Thai Style Guide

Contents
What's New? .................................................................................................................................... 4
New Topics ................................................................................................................................... 4
Updated Topics ............................................................................................................................ 4
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 5
About This Style Guide ................................................................................................................ 5
Scope of This Document .............................................................................................................. 5
Style Guide Conventions .............................................................................................................. 5
Sample Text ................................................................................................................................. 6
Recommended Reference Material ............................................................................................. 7
Normative References .............................................................................................................. 7
Informative References ............................................................................................................. 7
Language Specific Conventions ...................................................................................................... 8
Country/Region Standards ........................................................................................................... 8
Characters ................................................................................................................................ 8
Date .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Time ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Numbers ................................................................................................................................. 12
Sorting ..................................................................................................................................... 15
Geopolitical Concerns ................................................................................................................ 17
Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions ......................................................................... 18
Adjectives ................................................................................................................................ 18
Articles .................................................................................................................................... 18
Capitalization .......................................................................................................................... 19
Compounds............................................................................................................................. 19
Gender .................................................................................................................................... 19
Genitive ................................................................................................................................... 19
Modifiers ................................................................................................................................. 19
Nouns ...................................................................................................................................... 20
Prepositions ............................................................................................................................ 20
Pronouns ................................................................................................................................. 20
Punctuation ............................................................................................................................. 20
Singular & Plural ..................................................................................................................... 24
Split Infinitive ........................................................................................................................... 24
Subjunctive ............................................................................................................................. 24
Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces........................................................................................... 24
Syntax ..................................................................................................................................... 24
Verbs ....................................................................................................................................... 25
Word Order ............................................................................................................................. 25
Style and Tone Considerations .................................................................................................. 25
Audience ................................................................................................................................. 25

Style ........................................................................................................................................ 25
Tone ........................................................................................................................................ 26
Voice ....................................................................................................................................... 26
Localization Guidelines .................................................................................................................. 27
General Considerations ............................................................................................................. 27
Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... 27
Accessibility ............................................................................................................................ 27
Acronyms ................................................................................................................................ 27
Applications, Products, and Features ..................................................................................... 28
Frequent Errors ....................................................................................................................... 28
Glossaries ............................................................................................................................... 28
Fictitious Information ............................................................................................................... 28
Recurring Patterns .................................................................................................................. 29
Standardized Translations ...................................................................................................... 29
Unlocalized Items.................................................................................................................... 29
Using the Word Microsoft ....................................................................................................... 30
Software Considerations ............................................................................................................ 30
User Interface ......................................................................................................................... 30
Example for translation of user interface: ............................................................................... 31
Messages ................................................................................................................................ 31
Keys ........................................................................................................................................ 35
Document Translation Considerations ....................................................................................... 40
Titles ....................................................................................................................................... 40
Copyright ................................................................................................................................. 40

What's New?
Last Updated: February 2011

New Topics
No new topics added.

Updated Topics
The overall Style Guide content was fully updated in February 2011 as part of major Style Guide update project
performed for all languages.

Introduction
This Style Guide went through major revision in February 2011 in order to remove outdated and unnecessary
content.

About This Style Guide

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

Scope of This Document

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

Style Guide Conventions

In this document, a plus sign (+) before a translation example means that this is the recommended correct
translation. A minus sign (-) is used for incorrect translation examples.
In Microsoft localization context, the word term is used in a slightly untraditional sense, meaning the same as e.g.
a segment in Trados. The distinguishing feature of a term here is that it is translated as one unit; it may be a
traditional term (as used in terminology), a phrase, a sentence, or a paragraph.
References to interface elements really only refer to translatable texts associated with those interface elements.
Example translations in this document are only intended to illustrate the point in question. They are not a source
of approved terminology.

Sample Text

2 3
2 (Plasma)

77%




23 %

1,500

45,000



A 400

B 400

600

AB 100

17-18 15-16




3

20



(BLOOD BAG)
350-450
(..)




.
10330
: 0-2263-9600-99 1752,1753
Source: www.redcross.or.th

27 2554 9.00 .

Recommended Reference Material

Use the Thai language and terminology as described and used in the following publications.

Normative References
These normative sources must be adhered to. Any deviation from them automatically fails a string in most cases.
When more than one solution is allowed in these sources, look for the recommended one in other parts of the
Style Guide.
1. ..

