Clear, friendly, concise. Everyday conversational language, not formal or technical register.
Not teenagers only. No technical jargon. No overly colloquial language. Keep it simple enough for the average user.
Write short, easy-to-read sentences. One idea per sentence.
Avoid passive voice. Use active, direct sentences.
Technical terms for technical audiences, common words for consumers.
Translate the intended meaning, not word by word. Non-standard word choices OK if they keep the source intent.
Avoid slang. Be conversational but professional.
Address the user as you. No third-person user.
No corporate we. Keep the focus on you.
Use the polite 2nd person (-wch forms) to address the user.
For unambiguous commands use the personal imperative. Where ambiguous, or where space is tight, use the verb noun form.
You are now connected to the Internet. -> Rydych nawr wedi'ch cysylltu â'r Rhyngrwyd, not Rwyt ti nawr wedi dy gysylltu â'r Rhyngrwyd
Type your name -> Teipiwch eich enw, not Teipia dy enw
Are you sure you want to exit Setup? -> Ydych chi'n siŵr eich bod am adael y broses gosod?, not Wyt ti'n siŵr dy fod am adael y broses gosod?
Impersonal: use in the past tense (-wyd forms). The present-tense -ir forms are less familiar. In the present use the verb noun form. Use the present impersonal only if strings must be truncated.
The message has been sent -> Anfonwyd y neges, not Mae'r neges wedi'i hanfon
The message is being sent -> Mae'r neges wrthi'n cael ei hanfon, not Anfonir y neges
No single word translates Yes and No in every context. The answer must match the question.
Where possible use Iawn (OK) instead of the various translations of Yes. In the negative the short form Na is usually acceptable.
Yes -> Iawn; OK -> Iawn; No -> Na
Exception: when asked if you are sure you wish to do something, use Ydw.
Active, not passive: Mae'r cyfrifiadur yn cau., not Cafodd y cyfrifiadur ei gau.
Active, not passive: Cadwodd y rhaglen y ffeil, not Cafodd y rhaglen ei chadw gan y ffeil.
For AI prompt instructions use the formal form of address (chi) and the -wch imperative.
Use terminology consistently. Use existing translations from the reference materials and approved terminology for key terms, technical terms, product names.
Prefer short, simple, everyday words. They save screen space and read faster.
application, program -> app
pick for fun, less formal, light-weight situations (pick a color, not choose a color); choose for formal situations. Do not use select unless the UI requires it.
drive for any drive type. Use the specific drive type only when needed.
get only as a synonym for obtain or come into possession of.
info in most situations, and when pointing the reader elsewhere (for more info, see <link>). Use information only where it fits better.
PC for personal computing devices. computer for situations covering both PCs and Macs.
Keep call-to-action copy short. Clear statements so the user can decide immediately.
The password isn't correct, so please try again. Passwords are case-sensitive. -> Dydy'r cyfeiriad ddim yn iawn, felly rhowch gynnig arall arni. Rhaid gwahaniaethu rhwng llythrennau bach a mawr mewn cyfrineiriau.
This product key didn't work. Please check it and try again. -> Doedd yr allwedd cynnyrch hon ddim wedi gweithio. Gwnewch yn siŵr ei bod yn iawn a rhoi cynnig arall arni.
All ready to go -> Barod i fynd
Would you like to continue? -> Ydych chi am fwrw ymlaen?
Give your PC a name—any name you want. If you want to change the background color, turn high contrast off in PC settings. -> Rhowch enw i'ch cyfrifiadur-unrhyw enw. Os ydych chi am newid lliw'r cefndir, diffoddwch cyferbyniad uchel yng ngosodiadau'r cyfrifiadur.
Picture password is a new way to help you protect your touchscreen PC. You choose the picture—and the gestures you use with it—to create a password that's uniquely yours. -> Mae cyfrinair llun yn ffordd newydd o ddiogelu eich cyfrifiadur sgrin cyffwrdd. Rydych chi'n dewis y llun—a'r ystumiau rydych chi am eu defnyddio gydag ef—i greu cyfrinair sy'n unigryw i chi.
Let apps give you personalized content based on your PC's location, name, account picture, and other domain info. -> Gadewch i apiau roi cynnwys personol i chi ar sail lleoliad, enw, llun cyfrif a gwybodaeth arall am barth eich cyfrifiadur.
