This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s 70-page Filipino Localization Style Guide (originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Filipino translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Filipino translator reference by ChatsControl.

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

TL;DR¶

• Filipino translation across all spheres (legal, medical, marketing, IT) requires modern conversational register — classic conjunctions (ngunit, subalit, sapagkat, alinsunod sa) feel formal/old; use modern equivalents (pero, dahil, ayon sa).
• English loanwords are extensively used in Filipino — always hyphenate when attaching Filipino prefix (i-download, mag-save, naka-attach), never write i_download or mag_save as one word.
• Use linkers correctly: na after consonants, -ng suffix after vowels, -g suffix after n (mga file na multimedia, proyektong Visual Basic, bitbiting computer, mensaheng e-mail).
• Filipino has no grammatical gender in pronouns (siya = he/she); use ka/iyo (singular informal) for “you” instead of formal kayo/inyo in modern voice.
• Use mga before plural nouns instead of inflecting; nouns are not pluralized morphologically (Mga file, Mga email).

Register and tone for modern Filipino translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Modern Filipino readers across consumer-facing spheres expect language resembling everyday conversation rather than the formal classical Filipino register of older administrative writing.

Three principles define the modern Filipino register for consumer-facing content:

• Warm and relaxed. Sounds like honest conversation, not a formal notice. Less formal, more grounded — matching how Filipinos actually speak with the natural mixing of English loanwords.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second. Sentences short enough to parse quickly on a phone screen.
• Ready to help. Anticipates what the reader needs and offers it at the right moment.

Why this matters: Formal classical Filipino register damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing copy it kills conversion — readers bounce when text sounds like a court document. In patient-facing medical materials it reduces comprehension and compliance. In software UI it creates friction at every interaction. In consumer-facing legal documents (terms of service, privacy notices) regulators increasingly demand plain language. Only sworn legal translation and pure technical specifications retain the older formal register.

Audience targeting: technical vs. consumer vocabulary¶

The same source text requires different vocabulary depending on who reads the translation. Use technical terms for technical audiences; for consumers use common words. A clinical drug monograph for prescribers uses precise pharmacological terminology; the patient leaflet for the same drug uses everyday Filipino. A software API reference uses developer jargon; the end-user help article uses plain Filipino. Modern conversational Filipino freely mixes English loanwords — embrace this for consumer-facing content.

Inclusive language¶

Gender bias¶

Filipino pronouns are gender-neutral: siya means both “he” and “she”; kanya means both “his” and “her”. This makes gender-neutral writing straightforward. When the gender of a person isn’t known or relevant (the user, a site administrator), rewrite to plural when possible. Avoid slashes or brackets to combine genders.

Ethnic and racial bias¶

Ethnic/racial slurs are easy to avoid. Involuntary bias is harder — choose names and examples that represent groups as they want to be represented. Names sometimes change due to changed cultural awareness — research the most current acceptable terms when in doubt.

Why this matters: Inclusive vocabulary is increasingly contractually required in enterprise translation (Microsoft, multinational HR materials), public-sector medical translation, and government-facing legal translation. Filipino’s gender-neutral pronoun structure makes inclusive writing easy by default.

Word choice: short forms and everyday vocabulary¶

Use approved Microsoft terminology for key terms, technical terms, and product names. Beyond that, prefer everyday Filipino — often hybrid forms that mix English roots with Filipino integration.

Words and phrases to avoid¶

Modern Filipino voice avoids unnecessary formality.

Why this matters: Classic formal Filipino forms appear in legal templates and government forms out of institutional habit but feel alien in modern consumer products, patient-facing medical materials, brand-led marketing, and user-friendly software. The shift from nguni’t to pero, from sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng to gamit ang, is among the highest-leverage edits a translator can make.

English loanwords and prefix integration (CRITICAL)¶

Mass English-Filipino bilingualism makes English loanwords natural in Filipino. The critical rule: ALWAYS hyphenate between Filipino prefix and English root. Never merge into one word.

When loanword sounds like a Filipino word, hyphens may be dropped (magmonitor for “to monitor”). Be careful — for some loanwords audiences expect the hyphen (i-ban “to ban” — without the hyphen iban means “different”).

Loanword verb integration¶

Loanwords used as verbs follow the Filipino verb system with focus and aspect:

Acronyms with loanwords¶

Don’t add a generic term after an acronym if one of the letters already stands for that term:

• Wrong: RPC na tawag (R already stands for Remote, P for Procedure, C for Call)
• Wrong: HTML na lengguahe (L stands for Language)
• Wrong: PIN na numero (N stands for Number)

For localized acronyms, on first occurrence include language-specific translation + US term + acronym: - Mga Bagay sa Pag-access ng Data (Data Access Objects, DAO) - Mga Bagay ng Data na ActiveX (ActiveX Data Objects, ADO)

Never create a new acronym from the localized term. Keep the English acronym: - Application Initialization DLL → Pagpapasimula ng Application DLL (not Pagpapasimula ng Application PNA)

Common acronyms left unlocalized: ANSI, ISO, ISDN, DOS, DSL, CD, DVD.

