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Hindi (India) style guide

Voice and register

  • Write clear, friendly, concise. Use everyday conversation, not formal technical language.
  • Choose words by audience: technical terms for technical readers, common words for consumers.
  • Free to pick non-standard translations when they keep the intent of the source.
  • Do not translate literally. Consider the intent and what the customer needs to complete the task.

Words and phrases to avoid

  • en Select/choose/pick: चयन करें -> चुनें
  • en Furthermore: इसके अतिरिक्त -> साथ ही
  • en Therefore: अत: -> इसलिए
  • en Refer to: संदर्भ लें -> देखें
  • en Change: परिवर्तित करें -> बदलें
  • en Deselect: इसका चयन रद्द करें -> अचयनित करें
  • en Pump: पम्प -> पंप
  • en Engine: इन्जन -> इंजन
  • en Computer: कम्प्यूटर -> कंप्यूटर
  • en Show: दिखाएं -> दिखाएँ
  • en For: लिये -> लिए
  • en Try again: पुनः प्रयास करें -> दुबारा कोशिश करें

Word choice

  • Use approved terminology for key terms, technical terms, product names.
  • Several approved translations can exist for one term in different contexts. Check the context before picking one.
  • en If you need help on this, please contact support. -> incorrect अगर आपको इस बारे में मदद चाहहए, तो कृ पया समर्नथ से संपकभ करें., incorrect अगर आपको इस बारे में मदद चाहहए, तो कृ पया ग्राहक सहायता से संपकभ करें.
  • Use short, everyday words.
  • en Make it easier to use -> hi उपयोग करिे में आसाि बिाएँ -> short उपयोग में आसाि बिाएँ
  • en Learn how to change settings -> hi सीखें कक सेहटग्सं कै से पररवनतत करभ ें -> short सेहटग्सं बदलिे का तरीका जािें
  • en You will also be able to copy. -> hi आप प्रनतशलवप बिािे में भी समथभ होंगे. -> short आप प्रनतशलवप भी बिा सकें गे.

Sample voice text: focusing on the user action

  • Focus on the action the user must take. Make choices and next steps obvious.
  • en The password isn’t correct, so try again. Passwords are case-sensitive. -> hi पासवड सहभ ी िहीं है, इसशलए कृ पया दबु ारा कोशशश करें. पासवड कभ े स-संवेदी होते हैं.
  • en This product key didn’t work. Check it and try again. -> hi यह उत्पाद कंु जी कायभ िहीं कर रही है. कृ पया इसे जाचँ ें और दबु ारा कोशशश करें.
  • en All ready to go -> hi सब कु छ तैयार है
  • en Would you like to continue? -> hi क्या आप जारी रखिा चाहेंगे?
  • en Give your PC a name—any name you want. If you want to change the background color, turn high contrast off in PC settings. -> hi अपिे PC को िाम दें – कोई भी िाम जो आप चाहें. यहद आप पष्ृ ठभूशम रंग बदलिा चाहते हैं, तो PC सेहटग मं ें उच्च कॉजरास्ट बंद करें.

Sample voice text: explanatory text and support

  • Use हम to show the product does the work. Keep sentences short and simple.
  • en The updates are installed, but Windows Setup needs to restart for them to work. After it restarts, we’ll keep going from where we left off. -> hi अद्यति स् थावपत कर हदए गए हैं, लेककि वे कायभ कर सकें , इसके शलए Windows सेटअप को पुिरारंभ करिा होगा. इसके पुिरारंभ हो जािे पर, हम वहीं से शुऱु करेंगे जहाँ से हमिे छोड़ा था.
  • en If you restart now, you and any other people using this PC could lose unsaved work. -> hi यहद आप अभी पुिरारंभ करते हैं, तो आपका और इस PC का उपयोग करिे वाले अज य लोगों का सहेजा िहीं गया कायभ खो जाएगा.
  • en This document will be automatically moved to the right library and folder after you correct invalid or missing properties. -> hi जब आप अमाज य या गुम गुणों को ठीक कर देंगे, तो यह दस्तावेज़ स् वचाशलत ऱुप से सही लायब्रेरी और फोल् डर में चला जाएगा.
  • en Something bad happened! Unable to locate downloaded files to create your bootable USB flash drive. -> hi कु छ गलत हआ है! आपकी ु बूटेबल USB फ़्लैश ड्राइव बिािे के शलए डाउिलोड की गई फाइलें ढूँढिे में असमथभ है.

Sample voice text: promoting a feature

  • en 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. -> hi आपके टचस्रीि PC की सरु क्षा में मदद करिे के शलए चचत्र पासवड एक िभ या तरीका है. आप स् वयं के शलए एक खास पासवडभ बिािे हेतु चचत्र– और उसके साथ उपयोग ककए जािे वाले जेस् चर– चुिते हैं.
  • en Let apps give you personalized content based on your PC’s location, name, account picture, and other domain info. -> hi ऐ्स को आपके PC के स् थाि, िाम, खाता चचत्र और अजय डोमेि जािकारी के आधार पर आपको वैयन्क्तकृ त सामग्री उपलब्ध करािे दें.

Sample voice text: how-to guidelines

  • en To go back and save your work, click Cancel and finish what you need to. -> hi वापस जािे और अपिा काय सहभ ेजिे के शलए, ‘रद्द करें’ पर न्क्लक करें और अपिा ज़ऱुरी कायभ पूरा करें.
  • en To confirm your current picture password, just watch the replay and trace the example gestures shown on your picture. -> hi अपिे वतमािभ चचत्र पासवडभ की पुन्ष्ट करिे के शलए, बस री्ले देखें और अपिे चचत्र पर हदखाए गए उदाहरण जेस्चर को रेस करें.
  • en It’s time to enter the product key. When you connect to the internet, we’ll activate Windows for you. -> hi यह उत्पाद कं जी दजभ करिे ु का समय है. आपके इंटरिट े से किेक्ट होिे पर, हम Windows सकरय कर देंगे.