2542, ISBN 974-9588-04-5.

Informative References
These sources are meant to provide supplementary information, background, comparison, etc.
1.
5 .. 2543.
2. . The Royal Institute (http://www.royin.go.th).

Language Specific Conventions

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

Country/Region Standards
Characters
Country/region

Thailand

Lower-case characters

n/a

Upper-case characters

n/a

Characters in case less

scripts

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

Extended Latin characters

n/a

Note on alphabetical order

Alphabetical order is not necessarily indicative of sorting order.

Thai alphabet is syllabic, consisting of 44 basic consonants representing 21
distinct consonant sounds, each with an inherent vowel:

Total number of characters

18 vowels:

Unicode codes

Range: 0E00-0E7F
http://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0E00.pdf
There are no spaces between words; instead spaces in a Thai text indicate the
end of a clause or sentence.

Notes

The direction of writing in the Thai language is horizontal from left to right.
Thai Numerals: ,

, , , , , , , , (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Date
Country/region

Thailand

Calendar/Era

Buddhist calendar. It is a 543 years before Gregorian calendar.

First Day of the Week

Sunday

First Week of the Year

The week of January 1st.

Separator

/ (slash), space

Default Short Date

Format

d/M/yyyy

Example

17/3/2554

Default Long Date Format d MMMM yyyy

Example

17 2554

Additional Short Date

Format 1

d MMM yyyy

Example

17 .. 2554

Additional Short Date

Format 2

d MMM yy

Example

17 .. 54

Additional Long Date

Format 1

''dddd'' d MMMM gg yyyy

Example

17 .. 2554

Additional Long Date

Format 2

'' d MMMM gg yyyy

Example

17 .. 2554

Leading Zero in Day Field

for Short Date Format

No

Leading Zero in Month

Field for Short Date
Format

No

No. of digits for year for

Short Day Format

Leading Zero in Day Field

No

Country/region

Thailand

for Long Date Format

Leading Zero in Month
Field for Long Date
Format

no

Number of digits for year

for Long Day Format

Date Format for

Correspondence

d MMMM yyyy

Example

17 2544
Date with Thai number is mostly used in official documents:

Notes

Sample of long date format: ..

Additional sample of long date format:
Sample of short date format: ..

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

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

Time
Country/region

Thailand

24 hour format

Yes

Standard time format

HH.mm .; HH:mm:ss .

Standard time format

example

15.24 .; 15:24:12 .

Time separator

Period (.), colon (:)

Time separator examples

15.24 .; 15:24:12 .

Hours leading zero

No

Hours leading zero example

9.19 .

String for AM designator

10

Country/region

Thailand

String for PM designator

Notes

. is an abbreviation for .

Days
Country/region: Thailand
Day

Normal Form

Abbreviation

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

First Day of Week: Sunday

Is first letter capitalized?: No
Notes: n/a

Months
Country/region: Thailand
Month

Full Form

Abbreviated Form

Long Date Form

January

..

February

..

March

..

April

..

May

..

June

..

July

..

11

Month

Full Form

Abbreviated Form

Long Date Form

August

..

September

..

October

..

November

..

December

..

Is first letter capitalized?: No

Notes: n/a

Numbers
Numbers in Thai language use Arabic numerals: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Thai numbers are common used in official documents: , , , , , , , , , .

Phone Numbers
Country/
region

International
Dialing
Code

Area
Codes
Used?

Number of
Digits Area
Codes

Separator

Number of
Digits
Domestic

Digit Groupings
Domestic

Thailand

66

yes

2; 3

Space ( )

# #### ####

Country/
region

Number of
Digits
Local

Digit
Groupings
Local

Number of
Digits Mobile

Digit
Groupings
Mobile

Number of
Digits
International

Digit Groupings
International

Thailand

# ####
####

10

## ####
####

11; 12

Phone & Fax: +##

(#) #### ## ##
Mobile: +## (#)#
#### ####

Notes: Example for phone number formats used:

0 2123 4567 (local or domestic call)
0 2123 4567 123 (phone number with extension number)
+66 (0)8 1234 5678 (international call for mobile phone)
+66 2123 4567 (international call for fixed line)

12

Addresses
Country/region: Thailand
Disclaimer: Please note that the information in this entry should under no circumstances be used in examples as
fictitious information.
Address Format:
1. [Title/Honorific] First name, Last name
2. [Company Name]
3. Address1
4. [Address2]
5. Province, Postal Code
6. [Country]
Example Address:
.
99/99 1

10100
Local Postal Code Format: #####
Notes: n/a

Currency
Country/region

Thailand

Currency Name

Baht

Currency Symbol

Currency Symbol Position

Currency symbol before the amounts

Positive Currency Format

12,345.99; 12,345.99 Baht

Negative Sign Symbol

Minus (-)

Negative Currency Format

-12,345.99; -12,345.99 Baht

Decimal Symbol

Period (.)

