs, etc.) in Help or in explanatory texts is by their caption. Whenever we reference them in such a way, they should be copied verbatim, including the first capital letter. English Click Next to continue or Cancel to exit. (dialog title) You must first close the Customize dialog box. Hungarian translation A folytatáshoz kattintson a Tovább, vagy a kilépéshez a Mégse gombra Először zárja be a Testreszabás párbeszédpanelt. Terms, which also have an acronym form In English, it is a practice to capitalize all words of a term if the term has also has an acronym form. In this case the Hungarian should not be capitalized at all. English User Interface Privilege Isolation Hungarian translation felhasználói felület jogelszigetelése (capitalized because of an existing acronym form: UIPI) Titles In English, usually all words of document, page or section titles are capitalized. In Hungarian it is an error. We only capitalize the first word of the title. 24
English Help and Support (page title) More Information (section title) Hungarian translation Súgó és támogatás További információk Internet, web Due to the strong tendency in the language and the change in the Hungarian dictionary of spelling we do not capitalize these words any more; we treat them as common names. This greatly affects their spelling as well. Since both words are non-compounds, any compounds they appear in should be written together unless the other item is itself or is treated as a compound. So the correct spelling of such compounds is the following: internet internetbeállítások internet-hozzáférés internetszolgáltató web webhely webszolgáltatás weblap System accounts Common system accounts are also spelled lowercase. The main reason for this is that the user can change the name of the account, but the account s function (and security ID, obviously) remain the same. That is, the Administrator account should be referred to in Hungarian as rendszergazdafiók, the System Administrator as rendszergazda, always lowercase (regardless of the US capitalization in the particular string), the guest account is vendégfiók, etc. View names View names can be divided into two categories. They either refer to the way you are actually going to see the elements or they have a fantasy name. 25
In the first case they are treated as common names and they are spelled lowercase. However, when the name is translated with a suffixed noun and thus spelled separately from the word nézet, it must be capitalized. Fantasy names are also capitalized. English Enable Folder view for FTP sites When you display files in Details view, you can click them by clicking column headings. Vertical ruler (Print view only) Hungarian translation Mappanézet engedélyezése az FTP-helyekhez Ha a fájlokat Részletek nézetben jeleníti meg, az oszlopnevekre kattintva rendezheti őket. Függőleges vonalzó (csak nyomtatási nézetben) Terms separated by a slash (/) When two terms are separated by a slash in a Hungarian product, only the first item should be capitalized. This is contrary to US practices. English Forms/Reports Tables/Queries Send/Receive Search/Replace Hungarian translation Űrlapok/jelentések Táblák/lekérdezések Küldés/fogadás Keresés/csere Holidays In everyday use (e.g. greeting cards) holiday names are usually capitalized probably due to their emotional content. However, according to the spelling rules all words and expressions denoting holidays, special occasions and historic events should be written lowercase (rule nr. 145). All translations must be made by this rule. március tizenötödike május elseje karácsony a honfoglalás a bécsi kongresszus a francia forradalom anyák napja 26
mindenszentek húsvét a mohácsi vész a szabadságharc szilveszter 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. Basic rules One of the most problematic areas of Hungarian grammar is the spelling of compound words. 1. The most important rule to keep in mind is the following: If there is an implicit relationship between the words of a phrase that could be explained only by additional words, phrases or suffixes, then the phrase must be considered a compound word, and must be written accordingly (in one word, or connected with a hyphen, as detailed later). E.g. "magyar tanár" does not form a compound word if it means a teacher whose nationality is Hungarian, because there is no need to further "expand" or explain this phrase. But "magyartanár" forms a compound word if it means a teacher who teaches Hungarian language, because the full, explanatory form of the phrase would be: "magyar nyelvet tanító tanár". This is called "meaning condensing compound". The following are all examples of this kind of compound words with explanation: Compound Word vámvizsgálat csigalépcső hamutálca toronyóra párbeszédpanel olvasószemüveg Interpretation (resolution) vámnál történő vizsgálat csigához hasonló lépcső hamut tartó tálca toronyban elhelyezett óra párbeszédre módot nyújtó panel olvasáshoz használt szemüveg 2. After determining with the above method if a phrase forms a compound word, there are two possibilities for the spelling: writing the phrase in one word or divide it with a hyphen. The correct solution is determined by the following rules: 2.a If the compound word consists of two words, then it must be written in one word, without a hyphen, regardless its length: 27