Inclusive language

  • Comply with local language laws.
  • Use plain language: straightforward, concrete, familiar words. Prefer a two-syllable word over a three-syllable one. Prefer several clear words over one complicated term.
  • Name no politically disputed cities, countries, or regions. In examples covering several regions, use equivalent references. Do not mix countries with states or continents.
  • Represent diverse people in text and images: professions, educational settings, locales, economic settings.
  • Do not generalize or stereotype by region, culture, age, or gender, not even a positive stereotype. Choose job-role names across gender identities and cultural backgrounds.
  • No profane or derogatory terms.
  • No slang that could read as cultural appropriation.
  • No terms carrying unconscious racial bias. No terms tied to military actions, politics, or controversial historical events and eras.
  • en primary/subordinate not master -> hi मास्टर, प्रधान, मुख्य not स्वामी
  • en expert not guru -> hi विशेषज्ञ, कौशलपूर्ण/कु शल not गुऱु
  • en parent not mother or father -> hi अवििािक not माता या वपता

Avoid gender bias

  • Use gender-neutral alternatives for common terms. Avoid compounds containing gender-specific terms (पुरुष, मविला).
  • मविला वशक्षक, पुरुष वशक्षक -> वशक्षक. वशक्षक covers both men and women.
  • मविला डॉक्टर, पुरुष डॉक्टर -> डॉक्टर. डॉक्टर covers both men and women.
  • मविला िकील, पुरुष िकील -> िकील. िकील covers both men and women.
  • मविला अध्यक्ष, पुरुष अध्यक्ष -> अध्यक्ष. अध्यक्ष covers both men and women.
  • मविला जज, पुरुष जज -> जज. जज covers both men and women.
  • For generalizations, use plural noun forms: लोग, वह, छात्र.
  • No gendered pronouns in generic references: वह लड़की/महहला, उस लड़की/महहला का, वह लड़का/पुरुष, उस लड़के /पुरुष का. Instead:
  • Rewrite to the second or third person: आप, िि.
  • Rewrite with a plural noun and pronoun.
  • Use an article instead of a pronoun: दस्तािेज़ instead of उसका दस्तािेज़.
  • Refer to the person's role: पाठक, कमणचारी, ग्रािक, क्लाइंट.
  • Use व्यक्ति or व्यक्तिगत.
  • en Users with the appropriate rights can set other users' passwords. not If the user has the appropriate rights, he/she can set other users' passwords. -> hi उवचत अवधकार प्राप्त उपयोगकताण अन्य उपयोगकताणओं के पासिडण सेट कर सकते िैं. not यवद उपयोगकताण के पास उवचत अवधकार िैं, तो िि अन्य उपयोगकताणओं के पासिडण सेट कर सकता/सकती िै.
  • en Developers need access to servers in their development environments, but they don't need access to the servers in Azure. not A developer needs access to servers in his development environment, but he doesn't need access to the servers in Azure. -> hi डेिलपसण को उनके डेिलपमेंट पररिेश में सिणर पर एक्सेस की आिश्यकता िोती िै लेवकन उन्हें Azure मेंसिणर पर एक्सेस की आिश्यकता निीं िोती. not एक डेिलपर को उसके डेिलपमेंट पररिेश में सिणर पर एक्सेस की आिश्यकता िोती िै, लेवकन उसे Azure मेंसिणर पर एक्सेस की आिश्यकता निीं िोती.
  • en When the author opens the document …. not When the author opens his/her document …. -> hi जब लेखक दस्तािेज़ खोलता िै.... not जब लेखक उसका दस्तािेज़ खोलता/खोलती िै....
  • en To call someone, select the person's name, select Make a phone call, and then choose the number you'd like to dial. not To call someone, select his name, select Make a phone call, and then select his number. -> hi वकसी को कॉल करने के वलए उस व्यक्ति का नाम चुनें, ‘फोनकॉल करें ’ चुनें और विर आप जो नंबर डायल करना चािते िैं िि चुनें. not वकसी को कॉल करने के वलए, उसका नाम चुनें, एक फोन कॉल करें चुनें और विर उसका नंबर चुनें.
  • If you cannot write around the problem, a plural pronoun in a generic reference to one person is OK: िे, उनका/उनकी, उन्हें.
  • Do not use constructions like ििपुरुष/ििमविला and ििमविला/ििपुरुष.
  • When writing about a real person, use the pronouns that person prefers, िि, िे, or another. Gendered pronouns िि, उसका/उसकी are OK for real people who use them.

Accessibility

  • Focus on people, not disabilities. No words that imply pity, such as सेग्रवसत or सेपीव़ित. Do not mention a disability unless it is relevant.
  • en person with a disability not handicapped -> hi वनिः शि व्यक्ति/वदव्यांग व्यक्ति not विकलांग
  • en person without a disability not normal person; healthy person -> hi वनिः शिता रवित व्यक्ति not सामान्य व्यक्ति; स्वस्थ्य व्यक्ति
  • Use generic verbs that fit all input methods and devices. In procedures and instructions, avoid verbs that break with alternative input methods.
  • en Select not Click -> hi चुनें not क्तक्लक करें
  • Keep paragraphs short and sentence structure simple. Aim for one verb per sentence. Read text aloud and imagine a screen reader speaking it.
  • en Select one file. -> hi फाइल चुनें not एक फाइल का चयन करें
  • Spell out एं ड, प्लस, अबाउट. Screen readers can misread &, +, ~.
  • Some accessible products and services are not available in Hindi-speaking markets. Check availability with the appropriate resources.