Linkers: na, -ng, -g (CRITICAL)¶

Linkers connect modifiers to nouns. The choice is purely phonological:

• na when preceding word ends in a consonant
• -ng suffix when preceding word ends in a vowel
• -g suffix when preceding word ends in n

For compound phrases also use ng (of) and sa (in, on, at, by, etc.):

Why this matters: Wrong linker choice produces ungrammatical Filipino that natives notice immediately. In legal documents linker errors signal amateur work; in marketing copy they break the friendly tone; in software UI they reduce trust. Linker mastery is non-negotiable for professional Filipino translation.

Adjectives¶

Three degrees: Neutral, Comparative, Superlative.

Neutral — standard form: Malaki, mabagal, mabilis. As noun modifier with linker: Malaking file, mabagal na koneksyon, mabilis na download. As predicate of adjectival sentence: Malaki ang file.

Comparative. Equal: Magkasing laki ang file, Kasing laki, Singlaki. Unequal: Mas malaki ang file ng video kaysa sa file ng dokumento.

Superlative. Ang laki-laki ng file, Pagkalaki-laki ng file, Ubod ng laki ang file, Ganap na mabilis ang download.

Possessive adjectives¶

Possessive describes a noun by indicating ownership or answering “whose?”.

Articles and noun markers¶

Filipino doesn’t use English-style articles but has noun markers that mark subject (topic) vs. non-subject:

Definite article equivalent: ang (“the”). Indefinite article equivalents: isang (“one” / “a/an”), ilang or mga (“some”), alinman (“any”).

For variations in English error messages, be consistent in Filipino regardless:

Unlocalized vs. localized feature names¶

Unlocalized. Treated as proper nouns, no Filipino articles:

Localized. Treated as common nouns, take ang/ng/sa markers:

Copyright translations:

Capitalization¶

Filipino capitalization rules:

1. Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
2. When the first word of a source phrase is capitalized, capitalize the first word of translation.
3. When the entire source phrase is ALL CAPS, only significant words in the translation are capitalized. Three-or-fewer-letter markers, particles, linkers are NOT capitalized unless first word.
4. When translating a capitalized source term as a hyphenated compound, only the first word is capitalized.
5. Capitalize proper nouns, trademarks/product names, organizations, abbreviations/acronyms, geographic regions (but not directions).

Don’t mimic English over-capitalization. Use Filipino spelling conventions.

Compounds and affixation¶

Filipino has many word-forming affixes that can shorten lengthy translations. Most useful affixes:

Conjunctions and prepositions¶

For modern register, use conjunctions and prepositions that sound natural and casual.

Prepositions¶

Filipino has one main preposition: sa (covers English in, on, to, from, for, through). For clarity, use mula sa or galing sa for “from”.

Common prepositional contexts (sa is the equivalent for all): - In the toolbar → sa toolbar - on the tab → sa tab - on the menu → sa menu - on the net / on the Internet → sa net / sa internet - on the Web → sa web - on a web site / on a web page → sa web site / sa pahina ng web

Gender and pronouns¶

Filipino has three grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) but does NOT distinguish gender in referent words. “She” and “he” both map to siya (“that person”). “Hers” and “his” both map to kanya (“belonging to that person”).

Pronoun cases (nominative, two objective, genitive):

Note: kami = exclusive we (excludes listener); tayo = inclusive we (includes listener).

Three sets of demonstratives (English has two): ito/nito/dito (this), iyan/niyan/diyan (that, near listener), iyon/noon/doon (that over there). After vowel-ending words: rito, riyan, roon.

Genitive (possessive)¶

Use ng as genitive marker (equivalent to English “of”): - Windows’s server → Server ng Windows

Nouns and pluralization¶

Filipino nouns are not inflected. They take case-marking particles (Austronesian alignment):

Plurals. Add mga immediately before the noun:

Numbers¶

Consistency principles:

1. Lists. Even if under 10, when numbers are in a list, keep all numbers consistent (numerals throughout).
2. Sentence start. Spell out numbers that begin a sentence — Apatnapu’t apat na pulis ang napatay (44 policemen were killed).
3. Years. Always use numeric form — Napakaganda ng 2014 para sa kanya.
4. Compound numbers and fractions in words. Use contractions/hyphens — Tatlumpu’t dalawang miyembro (thirty-two), Labing-anim na delegado (sixteen), dalawang-katlo (two-thirds), lima’t kalahati (five and a half).
5. Numbers with 4+ digits. Use commas — 5,005 resulta ng paghahanap; $1,500,000.00.