To go back and save your work, select Cancel and finish what you need to. -> I fynd yn ôl a chadw eich gwaith, dewiswch Canslo a gorffen yr hyn rydych chi eisiau ei wneud.
To confirm your current picture password, just watch the replay and trace the example gestures shown on your picture. -> I gadarnhau eich cyfrinair llun presennol, gwyliwch y chwarae a dilyn yr ystumiau sy'n cael eu dangos ar eich llun.
It's time to enter the product key. When you connect to the Internet, we'll activate Windows for you. -> Mae'n amser rhoi allwedd y ynnyrch. Pan fyddwch chi'n cysylltu â'r rhyngrwyd, byddwn yn ysgogi Windows i chi.
The updates are installed, but Windows 11 Setup needs to restart for them to work. After it restarts, we'll keep going from where we left off. -> Mae'r diweddariadau wedi cael eu gosod, ond mae angen i Broses Gosod Windows 11 ailgychwyn er mwyn iddyn nhw weithio. Ar ôl ailgychwyn, byddwn yn dal i fynd o'n cam diwethaf.
If you restart now, you and any other people using this PC could lose unsaved work. -> Os byddwch chi'n ailgychwyn nawr, byddwch chi ac unrhyw un arall sy'n defnyddio'r cyfrifiadur yn colli unrhyw waith sydd heb ei gadw.
This document will be automatically moved to the right library and folder after you correct invalid or missing properties. -> Bydd y ddogfen hon yn cael ei ymud yn awtomatig i'r llyfrgell a'r ffolder iawn ar ô li chi gywiro'r priodweddau annilys neu goll.
Something bad happened! Unable to locate downloaded files to create your bootable USB flash drive. -> Roedd rhywbeth drwg wedi digwydd! Does dim modd dod o hyd i'r ffeiliau sydd wedi cael eu llwytho i lawr i greu eich gyriant cof bach USB mae modd ei fwtio.
Use plain language. Straightforward, concrete, familiar words. Prefer a two-syllable word to a three-syllable word, several clear words to one complicated term.
No politically disputed cities, countries, regions in examples.
Use equivalent references in one example. Do not mix countries with states or continents.
Represent diverse perspectives and circumstances in text and images. Show people in many professions, educational settings, locales, economic settings.
No generalizing or stereotyping by region, culture, age, gender, not even positively. For job roles choose names reflecting varied gender identities and cultural backgrounds.
No profane or derogatory terms.
No slang that could be cultural appropriation.
No terms carrying unconscious racial bias, or tied to military actions, politics, controversial historical events and eras.
guru -> expert; gwrw -> arbenigwr
guys; ladies and gentlemen -> colleagues; everyone; all; bois; boneddigion a boneddigesau -> cydweithwyr; pawb
Use gender-neutral alternatives. No compounds containing gender-specific terms (dyn, menyw).
Dyn/Menyw -> Person/Pobl
Bachgen/Merch -> Plentyn/Plant
For generalizations use plural noun forms (pobl, unigolion, myfyrwyr).
No gendered pronouns (ei, hi, e) in generic references. Instead: rewrite in the second or third person (chi/ti or un); rewrite with a plural noun and pronoun; use an article instead of a pronoun (y ddogfen, not ei ddogfen); refer to the person's role (darllenydd, gweithiwr, cwsmer, cleient); use person or unigolyn.
A developer needs access to servers in his development environment, but he doesn't need access to the servers in Azure. -> Developers need access to servers in their development environments, but they don't need access to the servers in Azure.; Mae angen i ddatblygwr gael mynediad at weinyddion yn ei amgylchedd datblygu, ond nid oes angen mynediad arno i'r gweinyddwyr yn Azure. -> Mae angen i ddatblygwyr gael mynediad at weinyddion yn eu hamgylcheddau datblygu, ond nid oes angen mynediad arnynt i'r gweinyddwyr yn Azure.
When the author opens her document …. -> When the author opens the document ….; Pan fydd yr awdur yn agor ei dogfen …. -> Pan fydd yr awdur yn agor y ddogfen ….
To call someone, select his name, select Make a phone call, and then select his number. -> To call someone, select the person's name, select Make a phone call, and then choose the number you'd like to dial.; I ffonio rhywun, dewiswch ei enw, dewiswch Gwneud galwad ffôn, ac yna dewiswch ei rif. -> I ffonio rhywun, dewiswch enw'r person, dewiswch Gwnewch alwad ffôn, ac yna dewiswch y rhif yr hoffech ei ddeialu.