alkalmazáskiterjesztés óraszinkronizálás energiamegmaradás 2.b If the compound word consists of more than two words, but less than 7 syllables, it must be written in one word again, without a hyphen: adatbázisindex órajelszinkron webhelycím 2.c If the compound word consists of more than two words and at least 7 syllables, it must be written in one word with a hyphen. The placing of the hyphen should aid readability, so it should appear at the most meaningful place. It is also important to note that a two-syllable verbal particle should be treated as a separate element of compounds. This is why internet-hozzáférés should be hyphenated. adatbázis-tervezés óraszinkron-generálás jogosultság-ellenőrzés There is another special but very frequent case: It often happens that a two word phrase does not form a compound word itself, e.g. "antik bútor" or "hideg víz". But when a third word is added to the phrase, it will form a compound word because of the previously mentioned rule: "(antik bútor)+(bolt)" or "'hideg víz)+(csap)" will form a compound word because the expanded phrase would be: "antik bútort áruló bolt" or "hideg vizet szolgáltató csap", so the phrase becomes a compound word and must be written with a hyphen: "antikbútor-bolt" or "hidegvíz-csap". Note that in this case the number of syllables does not matter: the hyphen must always be used regardless of the length. Some more examples: Base phrase házi feladat hajlított bútor beépülő modul Compound word házifeladat-készítés hajlítottbútor-gyár beépülőmodul-letöltés However, this kind of word composition can easily lead to very long, overcomplicated and artificial words. Although these words are grammatically correct, they should be avoided if possible. This can be achieved by resolving the compound with its original meaning, e.g. "a házi feladat elkészítése", "hajlított bútorokat készítő gyár", "beépülő modulok letöltése". However, it is not always possible or reasonable because complicated suffixing or other considerations. It is up to the localizer to judge which method to use. 28
Other cases If the unmarked compound contains a trademark, a subordinated product or feature name, or any other proper name (all of which should be capitalized), then the resulting compound should always be hyphenated. Windows-verzió Cscript-hiba Hotmail-fiók Windows-alkalmazás If one of the items of the compound is a subordinated proper name which is written as more than one word, we still use a hyphen, attached to the second word. Media Guide-lap Windows Media-adatfolyam An exception to this rule is when the first part of the compound expression is a proper name (brand name) and the second part is of an explanatory nature Word szövegszerkesztő HP nyomtató Powerpoint bemutató The product name + file compound is a borderline case. Both the separate and the hyphenated versions can be explained. We have decided not to hyphenate such structures: Excel fájl Word fájl It is also to be noted that adding a suffix to a compound that is spelled separately usually does not cause it to be spelled as one word. See Rule 108 of the Hungarian Academy s publication for more details: teljes képernyős nézet Acronyms When forming compounds with acronyms, they should always be hyphenated. XML-deklaráció CD-ROM-meghajtó Service and protocol names are never hyphenated. DHCP szolgáltatás DNS szolgáltatás TCP/IP protokoll 29
DLC protokoll Compounds with the words kiszolgáló and ügyfél are usually subordinated, and therefore must be hyphenated: DNS-ügyfél DNS-kiszolgáló Compounds with e-mail All phrases like e-mail cím e-mail kapcsolat e-mail fiók e-mail beállítások must be written without a second hyphen. Normally hyphenate such compounds, but there is a spelling rule according to which there should not be more than one hyphens in subordinate compounds of common words (139). The dictionary of spelling also contains some of these entries with this spelling. Gender This section does not apply to Hungarian. Genitive This section does not apply to Hungarian. Modifiers This section does not apply to Hungarian. Nouns General considerations One of the most problematic areas is the spelling of compound nouns. Please see the section Compounds for more information. Inflection Standard rules of the Hungarian language apply. The allophones of the inflections are determined by the way the word is pronounced. 30
