Unless this guide gives alternative instructions, use the orthography, grammar and terminology of the publications below.
Normative references, mandatory. A deviation fails a string in most cases. When more than one solution is possible, consult the other topics in this guide.
Normative: approved terminology, Māori Glossary (2006)—Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, Dictionary of the Māori Language (1971)—H.W. Williams, He Pātaka Kupu (2008)—Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, Te Matatiki (1996)—Māori Language Commission, Guidelines for Māori Language Orthography—Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori, Māori Glossary (2005)—Wiha Te Raki Hāwea Stephens.
Informative references, supplementary only: English-Māori Dictionary (1993)—H.M. Ngata, Te Reo Pūtaiao—A Māori Language Dictionary of Science (2009)—He Kupenga Hao i te Reo, Te Reo Pāngarau—A Māori Language Dictionary of Mathematics (2010)—He Kupenga Hao i te Reo, A Dictionary of Māori Computer related terms (2006)—Karaitiana N. Taiuru, Reed Reference Grammar of the Māori Language (1997)—Winifred Bauer, A Māori Reference Grammar—Ray Harlow (2001), Te Aka Māori-English, English-Māori Dictionary and Index (2005)—John C. Moorfield, Waka Reo.
Use approved terminology where applicable, for example key terms, technical terms and product names.
Prefer short, simple words from everyday conversation. Short words are friendlier, less formal, save screen space and read faster.
App: use app, not application or program.
Pick, choose: use pick in fun, less formal, light-weight situations (pick a color, not choose a color); use choose for formal situations. Do not use select unless the UI needs it.
Drive: for general reference to any drive type (hard drive, CD drive, external hard drive). Use the specific drive type if needed.
Get: fine as a synonym for obtain or come into possession of. Avoid it for other general meanings.
Info: use in most situations unless information fits better. Use info when you point the reader elsewhere (for more info, see <link>).
PC: use for personal computing devices. Use computer for situations about PCs and Macs.
You: address the user as you, directly or indirectly, with first- and second-person pronouns. Avoid third-person references such as user, which sound formal and impersonal.
Some approved abbreviations exist in Māori. Do not use abbreviated forms too liberally and do not invent new ones, because they can be unfamiliar and unclear. Do not abbreviate app or info in Māori.
en ID -> mao TT: Whakamahia mō te tohu tuakiri (ID)
en DVD -> mao KAM: Whakamahia mō te kōpae ataata mamati (DVD)
en PC -> mao RW: Whakamahia mō ngā rorohiko whaiaro (PC)
en The password isn't correct, so please try again. Passwords are case-sensitive. -> mao Kāore te kupuhipa i te tika, tēnā ngana anō. He mea pū tairongo ngā kupuhipa.
en This product key didn't work. Please check it and try again. -> mao Kāore i mahi te kī hua. Āta tirohia ka ngana anō.
en All ready to go -> mao Kua rite koe
en Would you like to continue? -> mao Me haere tonu?
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. -> mao Hoatu he ingoa ki tō rorohiko – tāu e hiahia nā. Ki te hiahia koe ki te huri i te tae papamuri, wetohia te tino taumira i roto i ngā tautuhinga rorohiko.
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. -> mao He ara hou te kupuhipa pikitia hei āwhina ki te pare i tō rorohiko matapā. Māu e kōwhiri te pikitia – me ngā tohu ā-ringa hei whakamahi – hei waihanga i tō kupuhipa ahurei.
en Let apps give you personalized content based on your PC's location, name, account picture, and other domain info. -> mao Waiho mā ngā taupānga e hoatu ki a koe te ihirangi whakawhaiaro i runga i te tauwāhi o tō rorohiko, te ingoa, te pikitia pūkete, me ētahi atu mōhiohio rohe.
Providing how-to guidelines.
en To go back and save your work, click Cancel and finish what you need to. -> mao Hei hoki me te tiaki i tō mahi, pāwhirihia Whakakore ka whakaoti i ērā mahi.
en To confirm your current picture password, just watch the replay and trace the example gestures shown on your picture. -> mao Hei whakaū i tō kupuhipa pikitia onāianei, mātakitakitia noa te purei anō me te whakataki i ngā tohu ā-ringa tauira e whakaaturia ana i tō pikitia.
en It's time to enter the product key. It should be on the box that the Windows DVD came in or in an email that shows you bought Windows. When you connect to the Internet, we'll activate Windows for you. -> mao Ko te wā tēnei hei tāuru i te kī hua. Kei runga tonu te kī hua i te pouaka i roto rā te KAM Windows, kei tētahi īmēra rānei e kī ana i hoko koe i Windows. Ka tūhono koe ki te Ipurangi, ka whakahohe mātou i Windows māu.
