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

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

TL;DR¶

• Irish translation often omits “le do thoil” (please) — English uses “please” more frequently than Irish naturally would, and including it can sound clunky in product UI, marketing copy, and patient instructions; omitting it doesn’t sound rude or abrupt.
• Leave all computing and IT acronyms in English — TCP/IP, HTML, DNS, DOS, CD, DVD, PIN remain untranslated; only general (non-technical) acronyms are candidates for localization, but to avoid mixed-acronym confusion, prefer English even for general ones.
• Use everyday Irish vocabulary — ríomhphost (not ríomhtheachtaireacht for general email), seo (not seo a leanas for “the following”), Is féidir (not Féadtar) — reflects modern usage in marketing, software UI, healthcare patient materials.
• Newly-created technical terminology is unavoidable in Irish — the language doesn’t have native equivalents for many concepts so Irish translation may feel less natural than English, especially in technical content; this is partly mitigated by everyday vocabulary in surrounding text.
• Use Foclóir Ríomhaireachta is Teicneolaíocht Faisnéise (An Gúm, 2004), the FIONTAR computing dictionary, tearma.ie (Computers/IT-tagged terms), and An Coiste Téarmaíochta sources as the standardized terminology references for Irish technical translation.

Register and tone for modern Irish translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Modern Irish readers across consumer-facing spheres expect a clear, friendly, and concise register — language that resembles everyday conversation rather than formal, technical language typical of administrative content.

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

• Warm and relaxed. Natural, less formal, more grounded in honest conversation. Occasionally playful when context permits.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second. Short sentences. Simplicity is the default.
• Ready to help. Anticipates what the reader needs and offers it at the right moment.

The intended audience does not consist only of teenagers, so avoid technical jargon or overly colloquial language — not all users may understand it. Information must be presented so the average user can follow.

Why this matters: Bureaucratic Irish damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing translation it kills brand approachability — the audience expects modern voice rather than formal officialdom. In medical patient materials it reduces comprehension for both native speakers and learners. In software UI it creates friction at every interaction. In government translation (Oireachtas, Údarás na Gaeltachta, public services) modern plain-Irish is increasingly mandated. Only sworn legal translation and traditional literary contexts retain the older formal register.

A note about newly-created terminology: localized Irish text may seem less natural than the equivalent English text because many technical terms are newly created and not yet familiar to the public. In some cases this cannot be helped. Other linguistic dimensions (synonyms, short words, pronouns, everyday vocabulary) help create more natural Irish in surrounding text.

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 uses everyday Irish. A software API reference uses developer jargon; the end-user help article uses plain Irish.

Why this matters: Audience fit determines comprehension. In legal translation for corporate counsel uses Latinisms and procedural shorthand; consumer-facing versions need plain-Irish framing. In medical translation for clinicians keeps Greek/Latin nomenclature; for patients it switches to common terms. In IT translation uses developer jargon in engineer-facing docs, natural Irish in end-user help.

Flexibility: when to translate literally vs. when to rewrite¶

Flexibility is the translator’s discretion to depart from literal source structure when the literal rendering produces unnatural Irish. When localizing source text written in modern voice, feel free to choose words that aren’t standard translations if you think that’s the best way to stay true to the source intent.

Try to translate the intended meaning of the sentence rather than literally word-for-word, which often sounds neither natural nor fluent. Convey the same flavor into Irish using the most appropriate words and phrases for natural style.

Why this matters: Source-faithful translation produces translatorese — text that reads as translated. Required in sworn legal translation and certified document translation where literal accuracy is mandated. Harmful in marketing translation (lost conversion), patient-facing healthcare materials (lost clarity), and software UX (lost engagement).

Word choice: terminology, short forms, everyday vocabulary¶

Approved terminology¶

Use approved terminology from project glossaries (LIP Glossaries) where applicable — for key terms, technical terms, and product names. Adhere to approved terminology; don’t use different target terms for already established and approved terms.

Why this matters: Terminology consistency is non-negotiable in legal translation (a defined term in a contract must render identically across all pages), medical translation (drug names, dosage units, anatomical terms must be invariant), and IT/software translation (UI labels, menu items, error codes must match help documentation word-for-word).

Short word forms and everyday vocabulary¶

Modern Irish voice uses shortened words or short words used in daily conversation.

Reference: en-US word choice principles¶

Words and phrases to avoid in modern Irish¶

Avoid an unnecessarily formal tone. The following are formal words/phrases with their everyday alternatives.