Plural Formation Standard rules of the Hungarian language apply. 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. It is difficult to give guidelines because there are many ways a preposition can be translated. Examples: US Expression Hungarian Expression Comment 2 std dev below Average 2 szórással az átlag alatt Preposition translated using a Hungarian postposition. Across Worksheets... Több munkalapra... Preposition translated using the Hungarian case system. Only Amounts Above Csak efölötti összegek Here the string is followed by the noun phrase the preposition modifies. As it is not possible to use a postposition, in the translation we must include a cataphoric reference. Pronouns If the English text contains you when referring to the user, it is preferable to avoid using a pronoun if possible. If not, use the polite 3rd person singular imperative, declarative or inquisitive mood ("önözés"). The only exception to this is when the audience of the text is special, e.g. children. Punctuation The Hungarian rules of punctuation considerably differ from those of English. The Hungarian punctuation rules are described in A Magyar helyesírás szabályai in detail, here we will only focus on rules that cause the most problems. Comma A comma should be used in between elements of the sentence that have the same grammatical category as in enumerations, and between clauses of a sentence. 31
If there is a conjunction és, vagy, meg between elements of an enumeration, the comma preceding the conjunction is omitted. However, there should always be a comma in front of "illetve", "valamint", even if these words also mean "és" or "vagy". If the last element of the enumeration is the word stb." ("etc"), the comma preceding it should be omitted as well, since the abbreviation stb. contains the conjunction és. Programok telepítése és törlése Programok telepítése, illetve törlése Név, jelszó, tanúsítvány stb. bekérése If two separate words build up a conjunction like in azért hogy, or anélkül hogy, no comma should be placed before the second item, unless the first is part of the first clause of the sentence. Ha üresen hagyja a jelszót, akkor minden felhasználó be tud jelentkezni rendszergazdaként, anélkül hogy jelszót adna meg. Ellenőrizze, hogy létezik-e, és hogy hozzáfér-e. There must always be a comma between clauses. A súgó nem tud egy másik makrót futtatni, amíg az első makró fut. A következő beállításokat kézzel vigye át, miután a varázsló elkészült: When using conjunctions in pairs ( akár-akár or vagy-vagy ), a comma should always precede the second occurrence. Megakadályozza, hogy a felhasználók akár közvetlenül, akár egy forgalomirányító kiszolgálón keresztül megváltoztassák a hívások kezdeményezésének módját. In the több mint structure a comma is not always necessary. It is required when the meaning is comparative, but should be omitted when its meaning is the opposite of "majdnem" (almost). Az USB-hubok nem működnek, ha a gyökérpottól több mint 5 hub távolságra vannak. A kiírt erőforrásból kért mennyiség több, mint a maximum. Colon If the sentence starts with an introductory phrase it must be followed by a colon. If it is followed by one or more full sentences, they must be capitalized. 32
Example: English Note: if you have a Local Area Network, you should consult your network administrator. Hungarian Megjegyzés: Ha helyi hálózatot használ, vegye fel a kapcsolatot a rendszergazdával. It is usual in English UA texts that such introductory words are followed by three spaces (and no colon). The translation should follow the above rule even in such cases. English Note...: if you have a Local Area Network, you should consult your network administrator. Hungarian Megjegyzés: Ha helyi hálózatot használ, vegye fel a kapcsolatot a rendszergazdával. Dashes and Hyphens The rule of thumb is that Hungarian dashes and hyphens should be used in both UI and UA, and only if that is technically impossible (for example, in Windows Vista UI), localizers should use English hyphen. 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. Please see the Compounds section of this guide and the relevant parts of "A magyar helyesírás szabályai" for more information. En Dash The en dash is used as a minus sign, usually with spaces before and after. For details please consult the relevant parts of "A magyar helyesírás szabályai". 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. Em Dash The em dash should only be used to emphasize an isolated element or introduce an element that is not essential to the meaning conveyed by the sentence. For details please consult the relevant parts of "A magyar helyesírás szabályai". Ellipses (Suspension Points) Hungarian translations can use ellipses whenever the English does. The only important thing to keep in mind is to leave no space preceding it in the Hungarian translation. Example: English Trying to connect... Hungarian Csatlakozás kezdeményezése... 33
Period Generally we should follow the style of the English sentence. According to the Rules of Hungarian Grammar, exclamation mark must be used after each imperative sentence. However, we deviate from this rule in most cases. The reason behind it is that UA and UI texts contain very high number of imperative sentences (instructions, procedures, etc.). It would look quite unnatural and could seem somewhat "aggressive" to place an exclamation mark after almost every sentence. Therefore we follow the English style, and we place periods after simple imperative sentences: Enter the file name. Do not show this message again. Adja meg a fájl nevét. Ne jelenjen meg többé ez az üzenet. However, we can (and should) use exclamation marks after imperative sentences that are especially important, because they warn the user of some serious consequences, safety of health issues, fatal loss of data, etc. These sentences usually have exclamation