Avoid sentences referring to a single person of unknown gender. Make the subject plural.
Never use he or she, him or her, his or hers. Avoid a slash to combine genders. Exception: in License Terms or column and row headers, ef/hi is allowed.
Focus on people, not disabilities. No words implying pity, such as dioddef o. Do not mention a disability unless it is relevant.
normal person; healthy person -> person without a disability; person arferol; person iach -> person heb anabledd
Use generic verbs that apply to all input methods and devices.
Click -> Select; Clicio -> Dewis
Keep paragraphs short and sentence structure simple. Aim for one verb per sentence. Read text aloud and imagine a screen reader.
Spell out words like a, plws, am. Screen readers can misread &, +, ~.
Accessibility options and programs serve people with cognitive, hearing, physical, or visual disabilities. Some accessible products and services may not be available in Welsh-speaking markets.
Acronyms are made of the initial letters of the major parts of a compound term, e.g. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), DNS (Domain Name Server), HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).
Do not add a generic term after an acronym when one letter of the acronym already stands for it. Correct this even when the English source does it.
Redundant: Galwad RPC, Iaith HTML, Protocol TCP/IP, Rhif PIN
Only two acronyms are localized in Welsh: UK -> DU, USA -> UDA
All other acronyms stay in English and are not spelled out: ANSI -> ANSI, ISO -> ISO, ISDN -> ISDN
Many Welsh adjectives have a masculine form (bachgen cryf), a feminine form (merch gref) and a plural form (ceffylau cryfion). Use the plural and feminine forms only if the form is very familiar.
A soft mutation occurs in an adjective after a singular feminine noun.
Control Panel -> Panel Rheoli, not Panel Reolaethol
Recovery System -> System Adfer, not System Adferol
Three forms of the article exist in Welsh: yr, y, 'r. Use them to make a noun specific.
Change the visual effects and the sounds on the PC -> Newid effeithiau gweledol a'r synau ar y cyfrifiadur
In phrases with this, where the object is obvious, the Welsh translation of this may be omitted. Use the determiner if omission creates ambiguity.
Delete this file -> Dileu'r ffeil, not Dileu'r ffeil hon
Non-translated feature names take no definite or indefinite article, as in English, and stay unchanged.
Translated feature names are not preceded by articles: Calculator -> Cyfrifannell, Paint -> Paent
For an English loan word, check: motivation (does the word have features allowing integration into the Welsh noun class system?), analogy (is there an equivalent Welsh term whose article could be used?), frequency (which article is most used in other technical documentation?).
Always check approved terminology to confirm a new loan word and its article.
Follow English practice for capitalization, but do not mimic the source. English source strings capitalize far more nouns and verbs than Welsh needs. Over-capitalization is awkward and creates UI inconsistency.
If a capitalized English noun becomes two Welsh words, be consistent: capitalize both, neither, or one, and apply the rule consistently.
Electronic terminology is not usually capitalized in Welsh.
E-mail -> e-bost; E-mail (verb) -> e-bostio; Website -> gwefan; web -> y we
Exceptions: y Rhyngrwyd and y We Fyd-eang.
English headings capitalize all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs and subordinate conjunctions (that, until, which). Do not do this in Welsh headings. Follow normal Welsh capitalization rules. The same applies to software strings.
Switching between Windows -> Newid rhwng Windows, not Newid Rhwng Windows
Compounds must be understandable and clear. Avoid overly long or complex compounds; express the relationship between components verbally instead. Unintuitive compounds are an intelligibility and usability problem.
Nouns, adjectives, pronouns, verb-nouns and prepositions may compound into single words. No length restriction. The second part of the compound mutates.
A hyphen is generally needed when the second element is a one-syllable word. It is usually not needed when the second element has more than one syllable.
Exceptions: ad- + words beginning with t -> ad-drefnu; cyd- (fellow/joint) -> cyd-bwyllgor
Use a hyphen after ail-, arch-, blaen-, cam-, lled-, ôl-, pen-, prif-, and after uwch- and is- when they refer to an organisation or a job.
Exceptions: Prifysgol, Prifddinas (one word); Prif meaning chief -> Prif Weinydd (two words).