English voice reference¶

Irish equivalents¶

For Irish voice, avoid formal words and use the less formal variants. In some cases the “classic” word may still be needed depending on context.

Why this matters: Formal vocabulary signals institutional distance. In marketing translation, “Féadtar” reads as administrative; “Is féidir” reads as someone talking to the user. In medical patient instructions, “Anailísigh” reads as clinical; “Déan anailís ar” reads as instructional. In software UI, “Ceadaigh” is technically correct but heavier than “Cuir ar chumas” for “enable.” These substitutions are among the highest-leverage edits a translator can make.

Sample translations: applying voice principles in context¶

Addressing the user to take action¶

Promoting a feature¶

Providing how-to guidelines¶

Explanatory text and providing support¶

Language-specific standards¶

Abbreviations¶

Avoid unnecessary abbreviations. You might need to abbreviate words in UI (mainly buttons or option names) due to lack of space.

Menu titles, button, or option names should ideally contain only one word. This may be challenging in Irish — for example, “Edit” ideally translates as “Déan eagarthóireacht ar” (since “eagraigh” means something else), so the recommended solution is “Cuir in eagar.”

If space doesn’t allow a word or phrase to be spelled in full, abbreviate according to natural semantic roots and break multiple consonant groups accordingly:

Some phrases brief in English entail longer Irish equivalents. “Next” is conveyed by “An chéad x eile.” If space requires, “Next Comment” may be translated as follows:

Don’t abbreviate words like “agus,” “seachtain,” “seisiún,” or any word that may confuse users. When in doubt, spell out.

Three main types of abbreviations:

• General abbreviations consist of a shortened form, sometimes only the initial letter, normally followed by a full stop. Examples: p. (page), etc. (et cetera), e.g. (exempla gratia).
• Initialisms are abbreviations created by combining initial letters of some or all of the elements, not followed by a full stop, pronounced letter by letter. Examples: PC, CD, HTML.
• Acronyms are abbreviations created by combining initial letters or syllables, not followed by a full stop, pronounced as a word. Examples: ROM, DOS.

English and Latin abbreviation equivalents:

Use nonbreaking space (CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR) in any abbreviation. If nonbreaking spaces can’t be used (e.g., Help files), it’s also acceptable to write these abbreviations without a space.

Measurement abbreviations (common: km, m, cm, mm):

Acronyms¶

All acronyms designating computing and IT concepts should be left in English.

Caution: Don’t include a generic term after an acronym or initialism if one of the letters stands for that term. The following examples show redundancy:

Localized acronyms: All computing/IT acronyms remain in English. Localization arises only for general acronyms (e.g., PIN with Irish equivalent UAP). Since most product acronyms are computing-related and English, prefer English even for general acronyms to avoid user confusion.

In online help or documentation, spell out an acronym the first time it’s used. Include the Irish term, the English term, and the acronym:

• (+) Oibiachtaí Rochtain Sonraí, DAO (Data Access Objects, DAO)
• (+) Oibiacht Sonraí ActiveX, ADO (ActiveX Data Objects, ADO)

In UI there is usually not enough space for all three terms; only in wizards can the acronym be spelled out on first mention. Be consistent within a product.

Commonly understood acronyms (don’t spell out):

• ISO (International Standards Organization)
• ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)
• DOS (Disk Operating System)
• DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
• CD (Compact Disc)
• DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)

Plural forms — add the suffix -anna:

Unlocalized acronyms — all computing/IT acronyms remain in English.

Why this matters: Consistent acronym handling determines whether downstream readers can search for terms and whether the product feels “professional.” In technical documentation mixed-language acronym handling creates indexing issues. In medical translation acronyms like MRI (IRS) or ECG (ECG) follow Irish-specific conventions. In legal translation acronyms in contracts are often defined terms with binding meaning — wrong introduction or wrong spelling can render a defined-term clause ambiguous.

Adjectives¶

Per Irish grammar, nouns and adjectives must agree in gender, number, and case. When two nouns are qualified by the same adjective and the nouns differ in gender or number, the adjective agrees with the noun nearest to it:

Articles¶

General: In many cases, the article (definite or indefinite) is omitted in English terms or titles although conceptually implied. In Irish it’s usually more natural to include the article.

Articles in error messages: Many English error messages vary in use of articles, demonstrative, and possessive pronouns. Be consistent in Irish. In English the article may be omitted but is implied — include it in Irish. Demonstrative pronouns are often unnecessary; possessive pronouns are often superfluous in error messages and can safely be replaced with the article.