marks in the English too. Never touch the inner parts of the printer when it is turned on! If you turn off the computer now, your data will be lost! Soha ne érintse meg a nyomtató belső részeit, amikor az be van kapcsolva! Ha most kikapcsolja a számítógépet, az adatai elvesznek! Quotation Marks In US source strings you may find software references enclosed by English quotation marks ( ). In Hungarian translations the Hungarian version should be used:. Parentheses In English, there is no space between the parentheses and the text inside them. The same is true for Hungarian. Singular & Plural Please use good translation practice. The English sentence may contain noun phrases in the singular or the plural, but you should not always use the same. Use whichever feels more natural in that sentence. Example: Allow line breaks within tags Címkén belüli sortörés engedélyezése 34
Split Infinitive Split infitives appear rarely but if they appear there should be no trouble translating them into Hungarian as the word order is quite flexible. Subjunctive This section does not apply to Hungarian. Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces No relevant information about Hungarian. Use these as in English. Syntax No relevant information about Hungarian. Observe standard grammar rules. Verbs Continuous operations are usually expressed in English with a gerund, which should be translated into Hungarian using simple present. The continuity is usually not expressed explicitly in the Hungarian translations. Example: English Not Responding Trying to connect... Cannot find the computer that you are trying to reach. Hungarian Nem válaszol Csatlakozás kezdeményezése... Nem található az elérni kívánt számítógép. Word Order Standard rules of the Hungarian language apply. It is worth noting here that error messages often contain the word "unavailable". It can have several correct translations like "nem érhető el", "nem használható" or "nem áll rendelkezésre", but "nem elérhető" is stylistically undesirable. 35
Style and Tone Considerations This section focuses on higher-level considerations for audience, style, tone, and voice. Audience When the product or the text is intended for children, the desired voice is 2nd person singular ("tegezés"). In case of doubt, always check with the PU if the text is intended for children or not. Otherwise use Önözés. Style Stylistic consistency must be observed. It means that sentences with similar role or sentences in a list are translated uniformly, using the same mood. Sometimes, when the text is recycled, and not all sentences appear during the translation, it can cause problems, because the translator does not always recognizes that some sentences belong to the same group, and should be translated uniformly. Therefore, always refer to the provided full reference material during the translation, or proofread the text in its entirety after the translation. Only this could help to avoid stylistic inconsistency. Tone Tone means the writer's attitude toward the reader and the subject matter. The appropriate tone usually depends on the type of text being localized. Different tones are desirable when translating a marketing or promotional text or when translating a technical explanation of a complicated problem. However, in most cases the tone must be professional, neutral and polite, free from slang and colloquialism, but not too bureaucratic or pedantic. Voice Voice means how the writer speaks to the audience. Therefore the proper voice is primarily determined by the target audience. The general rule is to use the polite 3rd person singular imperative, declarative or inquisitive mood ("önözés") when addressing the user. Examples: English When you finished with the settings, click the OK button. Are you sure you want to quit without saving the file? Translation (+)Ha végzett a beállításokkal, kattintson az OK gombra. (-)Ha végeztél a beállításokkal, kattints az OK gombra. (-)Ha végeztünk a beállításokkal, kattintsunk az OK gombra. (+)Biztosan kilép a fájl mentése nélkül? (-)Biztosan kilépsz a fájl mentése nélkül? 36
English You haven't entered a user name. Translation (-)Biztosan kilépünk a fájl mentése nélkül? (+)Nem adott meg felhasználónevet. (-)Nem adttál meg felhasználónevet. (-)Nem adtunk meg felhasználónevet. When instructing the computer to do something a non-verbal structure is preferable. If that is not possible, a 3rd person singular must be used. English Show blank areas Do not show hidden files. Translation (+)Üres területek megjelenítése (-)Mutasd az üres területeket (+)Ne mutassa a rejtett fájlokat. (-)Ne mutasd a rejtett fájlokat. 37