Abbreviations

  • Abbreviate in the UI (mainly names of buttons and options) only when space forces it. Hindi has no standardized abbreviations, so use the shortest available form of the word. In menus, use the imperative to avoid longer words.
  • en meter -> hi मीटर -> मी
  • en kilometer -> hi ककलोमीटर -> ककमी
  • en centimeter -> hi सेंटीमीटर -> सेमी
  • en millimeter -> hi शमलीमीटर -> शममी
  • en gram -> hi ग्राम -> ग्रा
  • en kilogram -> hi ककलोग्राम -> ककग्रा
  • en liter -> hi लीटर -> ली
  • en millimeter -> hi शमलीलीटर -> शमली
  • en TV -> hi टेलीववज़ि -> टीवी
  • en IT -> hi इजफॉमेशि टेक्िोलॉजी -> आईटी
  • en PIN -> hi पीआईएि -> वपि
  • Write SI units abbreviated as a single capital letter in the Latin alphabet: W (watt), V (volt), J (joule), Hz (hertz), kHz (kilohertz). Others take Latin or Hindi: kg as ककग्रा, cm as सेमी.
  • Measure temperature in Celsius. Recalculate all other scales, such as Fahrenheit, into Celsius.
  • Standard temperature display: x°С (temperature, degree symbol, capital Latin C, even in Hindi). Hindi may also use x°से (से is the Hindi abbreviation for Celsius).
  • Below zero, show the minus sign – before the temperature. At or above zero, the plus sign + is optional and rarely used.
  • Examples: –273°C, 0°C, 25°C
  • Do not abbreviate: en Pound पाउं ड, en Degree डडग्री, en Ruble ऱुबल, en Yuan यूआि, en Yen येि.

Acronyms

  • Acronyms are less common in Hindi than in English. Where possible, spell out the words in Hindi at the first occurrence, or in the section that describes the feature, followed by the acronym in parentheses: UNESCO (यूिेस्को).
  • Many acronyms are standardized in Hindi and used in a standard manner: USA (संयुक्त राज्य).
  • Otherwise keep the acronym as in the source.
  • पररवणी शब्द - संक्षक्षन््त {शब्दों के प्रथम अक्षर से बिे शब्द}. Example: P.T.O. (Please turn over) = कृ .प.उ. (कृ पया पजिा उलहटए)
  • In general, do not localize acronyms.

Adjectives

  • Four types of adjectives: गुणवाचक (Quality), संख्यावाचक (Numeral), पररमाणवाचक (Quantity), संके तवाचक (Demonstrative).
  • Adjective of quality shows the kind or quality of a noun or pronoun.
  • Numeral adjective expresses the number of persons or things.
  • Adjective of quantity shows the quantity of things.
  • Demonstrative adjective points to a specified person or thing.
  • en New York is a beautiful city. -> hi जयूयॉकभ एक सुंदरशहर है.
  • en I have learned many languages. -> hi मिैं े कईभाषाएँ सीखी हैं.
  • en Adding some sugar will make the coffee taste better. -> hi थोड़ी सीशक्कर शमलािे से कॉफी और भी स् वाहदष्ट हो जाएगी.
  • en This is the best day of my life. -> hi यहमेरी न्ज़ंदगी का सबसे बह़िया हदि है.
  • Possessives are frequent in Hindi: मेरा (mine), तुम्हारा (your), आपका (your, respectful), उिका (their), उसका (his), हमारा (our).

Articles

  • Hindi has no articles. Do not translate every a or an from the English source.
  • Product names and untranslated feature names take no definite or indefinite article.
  • Hindi has no definite article, and indefinite articles are not used with product names.
  • en The Windows Server is installed on this computer. -> hi इस कं ्यूटर पर Windows सवर स् भ थावपत है.
  • For an English loan word, check motivation (none for Hindi) and frequency (which form other technical documentation uses most).

Conjunctions

  • Use conjunctions to sound friendly and conversational. Starting a sentence with a conjunction is fine.
  • en As <product> gains features, there is a risk that older content may not display correctly. -> old जैसे-जैसे <product> की सुववधाएँ ब़िेंगी, पुरािी सामग्री के ठीक से प्रदशशत िभ होिे का जोखखम रहेगा. -> new हदि प्रनत हदि ब़िती सुववधाओं के कारण हो सकता है पुरािी सामग्री ठीक से ि हदखे.
  • en While the document is open, it is not possible to create a copy. -> old दस्तावेज़ खुला होिे के कारण प्रनत िहीं बिाई जा सकती. -> new दस्तावेज़ खुला होिे पर प्रनतशलवप बिािा संभव िहीं है.
  • en While your computer is being updated, you can keep working. -> old आपके कं ्यूटर के अद्यति के दौराि आप काय जारभ ी रख सकते हैं. -> new आपका कं ्यूटर अद्यनतत ककए जाते समय आप काय जभ ारी रख सकते हैं.

Gender

  • All nouns are masculine पुन्ल्लंग or feminine स्त्रीशलगं. Nouns often modify other words in the sentence by their gender.
  • All male living beings are masculine. All female living beings are feminine. For inanimate, abstract, collective, and material nouns, usage determines gender.
  • en boy -> hi लड़का
  • en girl -> hi लड़की
  • en father -> hi वपता
  • en mother -> hi माता

Genitive

  • Genitives use the morpheme का/के/की. The choice depends on gender, number, and case ending of the head noun.
  • Do not attach a genitive s to trademarked product names. It reads as a modification of the name.
  • Masculine, singular, case ending absent: का. Example लड़के का भाई
  • Masculine, plural, case ending absent: के. Example लड़के के भाई
  • Masculine, any number, case ending present: के. Examples लड़के के भाई िे, लड़के के भाइयों िे
  • Feminine, any number, any case ending: की. Examples लड़के की बहि, लड़के की बहि िे, लड़के की बहिों िे, लड़के की बहिें

Localizing colloquialism, idioms, and metaphors

  • Do not swap the source colloquialism for a Hindi one unless the Hindi one is a perfect, natural fit for the context.
  • Translate the intended meaning, not the literal words, and only when the meaning is integral to the text.
  • Omit the colloquialism when the meaning survives without it.
  • en Let’s see if you have to do anything first. -> hi देखते हैं कक आपको पहले कु छ करिा तो िहीं होगा.
  • en Pick the people and apps you can share stuff with. -> hi वे लोग और ऐप चुिें न्जिके साथ आप चीज़ें साझा कर सकते हैं.
  • en Here are some nearby networks—pick one to get online right away. -> hi आसपास के क ु छ उपलब्ध िेटवकभ ये हैं,तुरंत ऑिलाइि होिे के शलये इिमें से कोई एक चुिें.
  • en Here's how to change your password. -> hi अपिा पासवड ऐसे बदभ लें.
  • en You’re almost done customizing these settings. -> hi आपिे इि सेहटग्ं स को अि ुकू शलत करिे का काम लगभग पूरा कर शलया है.
  • en To configure the settings, go the settings page. -> hi सेहटग्स कॉन्ं जफगर करिे के शलए, सेहटगं पष्ृ ठ पर जाएँ.
  • en To know more about the tool, visit the following site. -> hi उपकरण के बारे में अचधक जाििे के शलए, िीचे दी गई साइट पर जाएँ.
  • en To comment on the article, write in the comment box. -> hi लेख पर हट्पणी करिे के शलए, हट्पणी बॉक्स में शलखें.