Always written with numerals: Time (1:00 PM), Dates and years (Enero 1, 2013), Metric measures (5m, 33km, 12kg), Temperature (24ºC), Population (41,000,000), Version (Bersyon 3.0), Pages (Pahina 18), Articles (Artíkulo 15).

Decimal separator¶

Filipino uses a period as decimal separator (English convention). Use comma for thousands.

Punctuation¶

Filipino follows English punctuation rules. Reference: 2001 Patnubay sa Ispeling ng Wikang Filipino (Commission on Filipino Language).

Comma¶

Include space after commas. Example: Marso 27, 2010.

Colon¶

Don’t use colons if the introduction isn’t a complete sentence and one item in the list completes the thought. Don’t use colons between verb and objects, after “such as,” or between preposition and objects.

Hyphens¶

Multiple uses:

1. Filipino prefix + English root. i-download, mag-download, mag-upload, mag-print, mag-save, mag-debug.
2. Filipino prefix “de-“. de-kuryente (electric), de-motor (motorized), de-kalidad (of high quality). Never replace hyphen with space.
3. Phrasal adjectives. isang-klik na pag-install (one-click install).
4. Ordinals with ika-. ika-24 ng Oktubre (October 24), ika-2:00 N.H. (2:00 P.M.), ika-20 kabanata (chapter 20).
5. Fractions. isang-katlo (one-third), isang-kapat (one-fourth).
6. Repeated/reduplicated words. isa-isa, dahan-dahan, tayo-tayo, turo-turo, pantay-pantay.
7. Compound concepts. bantay-salakay (one who pretends to guard but actually attacks), isip-bata (childish thinking).
8. Prefix + vowel-initial root. mag-, ika-, maki-, paki-, pag-, kasing-, labing- when root begins with vowel; no hyphen when root begins with consonant.
9. pag- / nag- + vowel-initial root. nag-aalaga, pag-ilag, nag-impake, pag-aatubili.
10. taga- + proper noun. taga-Davao, taga-Manila (with proper noun), but taganayon, tagabayan, tagasiyudad (with common noun).

En dash¶

Used as minus sign with spaces, and in number ranges without spaces:

Em dash¶

Use only to emphasize an isolated element or introduce non-essential content. In Filipino, periods/commas/parentheses are recommended over em dash:

Ellipsis¶

Follows English rules. Example: Para sa higit na impormasyon makipag-ugnayan…

Period¶

Filipino uses period as decimal separator (English convention). Comma as thousands separator. No space between numeral and the period in paper sizes.

Quotation marks¶

Filipino follows English rules. Example: “Mga kaugnay na paksa”.

Parentheses¶

No space between parentheses and text inside. Example: (hindi naglalaman ng lahat ng wika).

Percentage¶

No space between number and % sign: - 50% (correct), not 50 % (incorrect)

Subjunctive¶

Subjunctive expresses wishes/desires using particles sana, kaya, nawa with infinitive:

Common abbreviations¶

Don’t leave non-breaking space (Ctrl+Shift+Space) between number and measurement in Filipino. Don’t abbreviate words users might not recognize — spell them out instead.

Error messages¶

Apply Microsoft voice principles — natural, empathetic, not robot-like.

Standard error phrases¶

Placeholders¶

%d, %ld, %u, %lu = ; %c = ; %s = . Find what will replace each placeholder for grammatical correctness.

Keys, shortcuts, voice video¶

Key names¶

Filipino keeps English key names. Examples: Alt, Backspace, Break, Caps Lock, Ctrl, Delete, Down Arrow, End, Enter, Esc, Home, Insert, Left Arrow, Num Lock, Page Down, Page Up, Pause, Right Arrow, Scroll Lock, Shift, Spacebar, Tab, Up Arrow, Windows key, Print Screen, Menu key.

Keyboard shortcuts¶

• Slim characters (I, l, t, r, f) — yes, can be used.
• Characters with downstrokes (g, j, y, p, q) — yes, can be used.
• Extended characters — no (Filipino alphabet’s 28 letters suffice).
• Letters/numbers/punctuation in brackets after item — no.
• Duplicate shortcuts when no other available — yes.
• No shortcut when characters exhausted (minor options) — yes.

Standard shortcut keys (selection)¶

Pronunciation of English terms¶

English terms and product names left unlocalized are pronounced the English way.

Acronyms pronounced as words: RADIUS [rey-dee-uh s], RAS [ras], ISA [eye-sa], LAN [lan], WAN [wan], WAP [wap], MAPI [ma-pee], POP [pop], URL [yew-are-el].

Letter-by-letter: ICMP, IP, TCP/IP, XML, HTML, OWA, SQL, XP.

URLs: drop http://, read www as “double-u double-u double-u,” dot pronounced as “dot.”

