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

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

TL;DR¶

• Address users with formal Sie (with possessive Ihr/Ihre) — German retains the formal/familiar distinction; Sie is standard for software, marketing, professional content.
• Gender-neutral strategy: minimize generic masculine without eliminating it; use neutral terms (Lehrkraft, Fachkraft, Wachpersonal), collective nouns with suffixes (-schaft, -personal, -hilfe, -kraft, -leute), or paired forms (Kollegen und Kolleginnen). Avoid gender star (Lehrer*innen) — compromises readability.
• Replace formal verbosity: Unterstützung bieten → unterstützen/helfen; partiell → teilweise; erfordern → benötigen; im Internet browsen → im Internet surfen; einen Anruf durchführen → einen Anruf tätigen; Mobiltelefon → Handy.
• Avoid literal word-for-word: “Find what you need on the web, using the browser best suited for Windows” → Mit dem für Windows optimierten Browser steht Ihnen das Web offen (not Suchen Sie mit dem für Windows optimierten Browser im Internet).
• Use we/wir when talking to user for personal feel; PC/App/Web/Info are acceptable shortened forms; Smartphone (not Telefon when smartphone is meant).

Register and tone¶

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

Flexibility: Modify or rewrite translated strings to be appropriate and natural for German customers.

Words and phrases to avoid¶

Word choice¶

Word-to-word translation¶

Avoid literal translation. Split or merge sentences; omit descriptors.

Sample voice usage¶

Addressing the user to take action¶

Promoting a feature¶

How-to guidelines¶

Explanatory text and support¶

Inclusive language¶

General guidelines¶

Comply with local language laws. Use plain language. Be mindful of politically disputed cities/countries. Represent diverse perspectives. Don’t generalize. Don’t use profane terms.

Avoid gender bias¶

Microsoft’s gender-neutral language strategy: minimize generic masculine, don’t eliminate entirely. Avoid gender star (*) — compromises readability and usability. For technical documentation and UI, clarity comes first.

1. Opt for general terms that omit gender¶

2. Use neutral suffixes where possible¶

Suffixes -hilfe, -kraft, -personal, -schaft, -leute replace gender-specific forms. Note: -schaft refers to whole groups, not individuals.

3. Paired forms when needed¶

When other approaches don’t fit naturally: paired forms (Kollegen und Kolleginnen) acceptable.

Language-specific standards¶

Punctuation¶

Quotation marks¶

„…” (low-9 opening, high-9 closing — German style).

Em dash and en dash¶

Em dash (—) for parenthetical clauses. En dash (–) for ranges.

Comma¶

German has grammatical comma rules — comma before subordinate clauses (dass, weil, ob, wenn).

Capitalization¶

German capitalizes all nouns (Substantive). Formal addressing capitalizes Sie/Ihr/Ihnen. Use sparingly otherwise — first word of sentence, proper nouns.

Verbs¶

Use simple present and present perfect. Active voice preferred. Passive acceptable for actor unknown or to avoid wordy constructions.

Localization considerations¶

Applications, products, and features¶

Product/application names trademarked, rarely translated.

Trademarks¶

Microsoft Corporation and trademarked names not localized.

FAQ¶

How should I address users in German?¶

Use formal Sie (with possessive Ihr/Ihre, dative Ihnen). German retains the formal/familiar distinction strongly — Sie is standard for software, marketing, professional content, medical patient materials, and consumer-facing legal. Du is used only for explicit casual contexts (games, social apps for younger audiences, children’s content). Always capitalize Sie/Ihr in formal addressing.

How does Microsoft handle gender-neutral language in German?¶

Strategy: minimize the generic masculine, don’t eliminate it entirely. Use neutral terms when they exist (Lehrkraft, Fachkraft, Wachpersonal, Reiseleitung). Use collective nouns with suffixes -schaft, -personal, -hilfe, -kraft, -leute (Kundschaft, Kollegschaft, Krankenpflegepersonal, Feuerwehrleute, Eheleute). Paired forms (Kollegen und Kolleginnen) acceptable. Avoid the gender star Lehrer*innen — Microsoft policy is that it compromises readability and usability. For tech docs and UI, clarity comes first.

Which formal German words should I replace?¶

Unterstützung bieten → unterstützen / helfen; partiell → teilweise; erfordern → benötigen; im Internet browsen → im Internet surfen; einen Anruf durchführen/telefonieren → einen Anruf tätigen/führen; Mobiltelefon → Handy. For “student” depending on context: Schulkind/Schüler/Student (lower ed only if context clear), otherwise Kursteilnehmer/Lernende/Lernender.

What’s the difference between Sie and Du in addressing?¶

Sie (formal, capitalized in addressing) is standard. Used for software UI, professional documents, marketing to broad audience, medical patient materials, legal consumer text, business correspondence. Du (informal, lowercase) used only for explicit casual contexts — games, children’s content, social media apps for younger users, casual marketing campaigns specifically targeting youth.

How are shortened/everyday words handled in German?¶

Limited use only. App (not Anwendung/Programm); PC (for personal computing, but Computer for PCs and Macs); Web (casually, but Internet when source uses it); Info (casual, but Informationen when pointing reader elsewhere — “Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter”). Be careful — abbreviations may not be understood by all audiences or differ across German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

How should I handle word-for-word translation?¶

Avoid it — produces stiff, unnatural German. Split or merge sentences as needed; omit descriptors. Examples: “Find what you need on the web” → Mit dem für Windows optimierten Browser steht Ihnen das Web offen (not Suchen Sie mit dem für Windows optimierten Browser im Internet). “You use multiple PCs and a phone” → Sie verwenden verschiedene PCs und ein Smartphone? (not ein Telefon). “Compose your vision within the cloud” → Lassen Sie Ihrer Kreativität in der Cloud freien Lauf (not Realisieren Sie in der Cloud Ihre Vision).

What’s the policy on using “we/wir” in German?¶

Use wir when talking directly to the user to create warmth and personal feel — “We’ll keep going from where we left off” → setzen wir die Aktion dort fort, wo wir sie unterbrochen haben. Avoid corporate “we” (Microsoft kündigt an…, Wir freuen uns, … vorzustellen…). Keep focus on the reader.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guides hub
• Microsoft Terminology — Globalization
• Duden