A hyphen always follows the prefix e-: e-bost, e-bostio, e-lywodraeth
Internet Accounts -> Cyfrifon Rhyngrwyd; Logon script processing -> Prosesu sgript Mewngofnodi; Internet News Server Name -> Enw Gweinydd Newyddion Rhyngrwyd
Add to a product or component name with a hyphen, or build a periphrastic construction where a hyphen is wrong. In Welsh the component name comes before the product name.
Windows password -> Cyfrinair Windows
Microsoft Word document -> Dogfen Microsoft Word
Microsoft SQL Server database -> Cronfa Ddata Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft Dynamics 365 product family -> Teulu cynnyrch Microsoft Dynamics 365
Compounds with an abbreviation or numeral followed by a component name: translate the component, keep abbreviations in English.
USB drive -> gyriant USB; 2-D gridlines -> llinellau grid 2-D; 24 bit color value -> gwerth lliw 24 did
For a plural abbreviation use the ending -s, not -au.
English voice uses contractions wherever possible to sound conversational: Do not -> Don't
Where one word ends in a vowel and the next begins with a vowel, and it is grammatical, use an apostrophe to join both words and omit one vowel. Replace the definite article y with r after a vowel.
Some Welsh noun phrases read as either adjectival or genitive. After a feminine noun an adjective takes a soft mutation; a genitive does not mutate: merch wen (adjectival) but merch Gwen (genitive).
Use the soft mutation only where the adjectival sense is unambiguous: neges rydd (adjectival) but neges rhybudd (genitive).
Action Center -> Canolfan Gweithredu
Do not attach a genitive s to a product name. It could read as a modification of the name.
Mutation changes the first letter of a word. It follows grammar rules and can break translations where the phrasing forces a mutation. Where possible, rephrase Welsh menu text to remove the need for a grammatical mutation in any following portion.
In bulleted lists mutate only the first bullet point, if needed. If letters or numbers are used, the letter or number counts as part of the text, so do not mutate the first bullet point.
Selecting this will enable you to either shut your computer down • allow the user to log off • -> Wrth ddewis hwn gallwch naill ai gau eich cyfrifiadur • caniatáu i'r defnyddiwr adael •
Selecting this will enable you to either a) shut your computer down b) allow the user to log off -> Wrth ddewis hwn gallwch naill ai a) cau eich cyfrifiadur b) caniatáu i'r defnyddiwr adael
Selecting this will enable you to either 1. shut your computer down 2. allow the user to log off -> Wrth ddewis hwn gallwch naill ai 1. cau eich cyfrifiadur 2. caniatáu i'r defnyddiwr adael
Check required mutations against Y Golygiadur, Llawlyfr i awduron a golygyddion.
English uses possessives frequently. Avoid possessive adjectives in Welsh, as in the omission from My Computer and My Documents.
In complete sentences use determiners consistently, even where the English string does not.
File already exists / The file already exists / This file already exists -> Mae'r ffeil eisoes yn bodoli
Not enough memory to complete this operation. -> Does dim digon o gof i wneud hyn.
No demonstrative construction unless it matters in context.
Avoid the possessive marker your unless ownership matters in context.
Windows cannot start your system. If the problem persists, contact your network administrator. -> All Windows ddim dechrau'r system. Os bydd y broblem yn parhau, holwch weinyddwr y rhwydwaith.
Files you have saved -> ffeiliau rydych wedi'u cadw, not ffeiliau rydych wedi cadw
I was shocked -> roeddwn wedi fy syfrdanu, not roeddwn wedi'm syfrdanu
As noted in the instructions -> fel y nodwyd yn y cyfarwyddiadau, not fel a nodwyd yn y cyfarwyddiadau
Terms agreed in setup -> telerau y cytunir arnynt yn y broses gosod, not telerau a gytunir arnynt yn y broses gosod
Any comments you have -> Unrhyw sylwadau a fydd gennych, not Unrhyw sylwadau y bydd gennych
Put a space after commas and periods. Only one space after a punctuation mark.
Follow open punctuation. Use as little unnecessary punctuation as possible.
No semicolon at the end of bullet points.
Do not punctuate the address in letters, nor the Annwyl (Dear)… greeting, nor Yn gywir (Yours sincerely)…
Bulleted lists: mutate only the first bullet point, if needed. With letters or numbers, do not mutate the first bullet point. See Modifiers.
Comma: splits sentences into smaller meaningful units, separates list elements, splits a greeting from what follows, marks boundaries of additional information.
