This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s 36-page Cherokee Localization Style Guide (originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Cherokee translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Cherokee translator reference by ChatsControl.

Cherokee Translation Style Guide — Voice, Word Choice & Common Pitfalls (Legal, Medical, Marketing, IT)¶

TL;DR¶

• Cherokee uses the Cherokee Syllabary (ᎠᎢᎣᎤᎥᎦᎨᎩᎪᎫᎬ…) — 85 distinct syllables; capitalization concept does not apply to Cherokee.
• Use ᎬᏙᏗ for App (not ᎤᏙᏢᏒ which translates ‘program’); use ᎠᎾᎦᎵᏍᎩ ᎪᏪᎵ for Email (not just ᎪᏪᎵ which is generic for paper/mail); use PC verbatim.
• Address the user with second-person ‘you’ direct addressing; avoid third-person ‘user’ references which sound institutional.
• Reference dictionaries: Feeling & Van Tuyl 1974 Cherokee-English Dictionary; Feeling 1994 The Cherokee Verb; Holmes & Smith 1976 Beginning Cherokee; Cowen 1995 Cherokee English Language Reference Book.
• Avoid corporate ‘we’ (Microsoft announces…) — keep focus on the reader/audience.

Register and tone¶

Three principles: warm and relaxed; crisp and clear; ready to lend a hand.

Write short, easy-to-read sentences. Avoid passive voice. Avoid slang. Avoid the corporate “we” (Microsoft announces…, We’re proud to introduce…).

Why this matters: Cherokee revitalization efforts emphasize natural, contemporary Cherokee. Formal book Cherokee feels distant. Marketing copy in modern Cherokee reaches Cherokee learners and speakers; medical translation of patient materials requires plain Cherokee for comprehension; legal translation for tribal contexts retains traditional register; software UI in modern register meets user expectations.

Word choice¶

Words and phrases to avoid¶

Microsoft voice avoids unnecessarily formal tone.

Sample voice usage¶

Addressing the user to take action¶

Language-specific standards¶

Capitalization¶

Capitalization does not apply to Cherokee. The Cherokee Syllabary has no uppercase/lowercase distinction. Capitalization concepts from English don’t transfer.

Articles¶

Cherokee handles definiteness through context and verbal morphology rather than separate articles.

Punctuation¶

Follows general English punctuation conventions adapted for Cherokee text.

Verbs¶

Cherokee verbs are highly inflected, encoding person, number, tense, aspect, mood, and other categories. Use simple present and present perfect for instructions.

Pronouns¶

Cherokee verb morphology often encodes person, so independent pronouns may be omitted in many contexts.

Localization considerations¶

Applications, products, and features¶

Product/application names trademarked, rarely translated.

Trademarks¶

Microsoft Corporation and trademarked names not localized.

Software considerations¶

Error messages¶

Use voice principles. Natural, empathetic, not robot-like.

Keys¶

Most key names kept in English. Cherokee keyboard input methods vary by platform.

Reference materials¶

Normative references¶

1. Feeling, Durbin and Charles Van Tuyl. 1974. Cherokee-English Dictionary. Cherokee Nation: Tahlequah, OK.
2. Feeling, Durbin, Craig Kopris, Jordan Lachler, and Charles Van Tuyl. 2003. A Handbook of the Cherokee Verb: A preliminary study. Cherokee Heritage Center.
3. Feeling, Durbin. 1994. The Cherokee Verb. Indian University Press: Bacone College, Muskogee, OK.
4. Cowen, Agnes Spade. 1995. Cherokee English Language Reference Book.
5. Holmes, Ruth Bradley and Betty J. Smith. 1976. Beginning Cherokee. University of Oklahoma: Norman, OK.

Informative references¶

1. Cook, William H. 1979. A Grammar of North Carolina Cherokee. PhD Dissertation, Yale University.
2. King, Duane H. 1975. A Grammar and dictionary of the Cherokee language. PhD Dissertation, University of Georgia.
3. Scancarelli, J. 1987. Grammatical relations and verb agreement in Cherokee. PhD Dissertation, University of California at Los Angeles.
4. Walker, Willard. 1975. “Cherokee.” In: James M. Crawford (ed.) Studies in Southeastern Indian Languages. Athens: University of Georgia Press, pp. 189-236.
5. American Bible Society. 1960. Cherokee New Testament.

FAQ¶

What script does Cherokee use?¶

Cherokee uses the Cherokee Syllabary (ᎠᎢᎣᎤᎥᎦᎨᎩᎪᎫᎬ…) developed by Sequoyah in the early 19th century. The script has 85 distinct characters, each representing a syllable rather than a single sound. Capitalization concepts from English don’t apply — Cherokee syllabary has no uppercase/lowercase distinction.

How should I handle key Cherokee terminology?¶

Use ᎬᏙᏗ for App (don’t use ᎤᏙᏢᏒ which translates ‘program’). Use ᎠᎾᎦᎵᏍᎩ ᎪᏪᎵ for Email — don’t just use ᎪᏪᎵ which generically refers to paper and mail. Use PC verbatim for personal computing devices.

What’s the right register for Cherokee translation?¶

Clear, friendly, conversational — like everyday Cherokee, not formal book Cherokee. Avoid formal verbosity. Address the user directly with second-person ‘you’. Avoid third-person references like ‘user’ which feel institutional and impersonal.

Which Cherokee reference materials are normative?¶

Feeling, Durbin and Charles Van Tuyl. 1974 Cherokee-English Dictionary (Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, OK); Feeling et al. 2003 A Handbook of the Cherokee Verb (Cherokee Heritage Center); Feeling 1994 The Cherokee Verb (Indian University Press, Bacone College, Muskogee, OK); Cowen 1995 Cherokee English Language Reference Book; Holmes & Smith 1976 Beginning Cherokee (University of Oklahoma).

How should keyboards and product names be handled?¶

Microsoft product names trademarked, rarely translated. Most key names (Alt, Ctrl, Shift, Tab, Enter, Esc) kept in English. PC kept as PC.

How is gender handled in Cherokee?¶

Cherokee has limited grammatical gender — most nouns are gender-neutral by default. Use plural noun forms for generalizations. When referring to a real person, use the pronouns the person prefers.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guides hub
• Cherokee Nation
• Cherokee Heritage Center