Number of Digits after Decimal

Digit Grouping Symbol

Comma (,)
13

Number of Digits in Digit

Grouping

Positive Currency Example

123,456,789.00; 123,456,789.00 Baht

Negative Currency Example

-123,456,789.00; -123,456,789.00 Baht

ISO Currency Code

THB

Currency Subunit Name

Stang [1 Baht = 100 stang]

Currency Subunit Symbol

n/a

Currency Subunit Example

n/a

Digit Groups
Country/region: Thailand
Decimal Separator: . (period)
Decimal Separator Description: period
Decimal Separator Example: 110.89
Thousand Separator: , (comma)
Thousand Separator Description: comma
Thousand Separator Example: 123,456,789.01
Notes: n/a

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

English

Translation

Abbreviation

Linear Measure

Kilometer

Meter

Decimeter

Centimeter

Millimeter

Hectoliter

Liter

Capacity

14

Category

Mass

English Units of
Measurement

English

Translation

Abbreviation

Deciliter

Centiliter

Milliliter

Ton

Kilogram

Pound

Gram

Decigram

Centigram

Milligram

Inch

Feet

Mile

Gallon

Notes: n/a

Percentages
Percent symbol: %
Percent example: 95.05% (No space before % sign)
Percent example in Thai: 95.05 (Add one space before )

Sorting
The sort order in Thai language follows sort order in B.E 2542 Royal Institute's Thai Dictionary.
Sorting rules

1. Sort by the consonants: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2. Sort by vowels in the following order: -, - -, , -, -, -, -, -, -, -, -, -, -, -, 3. Sort by the order of Thai tone marks: (no tone mark), , , , ,

Character
sorting order

Decimal Code
161
162
15

163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
196
196
196
196
196
196
16

196
196
196
196

1
!humble
@
eye
human
lie
luck
subtle
symbol
vender
yode

Examples of
sorted words

Geopolitical Concerns
Part of the cultural adaptation of the US-product to a specific market is the resolving of geopolitical issues. While
the US-product should have been designed and developed with neutrality and a global audience in mind, the
localized product should respond to the particular situation that applies within the target country/region.

17

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

Maps
Flags
Country/region, city and language names
Art and graphics
Cultural content, such as encyclopedia content and other text where historical or political references may
occur

Some of these issues are relatively easy to verify and resolve: the objective should be for the localizer to always
have the most current information available. Maps and other graphic representations of countries/regions and
regions should be checked for accuracy and existing political restrictions. Country/region, city and language
names change on a regular basis and need to be checked, even if previously approved.
A thorough understanding of the culture of the target market is required for checking the appropriateness of
cultural content, clip art and other visual representations of religious symbols, body and hand gestures.

Grammar, Syntax & Orthographic Conventions

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

Adjectives
Possessive adjectives
The frequent use of possessives is a feature of English language. For feature names, please consult Microsoft
team for approved translations to be used.
Example:

English

Thai

My Pictures

(+)

My Recent Documents

(+)

Articles
General considerations
This section does not apply to Thai.

18

Unlocalized Feature Names

Microsoft product names and non-translated feature names are used without definite or indefinite articles in the
English language. This section does not apply to Thai. We should use the same feature names as in English.
Localized Feature Names
Please consult Microsoft team before using localized feature names.
Articles for English Borrowed Terms
This section does not apply to Thai.

Capitalization
This section does not apply to Thai. For unlocalized terms, capitalization should be the same as in source terms.

Compounds
Generally, compounds should be understandable and clear to the user. Overly long or complex compounds
should be avoided. Keep in mind that unintuitive compounds are ultimately an intelligibility and usability issue.
This section does not apply to Thai. There is no special convention.

Gender
This section does not apply to Thai.

Genitive
This section does not apply to Thai. There is no special convention.