Localization Guidelines This section contains guidelines for localization into Hungarian. General Considerations Abbreviations Common Abbreviations Typically UI elements should not be abbreviated in order to spare space. If a string should be abbreviated for technical reasons, you will receive specific requests from the technical team. However, you should try to avoid unreasonably long translations, especially on buttons and menus. If you need to abbreviate some words due to lack of space, please observe the following rules: If a less known abbreviation is used, its meaning should also be supplied in parentheses with the first occurrence. Never start a sentence with an abbreviation. If an established abbreviation exists for a word/expression, make sure to use that. The most frequent and widespread abbreviations are in the table below. Using them will not have much negative effect on readability. If the original is a single word, or a compound, the abbreviation should be spelled in one, and followed by a period as in case of pl.. If the original consists of separate words, the letters of the abbreviation representing the first letters of these words should be separated from each other by periods, but no spaces as in s.k. (saját kezűleg). If any parts of the original are capitalized, capitalization is usually retained in the abbreviation as well as in Bp. List of common abbreviations: Expression Acceptable Abbreviation ált. általános Bp. Budapest bp-i. budapesti bt. betéti társaság c. című 38
Expression Acceptable Abbreviation db darab de. délelőtt dr. doktor du. délután em. emelet évf. évfolyam fej. fejezet ford. fordította Ft forint i. e. időszámításunk előtt(i) ill. illetve i. sz. időszámításunk szerint(i) ill. illetve ker. kerület Kft korlátolt felelősségű társaság krt. körút köv. következő l. lásd! lásd lásd! o. oldal old. oldal pl. például stb. s a többi sz. számú sz. század szerk. szerkesztette, szerkesző(ség) Szt. szent tel. telefon 39
Expression Acceptable Abbreviation ti. tudniillik u. utca ún. úgynevezett vö. vesd össze! List of the Hungarian equivalents of the most frequently used English abbreviations: English Hungarian AM de. PM du. etc. stb. i.e. azaz s. l. e.g. pl. MB MB KB KB Accessibility This section does not apply to Hungarian. 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). It is up to the localizer to decide whether to use the acronym or the full form in a given situation. However, when an acronym is first mentioned in a translation, the localizer has to describe their meaning. To do this after the acronym the full English name and a translation should be inserted in parentheses. English Object Linking Embedding (OLE) Hungarian OLE (Object Linking and Embedding - objektumcsatolás és beágyazás) These acronyms should always be spelled with capital letters, without spaces and periods. 40
Please note that acronyms created from Hungarian common names have different spelling rules, which are detailed in A Magyar helyesírás szabályai. Localized Acronyms Localized acronyms are rare in IT texts. If they do occur, standard rules of the Hungarian language apply. Unlocalized Acronyms Most acronyms are created from proper names which cannot to be localized (such as IBM, BSA, USA, etc.) Other IT related US acronyms consist of common names; they are used as feature or product names, names of standards, protocols, etc. Since these are widespread in our language, they should not be localized either (URL, FAT, MIDI, RAM, etc.). We also retain their capitalization. When adding endings to these acronyms it should be based on the pronunciation of the word. Applications, Products, and Features Application/product names are often trademarked or may be trademarked in the future and are therefore rarely translated. Occasionally, feature names are trademarked, too (e.g. IntelliSense ). Before translating any application, product, or feature name, please verify that it is in fact translatable and not protected in any way. Frequent Errors Below you can find some troublesome words and terms and some hints regarding their translation. "Audio" and "Video" The general rule is that when "video" appears as an individual word (noun), the final vowel is long. But when it appears as a compound, the final vowel "o" is short. "Audio" is always short, because we do not use it as a noun, only in compounds. (However, whenever possible use the word hang- instead of audio- ) English Hungarian (Noun) Hungarian (Adjective) video videó videolejátszó, videofilm audio (we do not use it as a noun) audiovizuális, audiorendszer/hangrendszer "Check for..." and "Search..." These terms are often mistranslated. The meanings are as follows: "Check for sg" = "Keresni valamit", and NOT "ellenőrizni valamit". The exact word for word translation would be "ellenőrizni valaminek a létezését", but it is often unnecessarily complicated, so the shorter "keresni" is better. 41
NASA robot checks for life on Mars A NASA-robot életet keres a Marson "Search sg" = "Keresni valamiben" (pl. adatbázisban, fájlban), and NOT "Keresni valamit"! Please note that while the English use accusative case, we must use adverbial case. If the English wants to say "Keresni valamit", it says "Search for sg." Do you want to search the database now? Most szeretne keresni az adatbázisban? "Directory" This term also has different translations depending on the context. In file system environment it should be translated as könyvtár, in Active Directory/directory services environment it should be címtár. An error occurred during parsing of INF files in the given directory. The Remote Installation service successfully read its settings from the directory service. Hiba történt a megadott könyvtárban levő INF-fájlok feldolgozása