Unlocalized feature names — Microsoft product names and non-translated feature names are used without articles in English. Follow Irish syntax while treating the product/component name as a non-Irish proper name without grammatical inflection.

Localized feature names — translated feature names are used with a definite or indefinite article as they are not treated as proper names.

Articles for English borrowed terms — consider motivation (does the English word have features for noun-class integration?), analogy (equivalent Irish term whose article could be used?), and frequency (used in technical documentation?).

Capitalization¶

Irish convention: only proper nouns and first word of a sentence are capitalized. Don’t capitalize feature labels or common words.

Compounds¶

Irish compounds typically follow noun+noun or noun+adjective patterns with appropriate inflection. Avoid overly long compounds — they reduce intelligibility. Break complex compounds with prepositional phrases or articles when needed.

Contractions¶

Standard Irish contractions (idiomatic) are used naturally. Don’t force expansions that would sound stilted.

Conjunctions¶

For modern voice, use natural conjunctions (“agus” for “and,” “nó” for “or,” “ach” for “but”). Avoid overly formal conjunctions where simpler ones work.

Gender¶

Irish nouns have grammatical gender (masculine/feminine). Use the conventional gender per Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla and tearma.ie references. Adjectives, pronouns, and prepositional pronouns agree with gender.

Genitive¶

Observe Irish genitive marking. Genitive constructions are common in technical text (“setup file” = “comhad cumraíochta”). Be careful with chains of genitives — Irish doesn’t allow more than one genitive level in most cases; break with prepositional phrases.

Localizing colloquialism, idioms, and metaphors¶

Modern voice allows for the use of culture-centric colloquialisms, idioms, and metaphors. Choose from:

• Don’t attempt to replace the source colloquialism with an Irish colloquialism unless it’s a perfect natural fit.
• Translate the intended meaning, not the literal colloquialism.
• If it can be omitted without affecting meaning, omit it.

Nouns¶

Use approved Irish nouns from termbases. Be careful with number — Irish has dual number for paired items in some constructions, plural for general plurals.

Prepositions¶

Irish prepositions interact with the definite article (combined forms like “san,” “sa,” “ón,” “den”). Use the modern simplified forms; avoid overly conservative variants.

Avoid the highly formal preposition “um” — use “do,” “le haghaidh,” or context-appropriate alternatives.

Pronouns¶

Address users with “tú” (singular) or appropriate possessive forms (“do,” “do chuid”). Use “sibh” (plural) only when addressing multiple people specifically. Avoid third-person references like “úsáideoir” — sound formal and impersonal.

Punctuation¶

Irish punctuation generally follows British English conventions:

• Comma — same as English usage.
• Colon — used to introduce explanations.
• Period — at end of sentences with conjugated verbs.
• Quotation marks — single quotes (‘) for primary, double quotes (“) for nested.
• Apostrophes — used in séimhiú constructions (d’, m’), elisions.

Sentence fragments¶

UI text often uses sentence fragments (button labels, menu items). Don’t artificially expand to full sentences — keep terse where source is terse.

Symbols and nonbreaking spaces¶

Use nonbreaking space (CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR) between numerical values and units, between abbreviation parts, and to prevent line-break orphans.

Verbs¶

Use Irish verb tenses naturally:

• Simple present for general statements (“tá,” “is”).
• Present continuous (tá + ag + verbal noun) for ongoing action.
• Future for future events.
• Past (passé compose-equivalent: “rinne,” “thug”) for completed actions.

Avoid overly complex tense constructions when simpler tense suffices.

Localization considerations¶

Accessibility¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Use generic verbs (roghnaigh, not cliceáil) that apply to all input methods. Keep paragraphs short and sentence structure simple — one verb per sentence is ideal for screen-reader readability.

Why this matters: Accessible Irish translation directly affects healthcare equity (screen-reader-friendly patient materials reach visually-impaired Irish speakers), public-sector compliance (Irish government accessibility standards apply to bilingual content), and education (Gaeilge-medium schools serve students with diverse abilities).

Applications, products, and features¶

Microsoft product names are trademarked and not translated. Translated feature names follow Irish grammar with articles.

Trademarks¶

Trademarked names should not be localized unless local laws require translation and an approved translated form is available.

Geopolitical concerns¶

Geopolitical sensitivities apply — verify country/region names, maps, and political references against current standards. Irish state-related naming follows official Irish-language gazetteer conventions.

Software considerations¶

Error messages¶

Apply voice principles — translations should be natural-sounding, empathetic, not robot-like.