No comma before the final a in a list-type construction.
Check for available updates to the Software, such as fixes, and enhanced functions. -> Chwilio am y diweddariadau sydd ar gael i'r meddalwedd, fal datrysiadau a swyddogaethau gwell.
No comma before the final neu in a list-type construction.
Check for available updates to the Software, such as fixes, or enhanced functions. -> Chwilio am y diweddariadau sydd ar gael i'r meddalwedd, fal datrysiadau neu swyddogaethau gwell.
A comma before a or neu is acceptable and sometimes necessary when it breaks up two separate but related clauses.
On Google Maps, your ad can appear right on the map, and you can pick a special icon related to your business. -> Ar Google Maps, gall eich hysbyseb ymddangos yn uniongyrchol ar y map, a gallwch chi ddewis eicon arbennig sy'n ymwneud â'ch busnes.
Colon: the longest pause inside a sentence. Use it to introduce a list of items and to introduce a quote.
Show the temperature in: -> Dangos y tymheredd mewn:
Do not let a long line follow a colon (:–).
Three dash characters are used in Welsh.
Hyphen: divides words between syllables, links parts of a compound word, connects the parts of an inverted or imperative verb form. Y Golygiadur by Rhiannon Ifans covers this in detail.
Undo -> Dad-wneud
En dash: used as a minus sign, usually with spaces before and after. -3 -> -3
En dash also marks number ranges, such as page numbers. No spaces around it in that case.
Em dash: use only to emphasize an isolated element or introduce an element not essential to the sentence meaning.
Setup the program—you have downloaded—on the PC -> Gosodwch y rhaglen—y byddwch wedi'i llwytho i lawr—ar y cyfrifiadur.
Ellipses mark an omitted part of a quotation. They can also end strings.
Insert a space before and after ellipses. When the omitted part is at the end of the sentence, do not add a period.
Open Shared Calendar… -> Agor Calendar a Rennir…
Period: use in all complete sentences, that is sentences with a conjugated verb. No period in a software string without a conjugated verb.
Select item (in a dialog above a drop-down list) -> Dewiswch eitem.
Select item (a checkbox in a dialog) -> Dewis eitem
Insert only one space after a period. No periods in abbreviations.
eg -> ee, not e.e.; ie -> hy, not h.y.
Both single (' ') and double (" ") quotation marks are used in Welsh. Follow the quotation marks of the source language, including for software references surrounded by English quotation marks.
For example: "Kitchen PC" or "Sam's PC". -> Er enghraifft: "Cyfrifiadur y Gegin" neu "Cyfrifiadur Alun".
ASCII code for the quotation mark: Alt+034 -> "
Parentheses: no space between the parentheses and the text inside them.
This day [13 April 2022] -> Roedd y diwrnod hwn [13 Ebrill 2022]
Use simple tenses. Simple present is easiest. Avoid future tense unless the event really is future and simple present cannot work. Use simple past for events that already happened.
An English verb can be a loan word in Welsh. Loan words follow Welsh syntactic and morphological rules and are phonologized.
dump -> dymp, dympio, dympiwch
blog -> blog, blogio, blogiwch
format -> fformat, fformatio, fformatiwch
Ancillary verbs common in English may be omitted in Welsh.
To make use of -> defnyddio, not gwneud defnydd o
To pay a visit -> ymweld â, not talu ymweliad â
To give consideration -> ystyried, not rhoi ystyriaeth i
To make a decision -> penderfynu, not gwneud penderfyniad
Translate verbs consistently in error messages. If it is grammatical to omit the predicate be, omit it, but stay consistent across all error messages. Be concise without changing the meaning.
The document is too large. / Document too large. -> Mae'r ddogfen yn rhy fawr. Stay consistent in your use of the verb to be.
Access was denied. / Access denied. -> Dim mynediad.
The file '%s' is an unknown graphics format. -> Mae'r ffeil '%s' yn fformat graffeg anhysbys. In complete sentences use verbs and the same tense as the source. Rephrase is with have if needed.
The application may attempt to convert the graphic. -> Gall y rhaglen geisio trosi'r graffigyn.may + Verb can be rephrased as Verb + possibly.
A problem occurred while trying to connect to the network share '%1!s!'. -> Problem wrth geisio cysylltu â'r rhan rhwydwaith '%!s!'. Shorten and rephrase, e.g. A problem occurred while connecting to the network share '%1!s!'