közben. A távtelepítési szolgáltatás sikeresen beolvasta a beállításait a címtárszolgáltatásból. "For example, if..." It is also a common mistake to translate this term word for word, keeping the word order or even the comma. Please note that the Hungarian word order and comma usage is different from the English: English Incorrect Hungarian Correct Hungarian For example, if you want to modify the file, click Edit. "Make sure..." and "Ensure..." Például, ha módosítani akarja a fájlt, kattintson a Szerkesztés gombra. Ha például módosítani akarja a fájlt, kattintson a Szerkesztés gombra. In most dictionaries the translation of these phrases are "megbizonyosodik, meggyőződik valamiről" and "gondoskodik valamiről". However, this term is used somewhat differently in IT instructions, so the dictionary translation cannot be used in most cases. The correct translation instead is a simple imperative structure: Make sure the checkbox is checked Ensure the files are saved Jelölje be a jelölőnégyzetet Mentse a fájlokat 42
"May not" Please note that the expression "may not" can have two different meanings and should have two different translations. In most cases it should be translated as valószínűleg nem, but sometimes it can also mean nem szabad. Setup will continue, but the component may not function properly. The Unique Identifier you have entered may not be correct. Do you want to use this Identifier anyway? A telepítés folytatódik, de az összetevő valószínűleg nem fog működni. A beírt egyedi azonosító valószínűleg nem helyes. Mindenképpen használni kívánja ezt az azonosítót? This device is only used during setup. You may not manually select and install this device. Please choose another device. Ez az eszköz csak a telepítés közben használható. Saját maga nem jelölheti ki és nem telepítheti. Válasszon egy másik eszközt. "May want" It is a common error to translate this term word for word, which is very unnatural: "Lehet, hogy... akar". It is better to translate this term with a simple "you can..." structure: If you have open files, you may want to save them before closing the application. If you are an expert user, you may want to skip this section. Ha vannak megnyitott fájlok, mentheti azokat az alkalmazás bezárása előtt. Ha Ön tapasztalt felhasználó, ezt a részt átugorhatja. "Null" The value "null" means an empty value so it should never be translated as nulla. Its translation is simply null. The column value is set to null. A null context handle is passed as an [in] parameter. Az oszlop értéke nullra van állítva. Üres (NULL) környezetleíró lett átadva bemeneti paraméterként. "Obtain" and "Retrieve" The dictionary translation of these verbs are "megszerez" and "visszanyer", "visszakeres", however, these are often incorrect or of a bad style. The proper solutions are: "Obtain" = "Beszerez" or "Kap" 43
"Retrieve" = "Lekérdez" How to obtain a certificate The program could not obtain the value of X Data could not be retreived from the database. Tanúsítvány beszerzése A program nem kapta meg az X értéket. Az adatokat nem lehetett lekérni az adatbázisból. "Options" As a button name or dialog title its translation should always be Beállítások. Device Options Eszközbeállítások As a command line option its translation should always be kapcsolók. The command line option(s) specified is not valid. A megadott parancssori kapcsolók nem érvényesek. When referring to items of a list the translation should be lehetőségek. The wizard is configuring Active Directory. This process can take several minutes or considerably longer, depending on the options you have selected. A varázsló az Active Directoryt konfigurálja. Ez a folyamat a kiválasztott lehetőségektől függően néhány percet vagy jelentősen több időt vehet igénybe. The adjective "optional" can also have two translations. It should be választható when referring to optional elements/functions of a software, but it should be nem kötelező when for example referring to some data on a form that is not compulsory to supply. Specify the path to optional logo or background bitmaps to be displayed during Windows Setup. Adja meg a Windows telepítése alatt megjelenő embléma vagy háttérkép elérési útját. (Nem kötelező.) Terminal Server Optional Component Setup Terminálkiszolgáló választható komponenseinek telepítése Prefixed verbal adjectives and "nem" When the Hungarian prefixed verbal adjective is preceded by the word "nem", it is a common mistake not to alter the word order of the prefix and the adjective, however, polished Hungarian style would require it: English Correct Hungarian Incorrect Hungarian The file is unavailable A fájl nem érhető el A fájl nem elérhető 44
The message cannot be sent Az üzenet nem küldhető el Az üzenet nem elküldhető The location cannot be determined A hely nem határozható meg A hely nem meghatározható "Save" and "Store" In the past, it was a common error to translate these words with incorrect prefixes: "elment", "eltárol", "lement", "letárol". Fortunately this tendency seems to be over now, but it is useful to mention that the correct forms of these words are "ment", "tárol". "Tab" The translation of "tab" should be different depending on the part of the dialog box it refers to. For the actual difference see the screenshots: 45