Use determiners consistently (article-required Irish even if English omits). Avoid possessive pronouns unless ownership matters. Avoid demonstratives (“this”/”that”) unless contextually required.

Keys and keyboard shortcuts¶

Standard Irish key names follow general Irish-language software localization conventions. Most key names (Alt, Ctrl, Esc, Enter) remain in English; functional keys are referenced in Irish where appropriate.

Arrow keys, numeric keypad, shortcut keys¶

Refer to keys by their standard English names in technical documentation. In conversational text, descriptive Irish phrasing is acceptable (“an eochair saigheada deas” for “right arrow key”).

English pronunciation¶

For voice/video content, English brand names are pronounced as in English (Microsoft, Windows, Office). Naturalized terms follow Irish phonology.

Reference materials¶

Use these references for orthography, grammar, and terminology when this guide doesn’t specify.

Normative references¶

1. Microsoft LIP Glossaries — closed terminology banks for Microsoft product translation.
2. Foclóir Ríomhaireachta is Teicneolaíocht Faisnéise — An Gúm, 2004. Computing and IT dictionary.
3. Foclóir FIONTAR — FIONTAR, 2004. Specialist terminology dictionary.
4. Taisce Téarmaíochta — An Coiste Téarmaíochta, An Gúm agus FIONTAR, 2004. Terminology repository.
5. tearma.ie — terms tagged Computers, Computer Science, or Information Technology.

Microsoft User Interface reference¶

Windows User Experience Interaction Guidelines for UI element standards.

FAQ¶

Should I translate ‘please’ as ‘le do thoil’ in Irish?¶

Often no — Irish does not use politeness markers as frequently as English. Including “le do thoil” in every request can sound clunky in product UI, in concise marketing copy, and in patient instructions. Omitting it is not abrupt or impolite in Irish. When you do translate, use the shorter “le do thoil” rather than the more formal “más é do thoil é”.

Should I translate computing acronyms like TCP/IP, HTML, DNS into Irish?¶

No — leave all computing and IT acronyms in English. Localization decisions only arise for general acronyms (e.g., PIN vs. UAP), and even there the recommendation is to keep the English form to avoid confusion when mixed with the predominantly English technical acronyms. For plural forms, add the suffix -anna: CDanna, CD-ROManna, DVDanna.

How should I handle articles in Irish translation when English omits them?¶

Irish usually requires the article where English omits it. “Change paragraph formatting” becomes “Athraigh formáidiú na n-alt” (with the article). For error messages, use determiners consistently in complete sentences even if the English doesn’t. Drop demonstrative pronouns (“this”/”that”) when not contextually necessary, and replace possessive pronouns (“your network administrator”) with the article when ownership isn’t important (“an riarthóir líonra”).

How do I handle adjective agreement when two nouns of different gender share an adjective?¶

Per Irish grammar, the adjective should agree with the noun nearest to it. Example: “Roghnaigh gléas nó comhadlann bhailí” (the feminine “bhailí” agrees with the closer feminine “comhadlann”); “Cuir isteach ainm nó sonraí cearta” (the plural “cearta” agrees with the closer plural “sonraí”). This is the standard Irish rule and applies in legal text, technical documentation, and product UI.

Which authoritative references should I use for Irish translation?¶

Normative: Microsoft LIP Glossaries, Foclóir Ríomhaireachta is Teicneolaíocht Faisnéise (An Gúm, 2004), Foclóir FIONTAR (2004), Taisce Téarmaíochta, and tearma.ie (Computers/IT terms). For general Irish, supplement with traditional references — Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (Ó Dónaill), An Caighdeán Oifigiúil, and Gramadach na Gaeilge.

Should I use ‘um’ or another preposition in Irish translation?¶

Avoid “um” except in highly formal legal or ceremonial text. It’s archaic for most modern translation. Use “do,” “le haghaidh,” “i gcomhair,” or another context-appropriate preposition. Modern Irish voice in marketing, patient materials, and software UI calls for the simpler alternatives.

What’s the difference between ríomhphost, ríomhtheachtaireacht, and r-phost?¶

“Ríomhphost” is the most common term for email in both current usage and previous translation. Use it for the general concept of email. If the text needs to distinguish between the general concept of email and a single specific email message, “ríomhtheachtaireacht” may be needed for the latter. “R-phost” is also acceptable but less common.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Irish (PDF)
• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• tearma.ie — National Terminology Database
• Foras na Gaeilge