The following error occurred: '%1!s!' (error #%2!lx!) -> Dyma'r gwall: '%1!s!' (gwall #%2!lx!) Shorten where possible, e.g. Error: '%1!s!' (error #%2!lx!)
An unknown error has occurred./ No error occurred. -> Gwall anhysbys./ Dim gwall. Shorten where possible, e.g. Unknown error. / No error
Decide between gallu (able) and cael (allow) in error messages. Usually the message means the user is not allowed, not unable.
You cannot save this file. -> Chewch chi ddim cadw'r ffeil., not Allwch chi ddim cadw'r ffeil.
You can open this folder. -> Cewch agor y ffolder., not Gallwch agor y ffolder.
You will not be able to open this folder. -> Chewch chi ddim agor y ffolder., not Allwch chi ddim agor y ffolder.
The program saved (past) -> Cadwodd y rhaglen
The program has saved (perfect) -> Mae'r rhaglen wedi cadw
The program had saved (pluperfect) -> Roedd y rhaglen wedi cadw
Error messages tell the user of an error that must be corrected for the program to keep running. They can prompt an action or tell the user a reboot is needed.
Make target translations natural and empathetic, not robot-like.
Something went wrong -> Aeth rhywbeth o'i le
Not enough memory to process this command. -> Does dim digon o gof i broesu'r gorchymyn hwn
Use consistent terminology and language style. Do not just translate the US wording.
Error messages must not be patronizing. Help the user avoid the same error in future.
Cannot … -> Does dim modd…
Could not … -> Doedd dim modd…
Failed to … / Failure of … -> Wedi methu…
Cannot find … / Could not find … / Unable to find … / Unable to locate … -> Heb ganfod…
Not enough memory / Insufficient memory / There is not enough memory / There is not enough memory available -> Dim digon o gof ar gael
... is not available / ... is unavailable -> Dim … ar gael
File not found. / File was not found. / The file was not found. -> Heb ganfod y ffeil.
Not enough memory. -> Dim digon o gof. Treat not enough as insufficient.
Wrong file type. -> Math anghywir o ffeil. Treat wrong as incorrect.
Invalid file type. -> Math annilys o ffeil. Treat invalid as illegal.
An illegal setting name has been entered. -> Mae enw'r gosodiad yn annilys.
%1 has a bad format. -> Mae fformat %1 yn annilys. Use invalid, not bad, unless the meaning is physically broken.
Object doesn't support current locale setting. -> All y gwrthrych ddim delio â'r gosodiad locale presennol.
Use one basic syntax for all negative sentences. Use standard word order; watch where the negative marker sits.
The negative word Nid/Ni may be omitted.
Object doesn't support current locale setting. -> All y gwrthrych ddim delio â'r gosodiad locale presennol., not Ni all y gwrthrych ddelio â'r gosodiad locale presennol.
You cannot copy the file. -> Chewch chi ddim copïo'r ffeil, not Ni chewch chi gopïo'r ffeil
Na is the negative of a (before a consonant). Nac is the negative of ac (before a vowel). Na is the negative of â (before a consonant). Nag is the negative of ag (before a vowel).
Find out what will replace a placeholder, so the sentence stays grammatical.
%d, %ld, %u, %lu mean <number>; %c means <letter>; %s means <string>.
"Checking Web %1!d! of %2!d!" means "Checking Web <number> of <number>."
"INI file "%1!-.200s!" section" means "INI file "<string>" section."
In English source strings placeholders sit where they naturally occur. Numeral placeholders typically precede the noun. The same is true in Welsh.
%d minutes -> %d munud
Nouns used with %lu placeholders take the singular form in Welsh, because a Welsh noun keeps its singular form directly after a number: 3 files -> 3 ffeil
%lu files -> %lu ffeil, not %lu ffeiliau
Where a placeholder may be replaced by items that differ in mutation, or force a different form (soft mutation of the noun after the number 2), the software cannot handle every option. Where you cannot rephrase to avoid an ungrammatical form, use phrases and idioms grammatical in most instances. The default common form in Welsh after a placeholder is the unmutated form.
%lu documents -> %lu dogfen, not %lu ddogfen
Where adjectives and nouns agree and the noun is a placeholder, know the exact string so a preceding adjective inflects correctly. Most source strings are already worded to avoid this.