Modifiers
This section does not apply to Thai. There is no special convention.

19

Nouns
General considerations
This section does not apply to Thai. There is no special convention.
Inflection
This section does not apply to Thai.
Plural Formation
This section does not apply to Thai. In Thai, we do not distinguish singular and plural formation.

Prepositions
This section does not apply to Thai. There is no special convention.

Pronouns
"It"
Avoid using when you see "it" in English documents. It is okay to repeat the same word instead of using in
the text. We hardly find the word in non-fictional Thai text. is normally used for animals. In some situations
is used when we want to refer to something or someone that we dislike. "It" can be left out of the text without
changing its meaning. You can still use if it makes the sentence more complete.

Example: or let it float

Should be (+)
Avoid Using (-)
"I"
To translate "I", we suggest using to portray men and women as equals. Use in examples and illustrations
also. Thai men usually do not use in conversations. We cannot use either because it is for men only.

Punctuation
The rules of using punctuation in Thai are not the same as in English. It is not recommended to use punctuation in
Thai sentences. Try to translate punctuation.

20

Comma
It is used in English to separate words or phrases. In Thai, we use a space to separate words or phrases. Do not
put comma (,) in Thai sentences in the exact position as in English.
For example:

Sentence1. However, sentence2.

Should be:

Sentence1 + space + sentence 2

For example:

When sentence1, sentence2.

Should be

+ sentence1 + space + sentence2

Example
English

Thai

The transaction was successfully aborted. However,

the abort was non-retaining.

(+)
Non-Retaining

Update, Add, or Remove Data.

(+)

Note: Comma must be used to separate the series of number.

English

Thai

browse through Sections 2, 3 and 4.

(+) 2, 3 4

Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, all others

(+) Blogger, WordPress, TypePad

Exception: "index keywords" are formatted with comma which separates entry level 1 from entry level 2. These
commas must not be removed and order must be respect.

Colon
Use colons in the same way as in English.
English

Thai

Prevent others from playing DVDs that are rated

higher than:

(+)




:

To download the message:

(+)
:

21

Dashes and Hyphens

Three different dash characters are used in English:
Hyphen
The hyphen is used to divide words between syllables, to link parts of a compound word, and to connect the parts
of an inverted or imperative verb form.
En Dash
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 those specifying page numbers. No spaces are used around
the en dash in this case.
Em Dash
The em dash should only be used to emphasize an isolated element or introduce an element that is not essential
to the meaning conveyed by the sentence.

Ellipses (Suspension Points)

Ellipses are used in the same way as in English.
Example:
English

Thai

Downloading %1...

(+) %1...

Connecting to the Internet...

...
(+)

Period
Use period (.) for abbreviation purpose only.
The period at end sentences must be removed.
Example:
English

Thai

Windows cannot connect to the printer.

(+) Windows

Jan

(+) ..
22

Question Marks
In Thai interrogative sentences, question mark should be omitted.
Example:
English

Thai

Would you like to save your list as a slide show?

(+)

Where do you want to save the backup?

(+)

Quotation Marks
In US source strings, you may find software references surrounded by English quotation marks. In Thai, use
quotation marks the same way as in English.

English

Thai

Are you sure you want to delete your contact "%s"?

(+) "%s"

Parentheses
In English, there is no space between the parentheses and the text inside them. In Thai, use parentheses the
same way as in English.

English

Thai

Text Documents (*.txt)

(+) (*.txt)

Repetition symbols
Only add one space after repetition symbol to avoid incorrect text wrap.
Example
English

Thai

The CTL name and description help distinguish it from

others CTLs.

CTL
(+)
CTL

23

Singular & Plural

We need to be careful when translating plurals. We cannot just add -s at the end of words to make them plural as
in English. If there is a quantity in front of a noun, you will have to translate such a noun as plural. Otherwise
leave it as singular.
Example:
English

Thai

My Documents

(+)

Files

(+)

Previous 100 e-mails

(+) 100

Split Infinitive
This section does not apply to Thai. There is no special convention.

Subjunctive
This section does not apply to Thai. There is no special convention.

Symbols & Non-Breaking Spaces

Special characters in table below should be kept in Thai translation in the same way as in English:

Character

What to display

Non-breaking space ( )

Less-than symbol (<)

<

Greater-than symbol (&gt;)

>

Ampersand (&amp;)

&

Quotation mark (&quot;)

Syntax
In English, passive forms of verbs are frequently used, whereas in Thai, passive forms may decrease readability
so should be often avoided.
24

Example:
English

Translation

This program couldn't be downloaded.