"Timeout" This word also has two different usages, and should have two different translations. When referring to an event that indicates that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed without some other expected event taking place it should always be translated as időtúllépés. As the amount of time that is actually set it should be időkorlát. See the examples: Format failed due to timeout. Unable to set port timeouts. Increasing the protocol timeout on these types of lines will improve performance by reducing needless re-transmissions. A formázás időtúllépés miatt nem sikerült. Nem lehet beállítani a port időkorlátjait. A protokoll időkorlátjának növelésével csökken a szükségtelen újraküldések száma, így nő a teljesítmény. Glossaries Please use the Language Portal. Consistent use of Microsoft approved terminology in all localized products is one of the major factors in achieving the required quality of the localized product. 46
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. Recurring Patterns For some of the recurring patterns found in error messages please see the relevant section. Standardized Translations There are a number of standardized translations mentioned in all sections of this Style Guide. In order to find them more easily, the most relevant topics and sections are compiled here for you reference. Standard Phrases in Error Messages Messages Standard names of UI items types Unlocalized Items Trademarked names and the name Microsoft Corporation shouldn t be localized.a list of Microsoft trademarks is available for your reference at the following location: http://www.microsoft.com/trademarks/t-mark/names.htm. Word OK Comment The Hungarian translation is identical: OK. Using the Word Microsoft In English, it is prohibited to use MS as an abbreviation for Microsoft. In Hungarian the word Microsoft should be used according to the standard rules of the language. Please see below the declination of Microsoft: Nominative: Microsoft Accusative: Microsoftot Dative: Microsoftnak Illative: Microsoftba Inessive: Microsoftban Elative: Microsoftból Allative: Microsofthoz Adessive: Microsoftnál Ablative: Microsofttól Sublative: Microsoftra 47
Superessive: Microsofton Delative: Microsoftról Instrumental: Microsofttal Causal-final: Microsoftért Terminative: Microsoftig Translative: Microsofttá There is usually no article in the English texts before Microsoft. In Hungarian the definite article must precede Microsoft. Example: English protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and our family of Web sites Hungarian megóvja és megvédje a Microsoft és weboldalainak jogait és tulajdonát Software Considerations This section refers to all menus, menu items, commands, buttons, check boxes, etc., which should be consistently translated in the localized product. Refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/aa511258.aspx for a detailed explanation of the Windows user interface guidelines (English). User Interface When referring to UI items (button names, check boxes, dialog titles, etc.), never suffix the reference name itself, but always use a descriptor ("button", "dialog box", etc.), and attach the suffix to it. To determine what the UI item actually is, you can refer to the fields of the EDB or to the running software itself. However, sometimes it is not easy to determine the type of a UI element for sure. In several cases you can find it out by logic. E.g., if the text is: "Right click on the file, then click Properties", then you can be sure that "Properties" is a menu item, because right-clicking something always brings up a context menu. If it is really impossible to determine the type of an item, you can use neutral descriptors like "beállítás", "lehetőség", "elem". English term Correct Hungarian translation Incorrect Hungarian translation Click Close Kattintson a Bezárás gombra Kattintson a Bezárásra Open Display Properties Select Clear right margin Nyissa meg a Megjelenítés tulajdonságai párbeszédpanelt Válassza a Jobb margó törlése lehetőséget Nyissa meg a Megjelenítés tulajdonságait Válassza a Jobb margó törlését 48
Several UI items contain special punctuation at the end (e.g. colons, 3 periods). When referring to such an item, the punctuation should be omitted: Actual name English reference Hungarian reference Save as Size: In File menu, click Save as Select the size in the Size drop down list Kattintson a Fájl menü Mentés másként parancsára Válassza ki a méretet a Méret legördülő listából Important: Be sure to always check all UI references in the actual software or software database, and never guess! UI items must be referenced exactly the same way as they appear in the software. Standard names of UI items types Here are some standard names of the most common UI item types: Actual name Address bar Area, Section Button Check box Combo box Dialog box Drop down list Field Header control Icon Link, Hyperlink List Menu Menu bar English reference Címsor Terület Gomb Jelölőnégyzet, Négyzet Kombinált lista Párbeszédpanel Legördülő lista Mező Fejlécvezérlő Ikon Hivatkozás Lista Menü Menüsor 49