Tone¶

Tone need not be very respectful or formal. Commands should be direct. Use the prefix paki- as the equivalent of “please”:

Copilot predefined prompts¶

Best practices for localizing Copilot prompts:

• Be clear and specific. Source prompts are typically action-verb questions/requests; make Filipino prompts natural.
• Keep it conversational. Use simple natural Filipino. Use informal tone of voice.
• Be polite and professional but informal. Don’t use slang or jargon. Avoid honorifics like po and opo — too formal for the target prompt tone.
• Use quotation marks to mark content for Copilot to write/modify/replace.
• Pay attention to placement of entity tokens. Entity tokens (<entity type='file'>file</entity>) trigger UI pop-ups. Text inside the tag is translatable; the attribute value is not.
• Place ghost texts at the end of the sentence — Copilot suggestions appear within <placeholder> tags.
• Be consistent — similar English prompts get similar Filipino translations.

Examples:

Reference materials: authoritative Filipino sources¶

Normative sources (must be followed):

1. Almario, Virgilio S. et al. Patnubay sa Pagsasalin. 2nd ed. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, 2003.
2. Almario, Virgilio S., ed. UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino. Quezon City: Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, UP System, 2001.
3. Aspillera, Paraluman S. Basic Tagalog. Las Pinas City: M & L Licudine Enterprises.
4. Diksyunaryo Filipino-English. Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2nd ed. Manila: Bertan Press, 2000.
5. Gaboy, Luciano L. English-Filipino Dictionary. Mandaluyong City: National Bookstore.
6. Ramos, Teresita V. and Cena, Resty M. Modern Tagalog. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press.
7. Santos, Vito C. et al. New Vicassan’s English-Filipino Dictionary. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, 1995.

Supplementary sources:

1. Almario, Virgilio S. et al. Patnubay sa Pagsasalin. 2nd ed., NCCA edition.
2. Arrogante, Jose A. Retorika, Masining na Pagpapahayag. National Bookstore, 2007.
3. Buensuceso, Teresita S. and Espiritu, Jose D. Retorika. Manila: UST Publishing House, 2005.
4. English, Leo James, C.Ss.R. Tagalog-English Dictionary. Mandaluyong City: National Bookstore, 2002.
5. Manwal sa Pagsasalin. 1st ed. Manila: Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2003.
6. Consulta, Alfredo S. and Rosario, Benedicta Ma. Punctuation and Other Language Signals. Quezon City: ISA-JECHO Publishing, 2008.
7. Wikipedia — Tagalog grammar.

FAQ¶

What’s the modern register for Filipino translation across professional contexts?¶

Clear, friendly, conversational — language resembling everyday speech rather than formal classical Filipino. This applies to medical patient materials, marketing copy, software UI, and consumer-facing legal documents. Pure technical/legal contracts retain more formality but classic conjunctions like ngunit/subalit/sapagkat should give way to modern pero/dahil. Use ka/iyo (informal singular) rather than kayo/inyo (formal plural) when addressing users.

How do English loanwords work in Filipino?¶

Filipino has mass English-Filipino bilingualism and freely integrates English loanwords. Critical rule: ALWAYS hyphenate between Filipino prefix and English root (i-download, mag-save, naka-attach, ipa-print). Never merge into one word. Loanwords used as verbs take Filipino aspect affixes following the verb system.

When do I use the linkers na, -ng, -g?¶

These join modifier to noun. Use na after a consonant (mga file na multimedia). Use -ng as suffix after vowel (proyektong Visual Basic, bitbiting computer). Use -g as suffix after n (Lisensiyang digital). The choice is purely phonological, not semantic.

How does Filipino handle gender?¶

Filipino pronouns are gender-neutral: siya means both “he” and “she”; kanya means both “his” and “her”. Use neutral terms and rewrite to plural when gender is irrelevant.

How are plurals formed in Filipino?¶

Add mga immediately before the noun — Files = Mga file, Emails = Mga email. Don’t morphologically inflect the noun for plural.

How are quotation marks and abbreviations handled?¶

Filipino follows English quotation conventions (double quotes for primary). Common abbreviations: hal., blg./num., n.u., n.h./n.g., atbp., lgd., ph., dok., tn., bwn.

What authoritative Filipino language references should I use?¶

Normative: Almario’s Patnubay sa Pagsasalin (Anvil 2003), UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino (KWF/UP), Diksyunaryo Filipino-English (KWF), Aspillera’s Basic Tagalog, Ramos & Cena’s Modern Tagalog, Vicassan’s English-Filipino Dictionary. Supplementary: Manwal sa Pagsasalin (KWF), Patnubay sa Ispeling ng Wikang Filipino (2001 KWF revision).

Sources¶

• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF)
• Microsoft Terminology - Globalization