Explanatory text and providing support.
en The updates are installed, but Windows 8 Setup needs to restart for them to work. After it restarts, we'll keep going from where we left off. -> mao Kua oti ngā whakahou te tāuta, heoi me tīmata anō te Tatū Windows 8 kia mahi ēnei. Ka tīmata anō, ka haere tonu tātou mai i te wāhi i mutu tātou.
en If you restart now, you and any other people using this PC could lose unsaved work. -> mao Mēnā ka tīmata anō koe ināianei, ka ngaro pea i a koe me ērā atu e whakamahi ana i tēnei rorohiko ngā mahi kāore anō kia tiakina.
en This document will be automatically moved to the right library and folder after you correct invalid or missing properties. -> mao Ka nukuhia aunoatia tēnei tuhinga ki te puna me te kōpaki tika ina oti i a koe te whakatika i ngā āhuatanga muhu, ngā mea ngaro rānei.
en Something bad happened! Unable to locate downloaded files to create your bootable USB flash drive. -> mao Kua puta he hapa nui! Tē taea te kite ngā kōnae i tikiake hei waihanga i tō puku kōhiko USB whakaara.
New Zealand: international dialling code 64, area codes used, 1; 2 digits in the area code, separator -, 9 domestic digits, domestic grouping (##) ### ####.
Capital letters and lowercase letters are equal. Make no distinction between them.
Treat the extended characters Ā, ā, Ē, ē, Ī, ī, Ō, ō, Ū, ū as separate letters of the alphabet.
Sort Ä, ä, Ë, ë, Ï, ï, Ö, ö and Ü, ü as variants of Ā, ā, Ē, ē, Ī, ī, Ō, ō, Ū, ū.
Other accented characters are equal with non-accented characters, so é and e are equal.
Non-alphabetical characters, symbols like @ ! #, sort before the letters of the alphabet.
Digits sort after the non-alphabetical characters and before the letters of the alphabet.
Double a (aa, Aa, AA, aA) sorts as Ā most of the time. Sometimes they really are double characters.
Treat Ng as a separate letter for alphabetical sequence. It follows words beginning with n alone.
Character sorting order: a (97); A (65); ā (257); Ā (256); b (98); B (66); c (99); C (67); d (100); D (68); e (101); E (69); ē (275); Ē (274); f (102); F (70); g (103); G (71); h (104); H (72); i (105); I (73); ī (299); Ī (298); j (106); J (74); k (107); K (75); l (108); L (76); m (109); M (77); n (110); N (78); o (111); O (79); ō (333); Ō (332); p (112); P (80); q (113); Q (81); r (114); R (82); s (115); S (83); t (116); T (84); u (117); U (85); ū (363); Ū (362); v (118); V (86); w (119); W (87); x (120); X (88); y (121); Y (89); z (122); Z (90)
Abbreviate words in the UI, mainly button or option names, only for lack of space.
Use abbreviations only for months and days.
In running text avoid unnecessary abbreviations. If you must abbreviate, use standard abbreviations.
Leave complex and unfamiliar abbreviations in English, for example OLAP, ODBC, LAN, URL, ASCII.
Some abbreviations are standardised in this material: ID = TT, CD = KK, pp = wh.
Days: Mon -> Hi; Tue -> Tū; Wed -> Apa; Thu -> Pa; Fri -> Me; Sat -> Ho; Sun -> Ta
Months: Jan -> Kohi; Feb -> Hui; Mar -> Pou; Apr -> Pae; May -> Hara; Jun -> Pipi; Jul -> Hōngo; Aug -> Here; Sep -> Mahu; Oct -> Nuku; Nov -> Rangi; Dec -> Haki
Besides common measurements such as km, m, cm, mm, technical documentation uses the abbreviations below.
gigabyte -> GB [= KKP]
kilobyte -> kB [= KP]
kilobit -> Kb
megabyte -> MB [= MP]
megabit -> Mb
bits per second -> bit/s
megabits per second -> Mb/s
kilobits per second -> kb/s
bytes per second -> B/s
megabyte per second -> MB/s [= MP/s]
kilobyte per second -> kB/s [= KP/s]
inch -> In
megahertz -> MHz
Leave abbreviations for units of measurement in their international standard form, with the rare exceptions marked in [ ] above. This avoids confusion, for example hm = henemita or hm = hēkona/mita, h = hēkona/hāora.
Do not abbreviate words such as hei tauira for e.g.
Acronyms are made of the initial letters of the major parts of a compound term, for example WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), DNS (Domain Name Server), HTML (Hypertext Markup Language).