Nouns

  • Follow the normative rules for nouns.
  • व्यलततवाचक सिंज्ञा (proper noun), a name of a specific person, place, thing, or idea: हदल्ली (Delhi), गांधी (Gandhi), रामायण (Ramayana), गीतांजली (Geetanjali), हहमालय (Himalaya), ताजमहल (Tajmahal)
  • जाततवाचक सिंज्ञा (common noun), a nonspecific person, place, thing, or idea: मोर (peacock), पुस्तक (book), महहला (lady), बालक (boy), बाशलका (girl)
  • भाववाचक सिंज्ञा (abstract noun), intangible things such as feelings, ideals, concepts, qualities: बचपि (childhood), सत्य (truth), सुंदरता (beauty), िम्रता (politeness)
  • समुदायवाचक सज्ञिं ा (collective noun), a group of individuals: सेिा (armed forces), सभा (assembly), मंडली (group)
  • द्रव्यवाचक सिंज्ञा (material noun), a material or substance other things are made from: सोिा (gold), लोहा (iron), पािी (water)
  • en My favorite drink is soda. -> hi मेरा पसंदीदा पेय सोडाहै.
  • en Many people like to eat Asian food. -> hi कई लोग एशशयाईभोजि पसंद करते हैं.
  • en The education of children should be our number one priority. -> hi बच्चों की शशक्षा हमारी पहली प्राथशमकता होिी चाहहए.
  • Plural, direct case. Masculine ending in -a: singular लड़का = boy, plural लड़के = boys.
  • Masculine ending in another vowel (very few): singular गुरु = teacher, plural गुरु = teacher.
  • Masculine ending in a consonant: singular दोस्त = friend, plural दोस्त = friends.
  • Feminine ending in -i.
  • Plural, oblique case. Masculine ending in -a: singular लड़के, plural लड़कों.
  • Masculine ending in another vowel: singular गुरु, plural गुरुओं; for आदमी (man), आदशमयों.
  • Masculine ending in a consonant: singular दोस्त, plural दोस्तों.

Prepositions

  • Use prepositions correctly. Do not omit them or change word order under influence of the English source.
  • Starting or ending a sentence with a preposition is acceptable.
  • Hindi uses postpositions, written after the noun, not prepositions.
  • en about -> hi के बारे में
  • en after -> hi के बाद
  • en behind -> hi के पीछे
  • en before -> hi से पहले

Pronouns

  • Five main types: personal पुरुषवाचक सवभिाम; demonstrative निश्चयवाचक सविामभ; indefinite अनिश्चयवाचक सविामभ; relative संबंधवाचक सवभिाम; interrogative प्रश्िवाचक सविामभ.
  • Personal pronouns stand for people or things: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
  • Demonstrative pronouns replace specific people or things mentioned before or understood from context.
  • An indefinite pronoun refers to a nonspecific being, object, or place.
  • A relative pronoun introduces a relative clause and relates to the word that clause modifies.
  • An interrogative pronoun stands for the thing being asked about.
  • en What is your favorite colour? -> hi आपका पसंदीदा रंग कौि-सा है?
  • en Sometimes I wonder why anyone shops at this store. -> hi कभी-कभी मझु े आश्चय हभ ोता है कक कोई भी इस स्टोर से खरीदारी क्यों करता है.
  • en This is the book that everyone is talking about. -> hi यह वह पुस्तक है न्जसके बारे में सभी बातें कर रहे हैं.
  • en Jennifer and I are meeting in San Francisco in July. -> hi जेनिफर और मैं जुलाई में सैि फ़्ांशसस्को में शमलेंगे.
  • Common error: आप आपके खाते, हम हमारी फाइल को.... Always use आप अपिे, हम अपिे, वो अपिे.

