This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s Translation Top Tips for Dogri (Devanagari script, originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Dogri translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Dogri translator reference by ChatsControl.

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

TL;DR¶

• Address users with formal second-person तुस; tone is formal across all products including Microsoft privacy content.
• Capitalization does not apply to Dogri (Devanagari) — single form per letter.
• Use Devanagari danda (।) at sentence end, not Latin period; nuqta is NOT used in modern Dogri (unlike Hindi).
• Apostrophe (‘) has two uses in Dogri: tone marker (high-falling tone after short vowels — ख’ल्ल/khall “down” vs खल्ल/khall “skin”) and syncopation (होआ’रिऐ for होआ करिऐ).
• Gender-neutral: many professional titles (वकील, प्रध न, जज) are used for both masculine and feminine; avoid compounds with मरि न/जन न.

Microsoft voice for Dogri¶

Three principles: warm and relaxed; crisp and clear; ready to lend a hand. Write short, easy-to-read sentences. Don’t translate literally. Be pleasant. Avoid slang.

Literal translations often fail to get the intended meaning across and sound unnatural. Split or merge sentences if necessary.

Tone of voice and form of address¶

Abbreviations¶

Abbreviated terms don’t need to be followed by a full stop. Abbreviations cannot be used in plural form — pronoun and verb indicate singular/plural.

Examples: - अपन ओटीपी ि खल करो — singular - अपने ओटीपी ि खल करो — plural

Acronyms¶

Generally acronyms aren’t localized in Dogri — keep them as in source: ROM, RAM, LAN.

All nouns in Dogri have grammatical gender (masculine, feminine). For loan words, gender is determined mainly by usage.

When using English acronym throughout text, follow source pattern — either acronym with full form or acronym alone, as in source.

Capitalization¶

Capitalization does not apply to Dogri (Devnagari). A single form is used for each letter.

Punctuation¶

Full stop¶

At sentence end, use vertical mark (।) instead of dot. Do not use a dot for full stops.

Bulleted lists¶

When the text following the bullet is a complete sentence, end with full stop (।).

Dashes and hyphens¶

Hyphen¶

The hyphen (-) is the shortest of three dash characters. Use for:

• Compound words
• Breaking words at end of line
• Page numbers, dates, number intervals
• Establishing relationships between two concepts

En dash¶

En dash (–) obtained by Alt+0150 or Ctrl+- (num) in Windows. Used in arithmetic operations and negative numbers.

Em dash¶

Em dash (—) obtained by Alt+0151 or Ctrl+Alt+- (num) in Windows. Avoid extensive use — replace with commas, parentheses, or start new sentence.

Quotation marks¶

Used to emphasize a point. Follow source quotation mark type.

Apostrophe (‘)¶

Two uses:

Tone marker¶

Indicates high-falling tone after short vowels, including inherent vowels अ (ə), इ (i), उ (u).

Syncopation¶

Usage of Nuqta¶

The Nuqta is a diacritic used in Devanagari to describe modern sounds borrowed from non-native languages (Urdu — Arabic, Farsi, English). In modern Dogri, the Nuqta is NOT used (unlike Hindi).

Numbers, symbols, and non-breaking spaces¶

Numbers¶

In documentation, numbers from one to ten are spelled out; other numbers are written with numerals.

Non-breaking space¶

Use a non-breaking space between numeral and the symbol/unit of measure.

Examples: 30 सेमी, 1 घटैं ा, 75%, 20° से.

Ampersand¶

Always translate “&” as “ते” when it refers to running text. Don’t keep “&” in target unless part of tag, placeholder, shortcut, or other code.

Date¶

Date format: DD/MM/YYYY

Example: 25/03/2025

When only month and year are included (“March 2025”), use Month Year format.

Inclusive language¶

General guidelines¶

• Comply with local language laws.
• Use plain language.
• Be mindful of politically disputed places.
• Represent diverse perspectives.
• Don’t generalize or stereotype.
• Don’t use profane or derogatory terms.
• Don’t use slang that’s cultural appropriation.
• Don’t use terms with unconscious racial bias.

Avoid gender bias¶

Avoid gender-specific compounds (मरि न, जन न).

For generalizations, use plural noun forms (लोक, विद्यार्थी, बगैरा).

Accessibility¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use pity words (इस बम री कन्न ैग्रस्त, इस रोग कन्न ैबम र).

Keep paragraphs short. Spell out ते, ज´म , ब रै. Screen readers misread &, +, ~.

Applications, products, and features¶

Application/product names trademarked, not translatable.

Version numbers¶

Trademarks¶

Trademarked names and Microsoft Corporation shouldn’t be localized unless local laws require translation.

Reference information¶

Normative references¶

1. Dogri Lekhan – Shaili, by Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore
2. Dogri Vyakaran, by J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Jammu
3. Dogri Dictionary, by CDAC Pune

Informative references¶

1. https://www.cdac.in/index.aspx?id=print_page&print=mc_ilf_local_frmwk
2. https://localizejs.com/articles/guide-localizing-india

FAQ¶

How should I address users in Dogri?¶

Use formal second-person तुस across all products — Microsoft privacy content uses formal tone. Direct addressing is preferred over third-person references.

How does capitalization work in Dogri?¶

Capitalization does not apply to Dogri (Devanagari). Devanagari has a single form for each letter — no uppercase/lowercase distinction.

What is the apostrophe (‘) used for in Dogri?¶

Two uses. First, as a tone marker indicating a high-falling tone after short vowels (inherent vowels अ ə, इ i, उ u): ख’ल्ल means “down”, खल्ल means “skin”. Second, for syncopation in conversational forms: होआ’रिऐ shortened form of होआ करिऐ (“is happening”).

Is the nuqta used in Dogri?¶

In modern Dogri, the nuqta is NOT used (unlike Hindi). The nuqta is a diacritic used in Devanagari to describe modern sounds borrowed from Urdu (Arabic, Farsi) and English, but modern Dogri orthography doesn’t employ it.

How is gender handled in Dogri translation?¶

Many Dogri professional titles are gender-neutral and used for both masculine and feminine — वकील (lawyer), प्रध न (head/president), जज (judge). Don’t add gender modifiers (don’t use जन न वकील, मरि न वकील). For generalizations use plural nouns (लोक, विद्यार्थी).

What punctuation should I use in Dogri?¶

Use Devanagari danda (।) at sentence end — not Latin period. Bulleted lists: end complete sentences with danda. Hyphen (-) for compound words, page numbers, intervals. En dash (–) for arithmetic and negative numbers. Em dash (—) avoid extensive use — replace with commas, parentheses, or start a new sentence.

Which Dogri acronyms remain in English?¶

Generally acronyms aren’t localized in Dogri — keep ROM, RAM, LAN, USB, DNS, HTML, OTP (or टीवी for TV, ओटीपी for OTP if widely adopted). Gender of acronyms follows usage. Abbreviations don’t take plural form — verb/pronoun indicates number (अपन ओटीपी for singular, अपने ओटीपी for plural).

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guides hub
• Central Institute of Indian Languages
• CDAC