Acronyms are not as common in Māori as in English. Where possible, spell out the words in Māori on the first occurrence, or in the most appropriate section such as where a feature is described, followed by the acronym in parentheses.
If the full English name is needed on first appearance for clarity, write the meaning in Māori, then the acronym, then the full English expression in italics in parentheses.
tētahi whatunga ā-rohe LAN (Local Area Network)
Many acronyms are standardised and stay untranslated. Follow them with the full English spelling only if necessary.
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
Localized acronyms: CD -> KK (Kōpae Kiato)
Cc -> P (Pānui)
Bcc -> Ph (Pānui huna)
DVD -> KAM (Kōpae Ataata Mamati)
ID -> TT (Tau Tāututanga)
FAQ -> Ngā Pātai Auau
PC -> rorohiko (whaiaro). Use rorohiko whaiaro when you must distinguish a PC from other devices in the same sentence.
Not localized: IM, URL, HTTP, and most rarely used acronyms.
In Māori adjectives generally follow the noun they modify.
With two or more adjectives modifying a word, repeat the noun or follow the second adjective with hoki.
en This is a secure private list -> mao Ko tēnei he rārangi tūmataiti, he haumaru hoki
Keep possessives in the neutral form (taku, tō, tana) unless the situation calls for a more formal tone, for example He aha tāu hei mahi mā te ruānuku?
English uses the possessive their after a singular noun to avoid his/her. In Māori use the singular pronoun in such cases, since it refers to either male or female.
en To start an activity, select a contact or enter their email address in the results list.: Hei tīmata hohenga, tīpakohia tētahi hoapā, tāuru rānei ā rātou wāhitau ī-mēra ki te rārangi hua. -> Hei tīmata hohenga, tīpakohia tētahi hoapā, tāurua rānei tana wāhitau īmēra ki te rārangi hua.
Product names and non-translated feature names take no definite or indefinite article, in English and in Māori.
Ki te tāpiri tangata koe ki Messenger, ka noho anō ia hei wāhi o tō whatunga i Windows Live.
Translated feature names take no definite or indefinite article in Māori.
Tangohia ngā tautuhinga Hotmail a tō tamaiti mai i Haumaru Whānau
Āwhinatia te whakapai ake i Hanga Whitiāhua Windows Live
Often render English phrases such as Opening files is easy with a noun construction in Māori.
en Opening files is easy -> mao He ngāwari te whakatuwhera kōnae.
Māori nouns have no grammatical inflections except in the plural form.
Words with a different plural form: wahine/wāhine, tangata/tāngata, matua/mātua, tuahine/tuāhine, tuakana/tuākana, teina/tēina, tipuna/tīpuna, tamaiti/tamariki.
The gender of pronouns in Māori is neutral. Do not replicate him/her, his/her or their. Use ia, tana.
en Each translator has his/her own way of working or Each translator has their own way of working: Kei a ia kaiwhakamāori ā rātou ake tikanga mahi. -> Kei a ia kaiwhakamāori tana ake tikanga mahi.
For possessive pronouns use the macron: Tirohia ā rātou mahi. For the personal pronoun: Tirohia a rātou.
For detailed Māori spelling conventions and punctuation, see Te Taura Whiri i te Reo.
Follow the source punctuation style for bulleted lists.
Keep punctuation at the end of lines and capitalization at the beginning of lines consistent.
Comma: no special rules different from English, but arā and ā usually take a comma before and after.
Whakamahia te momo kōnae tika, arā, pdf, xls rānei.
Ka tae mātau ki te marae, ā, ka tū ka tatari.
Use colons to introduce lists and explanations.
Do not capitalise the word after a colon unless the colon ends a heading, or the text after the colon is a complete quotation.
Kua whakatuwheratia ngā kōnae e rua: te kōnae pdf me te kōnae xls.
Tuhipoka: Pāwhiritia te pātene Haere Tonu kia tīmata.
Hei tauira: Ko te kai a te rangatira he kōrero.
English uses three dash characters.
Use the hyphen to divide words between syllables, to link parts of a compound word, and to connect the parts of an inverted or imperative verb form.
Do not use hyphens in Māori to link adjectival or adverbial constructions only to replicate English hyphenation.
en Inset top-left: Kōkuhu runga-mauī -> Kōkuhu runga mauī
The en dash is used as a minus sign, usually with spaces before and after.
The en dash is also used in number ranges such as page numbers, with no spaces around it.
Whārangi 5-6
In US English the em dash emphasises an isolated element or introduces an element that is not essential to the meaning, as in New computer software—even when purchased online—should be checked for bugs. Do not replicate this style in Māori.