Punctuation

  • Hyphen - is the shortest of the three dash characters. It is on the numeric keypad. Use hyphens for compound words; breaking words at the end of a line; page numbers, dates, and other number intervals (The name should be 8-15 characters long); relationships between two concepts (धि–ऋण, जोड़-घटाव); dates (15-11-06).
  • En dash – is shorter than the em dash, longer than the hyphen. Get it with Alt + 0150 or Ctrl + - (num) in Windows. Use it in arithmetic operations and negative numbers. Example: en Temperature is -10°C -> hi तापमाि -10°से है
  • Em dash — is the longest. Get it with Alt + 0151 or Ctrl + Alt + - (num) in Windows. Using the en dash in dialogue to introduce each successive thought is not correct in Hindi. Avoid extensive use of the English em dash. Use commas or parentheses instead, or start a new sentence. Rewriting the sentence without the dash is fine.
  • en So, no matter if you're on a PC, Mac, tablet, iPhone, or Android device—Skype keeps you connected and always available. -> hi इसशलए, चाहे आप PC, Mac, टेबलेट, iPhone या Android डडवाइस में से ककसी का भी उपयोग कर रहे हों, Skype की मदद से आप किेक्ट और हमेशा उपलब्ध रह सकते हैं
  • en Go to the support site for trouble-shooting and how-to guides -> hi समस्या निवारण और ‘कै से-करें’ संबंधी हदशानिदेशों के शलए सहायता साइट पर जाएँ
  • Keep an ellipsis from the source string. The ellipsis marks a process in progress. en Updating… -> hi अद्यतन किया जा रहा है…
  • Nuqta is a diacritic in Devanagari for sounds borrowed from Urdu (Arabic, Farsi) and English. It is a dot below the letter: ज़ and फ़ in English loans, and क़, ख़, ग़ in Urdu words such as नक़ल, ख़राब, ग़ैर, as macOS spells them. Keep one spelling per word.
  • en Photo -> hi फ़ोटो
  • en File -> hi फ़ाइल
  • en Resolution -> hi रिज़ॉल्यूशन
  • en Browser -> hi ब्राउज़र
  • End a sentence with the purna viram । (U+0964), never the pipe |. Practice varies: macOS uses the purna viram, Microsoft and Android use the English period .. FontLab follows macOS and standard Hindi spelling. Examples on this page that come from Microsoft's guide keep its period.
  • Use chandrabindu wherever applicable: जाएँ, दिखाएँ.
  • Quotation marks mark emphasis. Hindi strings may contain software references surrounded by English quotation marks.
  • Put the purna viram after the closing quotation mark, not before it.
  • Add a sentence-final mark only where the source sentence has one. A label, a button or a title takes none.
  • en To know more about this feature, please ‘click here’. -> hi इस सुविधा के बारे में अधिक जानने के लिए, ‘यहाँ क्लिक करें’। No purna viram before the inverted comma.
  • No space between parentheses and the text inside them. en 5 mile (8 km) -> hi 5 मील (8 ककमी)
  • No space between the number and the percent sign: 50%, not 50 %.
  • Punctuation marks: : ; ! . , ?
  • Insert a space between a value and its symbol: 16 MB.
  • Leave one single space after a purna viram and none before it.
  • No space between an email address and a punctuation mark, or a URL and a punctuation mark.
  • Keep items in bulleted lists as written in the English source.

Sentence fragments

  • Use sentence fragments where possible. They are short and to the point.
  • en Use the following steps. -> long आप इसे इस प्रकार कर सकते हैं., fragment इसे ऐसे करें.
  • en If you want you can... -> long यहद आप चाहें तो आप..., fragment चाहें तो आप...
  • en Try to open in a browser window. -> long ककसी ब्राउज़र ववडं ो में खोलिे का प्रयास करें., fragment ब्राउज़र में खोलकर देखें.

Verbs

  • Use the simple present. Avoid the future tense unless the event really will happen in the future and the simple present is not accurate. Use the simple past for events that already happened.
  • Verbs inflect for gender of the subject (masculine, feminine), number (singular, plural), tense (present, past, future), action (perfect, imperfect, continuous), and degree of respect (intimate, familiar, respect).
  • Verbs are named in the infinitive noun form, ending in ना. Where the source uses Edit, Save, Delete and similar as commands, use the respectful imperative, not the infinitive: संपादित करें, सहेजें, हटाएँ.
  • Continuous operations use a gerund in English. Translate them into the passive voice.
  • en Saving file… -> hi फ़ाइल सहेजी जा रही है…
  • en Updating… -> hi अद्यतन किया जा रहा है…
  • en Processing… -> hi संसाधित किया जा रहा है…
  • en The message has been sent. -> hi संदेश भेज दिया गया है।
  • en You can only merge with one Skype account. -> hi आप केवल एक Skype खाते के साथ मर्ज कर सकते हैं।

Symbols

  • Always translate & as and in running text. Do not keep & in the target unless it is part of a tag, placeholder, shortcut, or other code.

Applications, products, and features

  • Application and product names are rarely translated. Feature names can be trademarked too, for example IntelliSense.
  • No Hindi-specific rules on trademarking of application, product, or feature names.

Software considerations

  • Translate all menus, menu items, commands, buttons, check boxes, and similar UI items consistently.
  • Use current terminology from the most recent terminology databases and approved glossaries. Consistent terminology is key to quality.

Error messages

  • Apply the voice principles so error messages sound natural and empathetic, not robotic.
  • en We’re sorry, we’ve run into an issue. -> hi क्षमा करें, हमें कोई समस्या आई है.
  • en Not enough memory to process this command. -> hi इस आदेश को संसाधित करने के लिए पर्याप्त मेमोरी नहीं है।
  • Keep terminology and style consistent. Do not translate messages as they stand in the US English product. If an approved term does not fit the context, use the best possible translation and leave a comment justifying the term.
  • Do not use the first-person singular. Text that sounds like the computer addressing the user breaks the voice. Use the passive voice instead, whatever form the source uses. That is the proper way of instructing and informing in Hindi.
  • Use other wording than the standard phrases below when it works better in context. Standardize where you can.
  • en Cannot …, Could not … -> hi …नहीं किया जा सकता, …नहीं किया जा सका. Example: इस फ़ाइल को हटाया नहीं जा सकता।, इस फ़ाइल को हटाया नहीं जा सका। Use सकता for a present limitation and सका for a failed attempt.
  • en Failed to …, Failure of … -> hi …करना विफल रहा. Example: सहेजना विफल रहा
  • en Cannot find …, Could not find …, Unable to find …, Unable to locate … -> hi …ढूँढा नहीं जा सकता, …ढूँढा नहीं जा सका. Example: फ़ाइल को ढूँढा नहीं जा सका
  • en Not enough memory -> hi पर्याप्त मेमोरी नहीं है
  • en Insufficient memory, There is not enough memory, There is not enough memory available -> hi अपर्याप्त मेमोरी, पर्याप्त मेमोरी उपलब्ध नहीं है
  • en ... is not available, ... is unavailable -> hi …उपलब्ध नहीं है, …अनुपलब्ध है
  • With placeholders, find out what replaces the placeholder so the sentence stays grammatical. It decides feminine or masculine, singular or plural. When the value is unknown, do not guess: put को after the placeholder, which keeps the verb masculine singular (“%1” को हटाया नहीं जा सका), or add a class noun that carries the gender (“%1” नाम की फ़ाइल).
  • %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."