(+)

Do you want to allow a file to be downloaded?

(+)

Verbs
Continuous operations are usually expressed in English with a gerund, which should be translated into Thai with
.
Example:
English

Translation

Printing

(+) ...

Downloading file...

(+) ...

Word Order
This section does not apply to Thai. There is no special convention.

Style and Tone Considerations

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

Audience
Audiences will depend on type of product.
Example:
Target audiences for Windows Live are users between 15 & 35 years of age.

Style
Translation should be in user friendly style. Users could understand easily.

25

Tone
The tone for translation depends on type of products and target users. Most translations should be informal or
standard spoken usage.

Voice
"You" should be translated to in most cases.
Example:
English

Translation

You are now connected to the Internet.

(+)

26

Localization Guidelines
This section contains guidelines for localization into Thai.

General Considerations
Some general considerations apply to software, help & documentation and web localizations.

Abbreviations
Common Abbreviations
List of common abbreviations:
Expression

Acceptable Abbreviation

()

..

..

Dont abbreviate such words as

(second)

Accessibility
This section does not apply to Thai.

Acronyms
Acronyms are words made up of the initial letters of major parts of a compound term. Some well-known examples
are WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), OLE (Object Linking and Embedding), or RAM (Random
Access Memory). Most of acronyms are kept in English in Thai localization.

27

Localized Acronyms
English

Thai

CD-ROM

DVD

Unlocalized Acronyms
English

Thai

WYSIWYG

WYSIWYG

LAN

LAN

ISDN

ISDN

OCR

OCR

TCP/IP

TCP/IP

Applications, Products, and Features

Application/product names are often trademarked or may be trademarked in the future and are therefore rarely
translated. Occasionally, feature names are trademarked, too (e.g. IntelliSense). Before translating any
application, product, or feature name, please verify that it is in fact translatable and not protected in any way. This
information needs to be obtained from the Product Group.

Frequent Errors
Example of frequent errors found in localization:

Terminology Inconsistency. Before translating, please verity the translation to be used from glossary
provided.
Spelling Error.

Glossaries
Please make sure to consult Microsoft terminology in Language Portal (http://www.microsoft.com/Language/enUS/Default.aspx). Consistent use of Microsoft approved terminology in all localized products is one of the major
factors in achieving the required quality of the localized product.

Fictitious Information
Fictitious content is legally sensitive material and as such cannot be handled as a pure terminology or localization
issue. Below is some basic information and contact points when dealing with fictitious content:
28

Vendors and Localizers are not allowed to create their own fictitious names. You must either use the source
names or use the list of legally approved names provided by Microsoft.

Recurring Patterns
Example for useful recurring patterns:
English

Thai

Do one or all of the following:

Do one of the following:

You can also

Getting help about

See also

For more information

How?

How do I ?

To learn more about

Standardized Translations
There are a number of standardized translations mentioned in all sections of this Style Guide. In order to find
them more easily, the most relevant topics and sections are compiled here for you reference.

General Considerations
Software Considerations
Unlocalized Items
Document Translation Considerations

Unlocalized Items
Trademarked names and the name Microsoft Corporation shouldnt be localized. A list of Microsoft trademarks is
available for your reference at the following location: http://www.microsoft.com/trademarks/t-mark/names.htm.
Also, product and features names shouldnt be localized. Refer to Refer to glossary web site as reference.
Word

Comment

ENTER

Button on keyboard

Shift

Button on keyboard

Home

Button on keyboard

29

Word

Comment

End

Button on keyboard

Page Up

Button on keyboard

Page Down

Button on keyboard

PivotTable
Bluetooth
PlayReady
BitLocker
InfoPath Editor
NetBIOS
Microsoft Office Ready
Microsoft Sales Leads

Using the Word Microsoft

In English, it is prohibited to use MS as an abbreviation for Microsoft.
In Thai, the word Microsoft should be used same as English.
Example:

English

Translation

Choose 'Return to Microsoft Word' in Microsoft Query.