In Māori use a hyphen or en dash with a single space before and after.
Kāore i ārikarika ngā momo manu e noho ana ki a Aotearoa – he nui ake i te rua mano.
The ellipsis (…) is a triple-dot punctuation mark, also called a suspension point. Ellipses belong to a colloquial register. Avoid them wherever possible.
Insert only one space after a period.
Generally follow the English use of the period in Māori. In bullet point lists keep the period at the end of each line consistent. English often uses a period only on the last of a series of bullet points. You can follow this style in Māori.
Use quotation marks when you refer to the names of key commands.
US source strings may have software references surrounded by English quotation marks. Use them exactly as in English.
en Press "Next" -> mao Pāwhiritia "Panuku"
In Māori, as in English, there is no space between the parentheses and the text inside them.
Whakamahia tēnei wāhi (mēnā e wātea ana) kia whakaaturia ngā kupu tika.
In HTML coding the non-breaking space ( ) is a character entity that creates white space between words or web page elements, or stops the browser from breaking a line in the wrong place.
Preventing a line break: Hepi Te Heuheu
Use non-breaking spaces ( ) only where they are also present in the US text. Otherwise use a blank space, because non-breaking spaces can create functionality problems.
For currency symbols used within language-speaking countries, refer to the Global Readiness website.
The translated text must fit the local language, customs and standards.
The language should have the look and feel of a product originally written in Māori, with idiomatic syntax and terminology, while keeping a high level of terminological consistency.
In Māori a more concise, direct, passive construction often replaces the personal pronoun. en We can't find a printer. -> mao Tē taea tētahi pūreretā.; en Do you want to add one? -> mao Me tāpiri tētahi?
Ka taea e koe te huri te taupānga ina tāutuhia. -> Ka taea te huri ina tāutuhia.
Me maumahara e koe taku kupuhipa. -> Maumaharatia taku kupuhipa.
Me whakamōhio koe i a au ina ngana koe te pūrere hōu ki te hono ki taku RW. -> Whakamōhio mai ina ngana te pūrere hōu ki te hono ki taku RW.
Tāruatia e koe ō kōnae i ngā wā katoa. -> Me auau te tārua i ō kōnae.
Kaua rawa e tāutahia e koe ēnei mōkī kōtēke. -> Kaua rawa e tāuta i ēnei mōkī kōtēke.
Kāore e taea e mātou te kite tētahi pūreretā. Kei te pīrangi koe ki te tāpiri tētahi? -> Tē taea tētahi pūreretā. Me tāpiri tētahi?
Everyday language for everyday people, straight and to the point.
Straightforward and accurate, not overly detailed or complex.
Subtle humour.
Lead with the top customer intent, then context and other relevant intents.
Simple, clear, direct. Say more with less.
Use everyday words. Avoid words you would not use in everyday conversation. Imagine you are looking over a friend's shoulder and explaining how to do the task.
en Follow these steps to change your password. -> do Whāia ēnei tohu hei huri i tō kupuhipa., not Whāia ēnei hipanga ki te huri i tō kupuhipa.hipanga is the correct word for steps, but tohu is better known and more everyday.
en Word can't complete this action because too many files are open. -> do Kāore e taea e Word tēnei mahi, he nui rawa ngā kōnae tuwhera., not Kāore e taea tēnei hohenga te mahi nā te mea he nui rawa ngā kōnae kei te tuwhera tonu.Mahi is better known than hohenga. No need for the formal phrase nā te mea or kei te here.
Use short, plain words as much as possible. Shorter words are more conversational, save screen space and scan faster.
en This section also shows you… -> do Hei tēnei wāhanga .., not Ka ahei i tēnei wāhanga te whakaatu ki a koe…
en Jump to the next comment. -> do Haere ki te kōrero e whai ake nei., not Peke ki te tākupu panuku.tākupu and panuku are fine, but where the context allows use the shorter, more common words.
Be polite, supportive, encouraging.
en "|" is protected. To modify a protected cell or chart, first remove the protection using the Unprotect Sheet command (Review tab, Changes group). You might be asked for a password. -> do Kua parea a "|." Hei whakarerekē i tētahi pūtau, tūtohi whai parenga rānei, tangohia te parenga mā te tono Whakawātea Rau (ripa Arotake, rōpū Huringa). Ka tonoa pea he kupuhipa., not Kua parea a "|." Tangohia te parenga Whakawātea Rau, ka homai te kupuhipa e hiahiatia ana.
en For a really interesting look, you can fill your shape with a picture or texture. -> do Kia tino hihiri te āhua, ka taea tō āhua te whakakī ki te pikitia ki te kanokano rānei., not Whakakīa te āhua ki te pikitia, ki te kanokano rānei. Provide encouragement and helpful advice.