Keyboard shortcuts

  • Underlined or highlighted letters in menu options, commands, or dialog boxes are keyboard shortcuts. Examples: New, Cancel, Options.
  • There are no Hindi-specific keyboard shortcuts. Hindi content uses the keyboard shortcuts of the English source.
  • Slim characters I, l, t, r, f as keyboard shortcuts: no.
  • Characters with downstrokes g, j, y, p, q as keyboard shortcuts: no.
  • Extended characters as keyboard shortcuts: no.
  • An additional letter in brackets after the item name: not in Microsoft products. FontLab does append one, because a Devanagari letter cannot be typed with Alt: the source's Latin letter goes after the label as फ़ाइल (&F), as in KDE's Hindi. See the Hindi localization guide.
  • A number in brackets after the item name: no.
  • A punctuation sign in brackets after the item name: no.
  • Duplicate keyboard shortcuts when no other character is available: no.
  • No keyboard shortcut when no characters are left (minor options only): no.
  • access key: a subtype of keyboard shortcut. A letter or number the user types to reach a UI control with a text label. Assigned to top-level controls. Example: F in Alt+F. In UI localization: H&ome. Most access keys use 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 run a common action without the UI. Not available for every command. Example: Ctrl+N, Ctrl+V. Most shortcut keys use the Ctrl key. Ctrl+letter combinations and function keys F1 through F12 are the best choices.

Keys

  • Key names appear in normal text with sentence-style capitalization, not small caps.
  • en Alt -> hi Alt
  • en Backspace -> hi Backspace
  • en Break -> hi Break
  • en Caps lock -> hi Caps Lock
  • en Ctrl -> hi Control
  • en Delete -> hi Delete
  • en Down arrow -> hi Down arrow
  • en End -> hi End
  • en Enter -> hi Enter
  • en Esc -> hi Escape
  • en Home -> hi Home
  • en Insert -> hi Insert
  • en Left arrow -> hi Left arrow
  • en Num lock -> hi Num Lock
  • en Page down -> hi Page Down
  • en Page up -> hi Page Up
  • en Pause -> hi Pause
  • en Right arrow -> hi Right arrow
  • en Scroll lock -> hi Scroll Lock
  • en Shift -> hi Shift
  • en Spacebar -> hi Spacebar
  • en Tab -> hi Tab
  • en Up arrow -> hi Up arrow
  • en Windows key -> hi Windows key
  • en Menu key -> hi Menu key
  • en Print screen -> hi Print Screen

English pronunciation

  • Pronounce unlocalized English terms and product names as English words.
  • Where Hindi has an established pronunciation for a common term such as server, use the local pronunciation.
  • Adapt pronunciation to the Hindi phonetic system when the original sounds very awkward.
  • SecurID [sı’kjuər aı di:]
  • .NET [dot net]
  • Skype [skaip], sky (skai) + pe (p)
  • Pronounce acronyms like real words, adapted to local pronunciation.
  • RADIUS रेडडयस
  • RAS रैस
  • ISA आइएसए
  • LAN लैि
  • WAN वैि
  • WAP वैप
  • MAPI मैपी
  • POP पॉप
  • URL यूआरएल
  • Pronounce other abbreviations letter by letter.
  • ICMP आइसीएमपी
  • IP आइपी
  • TCP/IP टीसीपी/आइपी
  • XML एक् सएमएल
  • HTML एचटीएमएल
  • OWA ओडबल्यूए
  • SQL एसक्यूएल
  • Leave out http://. Read the rest of the URL aloud.
  • Pronounce www as डब्ल्यू डबल्यू डब्ल्यू.
  • Omit the dot, or read it aloud the Hindi way as डॉट.
  • http://www.microsoft.com/ -> डब्ल्यू डब्ल्यू डब्ल्यू डॉट माइरोसॉफ़्ट डॉट कॉम
  • Most punctuation marks ? ! : ; , follow from the speaker's tone of voice.
  • En dashes – mark an isolated element. Pronounce an en dash like a comma, as a short pause.
  • Pronounce special characters / \ ˘ < > + - with the approved Hindi translations.

Tone

  • Match tone to text and audience. Use an informal, playful, inspiring tone for most products and games. Use a formal, informative, factual tone for technical content.

FontLab interface strings

  • The Hindi localization guide holds the full rules for the Qt catalog. This section lists what differs from the Microsoft-based advice on this page.
  • Commands, buttons and checkboxes take the respectful imperative with the verb last: फ़ॉन्ट जोड़ें…, सहेजें. Titles of menus, panels and dialogs are noun phrases: संपादन, फ़ॉन्ट प्रीव्यू. Never use तुम forms or the infinitive as a command.
  • Progress is the passive progressive (फ़ॉन्ट वैलिडेट किए जा रहे हैं…), a result the passive perfective (फ़ॉन्ट हटाए गए). The participle agrees with its object in gender and number.
  • Qt gives Hindi two plural forms: the first for exactly 1, the second for every other number, including 0. CLDR puts 0 with 1; Qt does not. Write %n फ़ाइल and %n फ़ाइलें, and the oblique plural before a postposition: %n फ़ाइलों में.
  • Loan nouns take no English plural -s: फ़ॉन्ट, सेटिंग, not फ़ॉन्ट्स, सेटिंग्स.
  • Product, format and technical names stay in Latin script (OpenType, PostScript), followed by a Hindi noun or postposition as a separate word: PostScript नाम, macOS पर.

Digits and number grouping

  • Use Western digits 0–9 in the interface, as macOS, Android and Windows do. Do not use Devanagari digits ०–९.
  • The decimal separator is a point. Digits group in the Indian pattern, three and then twos: 12,34,567. The application formats runtime numbers this way; regroup a literal number in a string only when it has six or more digits.

Encoding

  • Write a nukta letter as the base letter followed by U+093C. That is the normalized (NFC) form; the precomposed letters U+0958 to U+095F decompose under normalization and break search.
  • Use chandrabindu on a nasal vowel that has nothing above the headline (हटाएँ, शैलियाँ) and anusvara where a vowel sign rises above it (में, करें).
  • Write a nasal before a consonant with anusvara (कंप्यूटर, संपादन), and the standard forms गए, गई, लिए, चाहिए, not गये, गयी, लिये.