' Microsoft Word' Microsoft Query

Software Considerations
This section refers to all menus, menu items, commands, buttons, check boxes, etc., which should be consistently
translated in the localized product.
Refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/aa511258.aspx for a detailed explanation of the Windows user interface
guidelines (English).

User Interface
Example of user interface that will be displayed on users machine:
30

Example for translation of user interface:

English

Translation

File

Home

Insert

Page Layout

References

Mailings

Review

View

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

31

Thai Style in Status bar Messages

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

Name

Edit

Copy to
Folder...

New

Thai Name

Category

English Status
Bar message

menu

Contains editing
commands

menu

Copies the selected

items to a new
location

command

Creates a new
document

Make object
visible?

Word is converting
the document.
Press Esc to stop.

Word Esc

Datasheet View

Done

...

Thai Status Bar message

The importance of standardization

In the US product you can often find messages that are phrased differently even though they have the same
meaning. Try to avoid this in the localized Thai version. Use one standard translation as in the examples below:
English term

Correct Thai translation

Press F1 to get Help

F1

If you want Help press F1

To get Help press F1
Not enough memory

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

%1

Do you want to save changes to %1?

32

Error Messages
What Is An Error Message?
Here is an example:

Error messages are messages sent by the system or a program, informing the user that there is an error that
must be corrected in order for the program to keep running. For example, the messages can prompt the user to
take an action or inform the user of an error that requires rebooting the computer.
Thai Style in Error Messages
It is important to use consistent terminology and language style in the localized error messages, and not just
translate as they appear in the US product.
Standard Phrases in Error Messages
When translating standard phrases, standardize. Note that sometimes the US uses different forms to express the
same thing.
Examples:
English
Cannot
Could not
Failed to
Failure of

Translation

Example

Comment

English: You cannot save files on this drive.

...

...

Thai: (+)

English: Failed to open document.

Thai: (+)

Cannot find
Could not find

Unable to find

...

English: Unable to find the user information for the file.

Thai: (+)

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English

Translation

Example

Comment

Unable to
locate
Not enough
memory
Insufficient
memory
There is not
enough
memory

English: Indexing is paused because there is not

enough memory available.
Thai: (+)

There is not
enough
memory
available

... is not
available
... is
unavailable

n/a

n/a

This cannot
be translated
as this type
of fragment.
The
translation
will be varied
depend on
context.

Error Messages Containing Placeholders

When localizing error messages containing placeholders, try to find out what will replace the placeholder. This is
necessary for the sentence to be grammatically correct when the placeholder is replaced with a word or phrase.
Note that the letters used in placeholders convey a specific meaning, see examples below:
%d, %ld, %u, and %lu means <number>
%c means <letter>
%s means <string>
Examples of error messages containing placeholders:
"Checking Web %1!d! of %2!d!" means "Checking Web <number> of <number>".
"INI file "%1!-.200s!" section" means "INI file "<string>" section".
In Thai localization, all placeholders should not be localized.
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English

Translation

CD Drive (%c:)

(%c:)

If %username% has forgotten the password, he or

she can use the password reset floppy disk.

%username%

Maximum of %3!s! digit(s) allowed

%3!s!

Keys
The keyboard is the primary input device used for text input in Microsoft Windows. For accessibility and efficiency,
most actions can be performed using the keyboard as well. While working with Microsoft software, you use keys,
key combinations and key sequences.
In English, References to key names, like arrow keys, function keys and numeric keys, appear in normal text (not
in small caps).

Access Keys/Hot keys

Sometimes, there are underlined or highlighted letters in menu options, commands or dialog boxes. These letters
refer to access keys (also known as hot keys) that allow you to run commands, perform tasks, etc. more quickly.
Use the following guidelines when localizing access keys or hot keys:
1. Avoid using and .
2. Avoid using for English string 'close'.
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3. Avoid using alphabet that followed with Sa-Ra-Um () for example

4. In some rare instance, there is no other alphabet available to be selected as accelerator key. In those
instances, the Sa-Ra-Um () character will need to be replaced by typing and then follow by Sa-Ra-Aa
() for example .
Choosing the accelerator key under or will result in overlapped hot keys
Instead of typing in this order: = + +
Type in this order instead: + = + +
Using the second typing order, placing the accelerator key under or will not cause overlapped accelerator
key problem.

Hot Key Special Options

Usage: Is It Allowed?