Where the language has noun-verb agreement, reword the translation to avoid an ungrammatical sentence.
Find the gender of a term in the latest terminology. If the term is absent, use the gender listed first in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru.
%s already exists (File already exists, Name already exists) -> Mae %s eisoes yn bodoli
%s is now set as your personal contact. (Regina is now set as your personal contact, Mr. Kim is now set as your personal contact) -> %s ydy eich cyswllt personol nawr.
%s stopped working and was closed (The application stopped working and was closed, The program stopped working and was closed) -> Mae %s wedi cau oherwydd nad oedd yn gweithio bellach.
Describe the action the user must take before the purpose of the action. The action always precedes the purpose in Welsh.
Avoid personified inanimate subjects. Replace active constructions with passive ones where possible. Rephrase and change the word order.
Setup encountered an error while creating your startup disk. -> Gwall gosod wrth greu'r ddisg cychwyn.
Setup cannot find the remote computer. -> All y broses gosod ddim dod o hyd i'r cyfrifiadur pell.
Setup cannot get disk information. -> All y broses gosod ddim cael gwybodaeth disg.
Remove any existing settings to free space. -> Tynnwch unrhyw osodiadau presennol i ryddhau lle.
Attempt to remove current directory -> Rhowch gynnig ar dynnu'r cyfeiriadur presennol Use a passive construction instead of Attempt to ....
Underlined or highlighted letters in menu options, commands or dialog boxes are keyboard shortcuts. Examples: New, Cancel, Options.
Slim characters (I, l, t, r, f) can be used as keyboard shortcuts: yes
Characters with downstrokes (g, j, y, p, q) can be used: yes
Extended characters can be used: yes, but avoid this.
An additional letter in brackets after the item name can be used: yes
A number in brackets after the item name can be used: yes
A punctuation sign in brackets after the item name can be used: yes
Duplicate keyboard shortcuts are allowed when no other character is available: yes
No keyboard shortcut is assigned when no more characters are available, minor options only: yes
If no more characters are available, assign the shortcut to an extended character. The user applies the normal keyboard character as the shortcut.
access key: a subtype of keyboard shortcut. A letter or number the user types to reach UI controls with text labels. Assigned to top-level controls so the user moves through the UI quickly with the keyboard. Example: F in Alt+F. In UI localization: H&ome. Most access keys are used with the Alt key.
key tip: the letter or number shown in the ribbon when Alt is pressed. In UI localization it is the last character after the ` character. Example: HomeH`
shortcut key: a subtype of keyboard shortcut. A key the user types to perform a common action without going through the UI. Not available for every command. Example: Ctrl+N, Ctrl+V. Most shortcut keys are used with the Ctrl key. Ctrl+letter combinations and function keys (F1 through F12) are usually the best choices.
Match the tone to the target audience: informal, playful and inspiring for consumer products and games; formal, informative and factual for technical texts.
Aim for the register described in Gramadeg yr Iaith Gymraeg as cywair safonol rhyddfrydol (liberal standard). It sits between the formal conservative register and a colloquial informal register.
Avoid dialect-specific word forms.
Follow the 12 rules of Cymraeg Clir (Plain Welsh):
Use simple, concise, everyday language.
Address your readers directly.
Use the natural words, phrases and structure of Welsh.
Use short sentences, no more than 25 words.
Keep to one sentence, one idea.
Use active verbs: Dechreuodd y cyngor 50 o brosiectau, not Dechreuwyd 50 o brosiectau gan y cyngor
Say clearly who is doing something: we, you, they.
Use verbs rather than nouns.
Use informal verbs and pronouns.
Avoid official language full of jargon and technical terms. Explain any unfamiliar term.
Divide long sentences into shorter points or bullet points.
Use punctuation to help the reader.
Use these verb forms: Rydw i / Dydw i ddim, Mae ef / Dydy ef ddim, Mae hi / Dydy hi ddim, Rydych chi / Dydych chi ddim, Rydyn ni / Dydyn ni ddim, Maen nhw / Dydyn nhw ddim
No apostrophe before dyw/dydy.
Include a pronoun after the verb.
This is what you should do -> Dyma beth ddylech chi ei wneud, not Dyma beth ddylech ei wneud
Do you want to shut down? -> Ydych chi am gau lawr?, not Ydych am gau lawr?
The verb often mutates too: beth allech ei wneud, beth ddylech ei wneud