Local usage

Preserve brand names and use translation history to keep terms consistent. Explain difficult concepts before resorting to an unfamiliar new coinage; the unanswered punctuation and abbreviation questions in this source are not rules.

FontLab terminology decisions (2026-10-04)

Follow the canonical FontLab glossary, including its approval status and contextual notes. The current choices are:

Concept Wording
OpenType lookup प्रक्रिया
Fusion, using the fallback Welder वेल्डर
FontAudit, visible name फ़ॉन्टऑडिट
Pin, a named point in an element पिन

For OpenType lookup, the default is the translation of procedure. Retain a different term only with strong OpenType-specific evidence; the explicit German, French, Polish and Russian decisions take precedence. Ordinary search, dictionary lookup and code keywords are separate senses. Preserve literal lookup, lookupflag, LookupList and identifiers in code. Keep individual rules distinct from the procedures that group them.

Use the FontAudit name above in visible interface text and prose; preserve FontAudit in code and identifiers. In non-Latin scripts it is a phonetic transliteration, including Chinese. A proposed glossary entry remains proposed; this table does not confer native-team approval.

Keep marked and unmarked menu labels consistent after accounting for Qt mnemonic & and appended shortcuts. In Dimensions and Glyph Window preferences, aim for labels no longer than 120% of the source; preserve meaning when that target is impractical. Omit redundant font or colour wording when context supplies it. TTH options may omit the verb “use” and abbreviate TrueType hinting as TTH. Help may be longer, but quoted interface labels must match the final UI.

FontLab Rapid tool

FontLab names this tool रैपिड. The name stays recognizable in the interface and Quick Help; it does not mean an ordinary fast or quick action. Use the canonical TS spelling and translate the surrounding grammar, as in रैपिड से ड्रॉइंग. The contrast classifications containing English rapid use the ordinary adjective instead. See the localization guide for the current terminology and source-version checks.

Quick Help control references

Use the canonical action name within natural Hindi grammar. For example, write धुँधला करें क्रिया and “धुँधला करें” क्रिया के विकल्प, rather than turning the imperative label into an adjective. ActionDisconnect is named ओवरलैप बनाएँ; its old English Disconnect wording does not rename it.

The Lookups panel is नियम, while an individual OpenType lookup is प्रक्रिया. Write नियम पैनल when referring to its data, so the panel name cannot be confused with a single rule. Preserve code identifiers. Use सुपर कर्निंग, कर्निंग जोड़े, क्लास, प्रीव्यू and चतुर फ़िल्टर in references to those controls and features.

Context determines the Blur label: the action is धुँधला करें, whereas the Overlay value is धुंधलापन. Keep accurate explanatory prose when no matching control label requires a different word. A label found elsewhere in the catalog does not establish the wording of a newly added control.

Context-specific Quick Help labels

Use the runtime Set Metrics choices from FontLabUI.action_setmetrics: बराबर रखें and ऑटो + समायोजन. The static dialog's older label does not override choices populated by its implementation. In references to the Glyph panel's Auto space button, use ऑटो स्पेस करें.

The transform and single-node toolbar origin selectors use मूल बिंदु. The single-node toolbar's Exclude contours command is कॉन्टूर बहिष्कृत करें; the MainWindow Exclude command is बाहर रखें. Match the actual control. Bar_Skin uses आधार ग्लिफ़ and लंबवत (Y) स्केल. BrushProperties uses विस्तारित करें, while other expand commands may use पक्का करें. References to the old Thickness tool use its current name, स्टेम; ordinary thickness remains मोटाई.

Blend-preview mode choices are literal text and table, created without translation in blendpreviewdialog.cpp. Keep those values and describe those actual choices. Do not copy the source's single-frame/waterfall examples. Similar-looking words elsewhere in the catalog do not translate these runtime values.

In Bar_Metrics, Bind left/right sidebearing uses बाँधें. Do not replace it with बाइंड from an unrelated control. Text Shape is टेक्स्ट शेप; its font size is in फ़ॉन्ट यूनिट, not a new UPM setting. Distinguish that output size from the source font's units per em.

The Find Outline section names are खोज and बदलाव; its buttons are खोजें and बदलें. Keep these distinct in instructions. The Import Classes acceptance button is ठीक है, despite the old Find help heading. DlgNameSuffix uses सफ़िक्स; DlgCreateGlyphs has a separate प्रत्यय field.

In Export Font, अतिरिक्त प्रोफ़ाइलों का चयन हटाएँ keeps the selected profile enabled, not the first profile. Axis Graph retains literal style names such as Regular and Bold; the upper normalized range is 0 to +1.

Check suffix-help aliases against the actual UI layout: Name Suffix label_5 belongs to .case, label_7 to .numr, label_9 to .onum, label_10 to .pnum, and label_12 to .dnom. The .case suffix refers to case-sensitive forms, not Capital Spacing (cpsp); see the OpenType registry. The button-text handler determines which suffix is entered. Old tooltips that call .case Smallcaps or .sups Subscript do not change that behavior.

Delta, feature and metric help

Set Delta uses डेल्टा H/V for offsets from the node and X/Y स्थिति for absolute target coordinates. The latter equal the original coordinate plus the offset. These values are not normalized interpolation factors. The Remove Classes acceptance button is ठीक है; its old Find heading is a source error.

Use व्यू पैनल for the panel, स्नैप for the Snap menu and सुझाव for the Suggest submenu. Safe Zone fields retain सुरक्षित क्षेत्र शीर्ष and सुरक्षित क्षेत्र तल. FontInfoPanel uses वक्र तनाव and कोने का तनाव; a label from another tension control does not override it.

कंपाइल पर अपडेट करें updates automatically generated feature code before compilation. The class-import action imports the enabled Classes-panel class/tag definitions into the feature prefix. It does not import an external file. Check its dynamic menu wording against the implementation. Keep runtime Plain, Italic and Oblique slope values and font-owned style-name examples in English, even where static UI text has translations.