Notes

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

can be used as hot key

yes

Characters with downstrokes, such

as g, j, y, p and q can be used as
hotkeys

yes

Extended characters can be used as

hotkeys

no

An additional letter, appearing

between brackets after item name,
can be used as hotkeys

yes

Example: Option k or Option (k)

A number, appearing between

brackets after item name, can be
used as hotkey

yes

Example: Option 9 or Option (9)

A punctuation sign, appearing

between brackets after item name,
can be used as hotkey

no

Duplicate hotkeys are allowed when

no other character is available

yes

No hotkey is assigned when no more

characters are available (minor
options only)

n/a

Additional notes: Preferred Thai characters to be used as access keys: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

, , , , , , , , .

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

Numeric Keypad
It is recommended that you avoid distinguishing numeric keypad keys from the other keys, unless it is required by
a given application. In case which keys to be pressed is not obvious, provide necessary explanations.

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

US English
Shortcut Key

Thai
Command

Thai
Shortcut key

General Windows Shortcut keys

Help window

F1

F1

Context-sensitive
Help

Shift+F1

Shift+F1

Display pop-up
menu

Shift+F10

Shift+F10

Cancel

Esc

Esc

Activate\Deactivate
menu bar mode

F10

F10

Switch to the next

primary application

Alt+Tab

Alt+Tab

Display next window

Alt+Esc

Alt+Esc

Display pop-up
menu for the window

Alt+Spacebar

Alt+Spacebar

Display pop-up

Alt+-

Alt+37

US
Command

US English
Shortcut Key

Thai
Command

Thai
Shortcut key

Display property
sheet for current
selection

Alt+Enter

Alt+Enter

Close active
application window

Alt+F4

Alt+F4

Switch to next
window within
(modelesscompliant)
application

Alt+F6

Alt+F6

Capture active
window image to the
Clipboard

Alt+Prnt Scrn

Alt+Prnt Scrn

Capture desktop
image to the
Clipboard

Prnt Scrn

Prnt Scrn

Access Start button

in taskbar

Ctrl+Esc

Ctrl+Esc

Display next child

window

Ctrl+F6

Ctrl+F6

Display next tabbed

pane

Ctrl+Tab

Ctrl+Tab

Ctrl+Shift+Esc

menu for the active

child window

()

Launch Task
Ctrl+Shift+Esc
Manager and system
initialization

File Menu
File New

Ctrl+N

Ctrl+N

File Open

Ctrl+O

Ctrl+O

File Close

Ctrl+F4

Ctrl+F4

File Save

Ctrl+S

Ctrl+S

File Save as

F12

F12
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US
Command

US English
Shortcut Key

Thai
Command

Thai
Shortcut key

File Print Preview

Ctrl+F2

Ctrl+F2

File Print

Ctrl+P

Ctrl+P

File Exit

Alt+F4

Alt+F4
Edit Menu

Edit Undo

Ctrl+Z

Ctrl+Z

Edit Repeat

Ctrl+Y

Ctrl+Y

Edit Cut

Ctrl+X

Ctrl+X

Edit Copy

Ctrl+C

Ctrl+C

Edit Paste

Ctrl+V

Ctrl+V

Edit Delete

Ctrl+Backspace

Ctrl+Backspace

Edit Select All

Ctrl+A

Ctrl+A

Edit Find

Ctrl+F

Ctrl+F

Edit Replace

Ctrl+H

Ctrl+H

Edit Go To

Ctrl+B

Ctrl+B

Help Menu
Help

F1

F1
Font Format

Italic

Ctrl+I

Ctrl+I

Bold

Ctrl+G

Ctrl+G

Underlined\Word
underline

Ctrl+U

\\

Ctrl+U

Large caps

Ctrl+Shift+A

Ctrl+Shift+A

Small caps

Ctrl+Shift+K

Ctrl+Shift+K

Paragraph Format
Centered

Ctrl+E

Ctrl+E

Left aligned

Ctrl+L

Ctrl+L

Right aligned

Ctrl+R

Ctrl+R

Justified

Ctrl+J

Ctrl+J
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Document Translation Considerations

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

Titles
In English the titles for chapters usually begin with "How to " or with phrases such as "Working with " or
"Using ". In the Thai version of documentations, translation should be in the same pattern.
Example:

English

Translation

How to

Working with

...

Using

...

Copyright
Copyright protection is granted to any original work of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression from
which it can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated.

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