Menu item Page Pane Radio button Scroll bar Shortcut Slider Status bar Tab Taskbar Text box Toolbar Tooltip Tree Window Menüpont Lap Ablaktábla Választógomb Görgetősáv Parancsikon Csúszka Állapotsor Fül (if it is in the background), Lap (if it is open and in the foreground) Tálca Szövegmező or Mező Eszköztár Eszköztipp Fa Ablak Messages The translation of the most frequent expressions introducing messages should be the following: Alert Attention Caution Error Guidelines Hint Important Note Tip Tips Riasztás Figyelmeztetés Figyelmeztetés Hiba Útmutató Tanács Fontos Megjegyzés Tipp Tipp 50
Troubleshooting Warning Hibaelhárítás Figyelem! or Figyelmeztetés The punctuation mark after these expressions should be a colon (or an exclamation mark after Figyelem ) which should be followed by one space and the remark itself. If the remark consists of one or more full sentences, even the first one is capitalized. If it is only a fragment, it should not be capitalized. 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 Outlook below). Hungarian Style in Status bar Messages In English, the status bar messages have different forms dependent on the information they must convey. In Hungarian, menu and commands status bar messages should follow the format below. Name HungarianName Category English Status Bar message Hungarian Status Bar message Edit Szerkesztés menu Contains editing commands Copy to Folder... Másolás mappába menu Copies the selected items to a new location New command Creates a new document Make object visible? Új dokumentum létrehozása Az objektum láthatósága Word is converting the document. Press Esc to stop. 51
Name HungarianName Category English Status Bar message Datasheet View Done Hungarian Status Bar message Adatlap nézet Kész 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 Hungarian version. Use one standard translation as in the examples below: English term Correct Hungarian translation Press F1 to get Help If you want Help press F1 A súgó megjelenítéséhez nyomja le az F1 billentyűt. To get Help press F1 Not enough memory Insufficient memory There is not enough memory Save changes to %1? Do you want to save changes to %1? Nincs elég memória Nincs elegendő memória Kevés a memória Nincs elég memória Módosítások mentése 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. 52
Hungarian Style in Error Messages It is important to use consistent terminology and language style in the localized error messages, and not just translate as they appear in the US product. Standard Phrases in Error Messages When translating standard phrases, standardize. Note that sometimes the US uses different forms to express the same thing. Examples: English Translation Example Comment Cannot Could not nem -ható/hető nem lehet A DVD nem játszható le A következőt nem lehet megnyitni: Failed to Failure of sikertelen nem sikerült Parancs indítása sikertelen. Cannot find Could not find Unable to find nem található Az attribútum nem található. Unable to locate Nincs elég memória Not enough memory Insufficient memory There is not enough memory There is not enough memory available Nincs elegendő memória Kevés a memória Nincs elég memória Nem elég a rendelkezésre álló memória. Nincs elég memória... is not available... is unavailable nem áll rendelkezésre nem érhető el Egy szükséges erőforrás nem állt rendelkezésre. Az ügyfél kapcsolatának bontása, ha ez az URL nem érhető el. Error messages often contain the word "unavailable". It can have several correct translations like "nem érhető el", "nem használható" or "nem áll rendelkezésre", but please note that "nem 53
English Translation Example Comment Error Messages Containing Placeholders elérhető" is stylistically undesirable. 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> %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". 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). 54
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. All standardized hotkeys can be found in the terminology database and should be used as often as possible. If there is no standardized hotkey in the terminology database, use the hotkey used in Windows. This is to ensure consistency between ALL Microsoft products to the greatest possible extent. This especially applies to the products included in the Microsoft Office series. Sometimes you need to find a new hotkey. Use the guidelines below when you decide. Start with step no. 1 and go through the list step by step until you have found a key that is available for use. 1. Use the first character in the string (command, menu, label, etc.), e.g. Fájl 2. In a string containing more than one word, use the first character of one of the other words, e.g. Eszközök a weben 3. In compound words, use the first character of the second (or third, etc.) word element, e.g. Korrektúrabeállítások 4. Use the last character of the word, e.g. Nyelv 5. Use a wide character such as m. e.g. Téma 6. Use full width characters (k, n, v, c, etc.) 7. Your next choice should be a slim character (i, l, t, f) 8. Then a hanging character (j, g, p, y, etc.) 9. Extended characters (á, é, ő, ú, etc.) 10. Only if no other character is available, are you allowed to use duplicate hotkeys. 55