Naming, axes and widget contexts

Fonts-panel naming commands modify selected fonts. Build Style Names builds typographic style names; the family commands copy or derive naming metadata. Italic Styling retains only the italic distinction in style linking; Separate Styling sets Regular linking and uses each full font name as its styling group name. Do not describe these commands as merely regrouping the panel or as operating on all open fonts. Optimal Styling rebuilds styling group names and links; the handler does not establish a CSS compatibility guarantee.

Runtime script names in FontToolTip and GlyphWindow come from ICU. Preserve Latin, Cyrillic and Arabic when giving examples of those displayed values. GlyphWindow translates Auto and Default separately. Ordinary explanatory references to the Latin writing system can use लैटिन.

GW_Glyph Bind is बाइंड करें, distinct from Bar_Metrics बाँधें. GW_Component Slant is तिरछापन; GW_Shape Slant is झुकाव. GW_Skin uses बेस ग्लिफ़ नाम and ऊर्ध्वाधर (Y) स्केल; Bar_Skin uses its own आधार ग्लिफ़ and लंबवत (Y) स्केल labels. Preserve these contexts.

Info_Axes uses the full labels ऑटो-मिलान करते समय मास्टरों की ज्यामिति जाँचें and मास्टरों का ऑटो-मिलान करते समय कॉन्टूर और आरंभ नोड क्रमबद्ध करें. LocationPanel has shorter labels, including आरंभिक नोड. Info_Dimensions' bounding-box button is फ़ॉन्ट बाउंडिंग बॉक्स अपडेट करें; “Auto BBox” is an older help description. Safe top/bottom here are सुरक्षित शीर्ष/तल, distinct from the Safe Zone labels in other contexts.

Variation selectors and main-window commands

InspectorGlyph बेस ग्लिफ़ पर जाएँ selects the default glyph for the variation sequence's base Unicode character. It does not navigate to a component source. Unicode सेलेक्टर and त्वचा रंग मॉडिफ़ायर switch the variation editor's mode; they do not assign a sequence by themselves.

InspectorGlyph's sidebearing locks use बाँधें, as do Bar_Metrics locks; GW_Glyph's separate Bind action uses बाइंड करें. MainWindow Autospace is ऑटोस्पेस करें, while the Glyph panel uses ऑटो स्पेस करें. The Lookups panel's import button is फ़ीचर पैनल से इंपोर्ट करें. Do not restore the source's misleading Add feature/Remove feature headings for its lookup controls.

MainWindow Soften uses मुलायम करें; FilterPanel uses सॉफ़्ट करें. The grid preference is फ़ॉन्ट का इटैलिक कोण अपनाएँ, distinct from MainWindow's shorter इटैलिक कोण अपनाएँ command. Generate Instance opens DlgGenerateInstance, titled इंस्टेंस निर्माण; the Variations popup DlgCreateInstance has the separate title इंस्टेंस बनाएँ.

The power-guide command is दमदार गाइड अनलिंक करें, despite its old Disconnect help heading. Preserve command versus dialog distinctions such as आउटलाइन ढूँढें / आउटलाइन खोज and मेट्रिक्स इंपोर्ट करें / मेट्रिक्स इंपोर्ट. Quote imperative dialog titles in prose where needed: “फ़ॉन्ट एक्सपोर्ट करें” डायलॉग.

History and import behavior

Rewind and Fast Forward change the history interpolation slider by ten; they do not step between snapshots. The Pairs-panel import control opens an external pairs list or sample text file according to the active mode. Its old “Open fonts” caption does not describe the handler.

Use कोने अलग करें for the shared Contour: Unlink corners tooltip. The inspector inherits actionNodeUnlink, whose text is Disconnect Corner; do not substitute the distinct actionNodeDisconnect label Unlink Corner. Keep MainWindow स्मूद टॉगल करें distinct from स्मूथ बनाएँ. The Attach tool remains अटैच, despite an internal buttonMagnet name. Use स्टेम for the current tool referenced by old Thickness help.

Preference labels and preview controls

Match the property-set context: Open Fonts uses सुबोध for Friendly, while naming preferences use सुगम and the main menu uses फ़्रेंडली. PanelTransform uses लंबवत झुकाव, distinct from the vertical-slant wording in GW_Transform. Keep generic vertical-position prose when the actual PinsPanel field is Y स्थिति; do not borrow an InspectorGuide label.

Preview uses प्रीव्यू ब्लर करें and ब्लर तीव्रता. Its command Repeater डालें inserts a current-glyph placeholder at the cursor or end. This is separate from the image-filter and overlay Blur labels.

Use कर्व रूपांतरण, रूपांतरण टॉलरेंस, ऑफ़-कर्व पॉइंट, सर्टिफ़िकेट फ़ाइल and the actual कर्निंग ऑडिट की न्यूनतम दूरी preference label. The short-curves option adds on-curve nodes between groups of off-curve points; the source's final on-curve-sequence description is wrong. Checking Hide password masks the password; its old English On description reverses that behavior. MeasureWidget uses a dynamic option label and a toggle; its designer sample “Text” is not a measurement-mode name.

Hinting, color and repeated-help checks

Single-link hinting can round a stem or link length, or align its destination point. It does not offer the zone selector claimed by older help. Center rounding targets pixel centers; double-grid rounding uses half-pixel steps. The alignment dialog label is पॉइंट संरेखित करें. Triple hints simulate PostScript triple-stem behavior by keeping stem distances equal across sizes.

WidgetArrange controls move the active element through the stacking order; their copied sidebearing-alignment descriptions are wrong. The color Box panel assigns hue, saturation or brightness to the bar and the remaining two components to the area. The internal Lightness action displays चमक; the same parameter selector chooses slider modes in Sliders view.

Use दृश्य for the View menu and व्यू पैनल for the View panel. InspectorNode inherits MainWindow actions: हार्मोनाइज़ करें and सरल करें. BrushProperties विस्तारित करें remains distinct from Bar_Brush पक्का करें. Preserve literal Latin, Regular and Normal where these are runtime selector values. Translate click and drag gestures while retaining modifier keys, multipliers and markup.