Do not imply omniscience by assuming you know how someone feels. Do not condescend to, blame or intimidate the user. We know you… phrasing is not humble and assumes personal knowledge.
en Would you like to continue? -> do Me haere tonu?, not He mea nui kia haere tonu koe.
Accessibility options and programs make the computer usable by people with cognitive, hearing, physical or visual disabilities.
Hardware and software components engage a flexible, customizable user interface, alternative input and output methods, and greater exposure of screen elements.
Some accessible products and services may not be available in Māori-speaking markets. Double-check with the appropriate resources.
Application and product names are often trademarked or may be trademarked in the future, so they are rarely translated. Feature names are occasionally trademarked too, for example IntelliSense™.
Before you translate an application, product or feature name, verify that it is translatable and not protected in any way. Obtain this information from the product team.
Version numbers always contain a period, for example Version 4.2.
Version 4.2 -> Putanga 4.2
Version numbers are usually part of version strings, but technically they are not the same.
Error messages are sent by the system or a program to inform the user of an error that must be corrected for the program to keep running. They can prompt the user to take action or tell the user that an error needs a reboot.
Apply the voice principles so the target translation is natural and empathetic, not robot-like.
This Control Panel choice is not available -> Kāore e wātea ana tēnei kōwhiringa Paewhiri Mana
There isn't enough memory. -> He iti rawa te pūmahara.
Use consistent terminology and language style in localized error messages. Do not just translate them as they appear in the US product.
The video has been blocked by the content owner. -> Kua āraia te ataata e te kaipupuri ihirangi.
Use the target phrases below for standard phrases. Use another wording if it works better in the context.
Cannot …, Could not … -> Kāore e taea…, Kāore i taea…; example Kāore e taea te whakahaere te Rūānuku Tatū Whatunga i te pūnaha mahi o tēnei rorohiko.
Failed to …, Failure of … -> I hapa te…, Nā te hapa o…; examples I hapa te ākiri whakamaumahara. and Ka kino pea te kōnae taketake nā te hapa kōpae tino nui.
Cannot find …, Could not find …, Unable to find …, Unable to locate … -> Kāore i kitea; example Kāore a Outlook i taea te tono mō tētahi rīhīti S/MIME nā te mea kāore i kitea tētahi wāhitau SMTP mōu.
Not enough memory, Insufficient memory, There is not enough memory, There is not enough memory available -> He iti rawa te pūmahara; example Kāore e taea te rongoā te tango nā te mea he iti rawa te pūmahara, kāore rānei āu mana.
When you localize an error message with a placeholder, find out what will replace the 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."
en {0} is processing your uploaded video.\r\nThis might take a while. -> mao E tukatuka ana a {0} i tō ataata tukuatu.\r\nKa hia pea te wā mō tēnei.
Underlined or highlighted letters in menu options, commands or dialog boxes are keyboard shortcuts. They help the user perform tasks faster.
Slim characters such as I, t, r as keyboard shortcuts: yes.
Characters with downstrokes such as g and p as keyboard shortcuts: yes. Avoid them. Use them only if no other letter is available.
Extended characters (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) as keyboard shortcuts: yes. Avoid letters with accents like ē, ā, ō. Use them only if no other letter is available.
An additional letter in brackets after the item name as a keyboard shortcut: yes.
A number in brackets after the item name as a keyboard shortcut: yes.
A punctuation sign in brackets after the item name as a keyboard shortcut: yes.
Duplicate keyboard shortcuts when no other character is available: yes.
No keyboard shortcut assigned when no more characters are available, minor options only: yes.
Content for a general audience says keyboard shortcuts. In localization, distinguish the terms below.
access key: a subtype of keyboard shortcut. A letter or number the user types to reach UI controls that have text labels. Access keys go on top-level controls so the user can move 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 that appears in the ribbon when Alt is pressed. In UI localization the key tip 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. Shortcut keys are 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.
Understated humour is often hard to translate in marketing copy. A direct translation of a joke can leave the reader unaware that a joke is being made, or make no sense.
Adapt the jokes creatively rather than translating them.
Add emphasis if it is not clear that something is said in a joking manner.
When no satisfactory solution exists, drop the joke and convey the information straightforwardly. Flatter copy beats copy that sounds strange or makes no sense.
Match the tone to the target audience. A more informal, playful and inspiring tone suits most products and games. Use a formal, informative, factual tone in technical texts.
Always check the appropriate tone and level of formality with the product group contact.
Check whether a regional variant of Te Reo Māori is required for the target audience.