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

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

TL;DR¶

• Scottish Gaelic translation uses the informal “thu” (not “sibh”) for users — the polite plural is too formal for modern computing, consumer products, and contemporary marketing; only highly formal legal correspondence retains “sibh”.
• Follow Gaelic Orthographic Conventions 2009 (GOC) as the normative spelling reference, with documented deviations for software localization (no slenderisation in dative/dual, hyphenated adverbs like “an-diugh”, traditional preposition+pronoun forms).
• Use periphrastic possessives (“an sgrìn agad”, “a’ chairt agad”) for alienable possessives, simple possessives (“do shloinneadh”, “mo choimpiutair”) only for inalienable possession; this avoids ambiguity in product UI, legal documents, and patient instructions.
• Use the Tironian Ampersand (⁊, U+204A) or the mathematical operator (┐, U+2510) where English uses “&” — a distinctive Gaelic typographic convention required for authentic appearance across all formal contexts.
• Codification is incomplete — this style guide is the normative reference for non-terminology issues; consult Am Faclair Beag (faclair.com) for IT terminology and An Stòr-dàta Briathrachais for general technical vocabulary.

Register and tone for modern Scottish Gaelic translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Modern Scottish Gaelic readers across consumer-facing spheres expect a moderately informal register that sits between strongly conservative academic Gaelic and broad dialect colloquialism — language that addresses the user directly without sermon-like formality.

Three principles define the target register:

• Moderately informal, not colloquial. Address users with “thu” rather than the polite plural “sibh”. Avoid heavy dialect features (“faotainn”, “‘s caomh”, “cha thog”, “sa bhùthaidh”) that mark text as regionally specific.
• Direct, not impersonal. Use direct verb forms over impersonal passives when possible. Avoid synthetic passives in favour of the periphrastic passive.
• Clear, not opaque. Where neologisms exist, prefer the more transparent option. Code-switching to English is acceptable when no good Gaelic equivalent exists in current use.

Why this matters: Scottish Gaelic operates with a small speaker community and minimal native-language technical infrastructure. Bureaucratic or sermon-register Gaelic damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing translation it kills brand approachability — the audience expects modern voice. In medical patient materials it reduces comprehension for younger speakers and learners who form a growing portion of the readership. In software UI it creates friction at every interaction and reinforces the perception that Gaelic isn’t “for” modern technology. In consumer-facing legal documents the audience needs comprehension over formal accuracy. Only sworn legal translation and church/literary contexts retain the older formal register with “sibh”.

Audience targeting: technical vs. consumer vocabulary¶

The Scottish Gaelic audience splits into three main categories:

• People with strong linguistic dedication — native speakers and committed learners.
• Gaelic organizations — institutional users (Bòrd na Gàidhlig, BBC Alba, local councils).
• Schoolchildren — Gaelic-medium education users.

An important consideration is the lack of Gaelic-language technical support. To support users, translations should not be overly puristic — if a user needs help, they must be able to communicate the issue to English-language support staff. This means recognizable terminology often wins over linguistically purer neologisms.

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Use proxy	Cleachd progsaidh	Cleachd inneal-ionaid

The “inneal-ionaid” alternative is more puristic but less recognizable to users who need to ask English-language support for 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 Scottish Gaelic. Particularly important for Scottish Gaelic given the Verb-Subject-Object/Predicate word order, the lack of split infinitives and subjunctive, and the importance of expressing time and place after the main predicate.

Word order example:

The title of the page is displayed → Tha tiotal na duilleige ga shealltainn

Predicate placement example:

Stàlaich am prògram sa phasgan an-dràsta (+) An-dràsta stàlaich am prògram sa phasgan (-)

Why this matters: Source-faithful translation produces translatorese. In legal contracts the wrong English-influenced word order obscures who owes what. In medical instructions placing time expressions at sentence start produces awkward Gaelic that delays comprehension. In software UI literal subject-verb order produces strings that don’t read as native. The Gaelic-natural Verb-Subject pattern (with time/place at the end) is the foundation of professional translation quality.

Word choice: terminology, abbreviations, and dialect avoidance¶

Approved terminology¶

Use approved terminology from the Microsoft CLIP glossary (the closed terminology bank) and consult Am Faclair Beag and the Stòr-dàta Briathrachais for terms not in the CLIP. When sources disagree, Faclair Beag takes precedence.

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 — a synonym swap can produce a dispensing error), and IT/software translation (UI labels, menu items, error codes must match help documentation word-for-word). In small-language translation, terminological inconsistency is especially damaging because the user community is small enough to notice immediately.

Dialect forms to avoid¶

Highly marked dialect features must not be used, to maintain consistency between translators.

Dialectal case marking — avoid the suffixes -(a)idh, -(e)adh:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
ceàrn, sa bhùth, sa choille, na cloiche, na gaoithe, na làimhe	ceàrnaidh, sa bhùthaidh, sa choillidh, na cloicheadh, na gaoitheadh, na làimheadh

Dialectal lenition after cha — in some Hebridean dialects, cha and bu lenite following dentals (d, n, t, l, s). Avoid here:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
cha seas, cha dùin, cha tog, bu tana	cha sheas, cha dhùin, cha thog, bu thana

Dialectal possessives — in some Hebridean dialects, plural possessives take h- rather than n-. Avoid here:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
ar n-ainm, ur n-ainm, ar n-aois, ur n-aois	ar h-ainm, ur h-ainm, ar h-aois, ur h-aois

Why this matters: Dialect choice in published translation is a contested political/cultural issue in Scottish Gaelic. Defaulting to neutral standardized Gaelic avoids alienating speakers from non-represented regions. In broadcast/media translation for BBC Alba and similar outlets, the standard non-dialectal register is mandated. In educational materials for Gaelic-medium schools, standardization is core to curriculum policy. In government translation (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Bòrd na Gàidhlig) the standardized register is the norm.

Orthography: GOC and software-localization deviations¶

Scottish Gaelic orthography is not fully codified. GOC 2009 is the baseline, with the following software-localization conventions to deal with gaps and ambiguities.

Apostrophes¶

Use unformatted or left curling apostrophes (except for opening/closing single quotes). Avoid non-combining grave or right curling apostrophes.

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
‘S, ‘s, ‘S, ‘s	‘S, ‘s, `S, `s

The copula is consistently written:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
‘S e, ‘S i, ‘S iad, B’ e, B’ iad	‘Se, ‘Si, ‘Siad, Be, Biad

No vowel in the definite article (initial vowel) or any other verb (final vowels) is elided for style consistency:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
an uinneag, …a tha ann, …a bha ann, …a chuala ann	‘n uinneag, …a th’ ann, …a bh’ ann, …a chual’ ann

Fusion of prepositions¶

GOC allows both traditional two-word and fused one-word forms of preposition+possessive pronoun. To reduce variation and overlap, the two-word forms are mandatory:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
ri an, ri d’, dhe d’, o m’	rin, rid, dhed, om

Rules regarding st/str¶

Use str rather than sdr (per GOC). For inconsistencies about which words take sr vs. str:

If the initial can undergo lenition, spell it sr in its unlenited form. If it cannot undergo lenition, spell it str in its unlenited form (mostly applies to obvious loanwords like strì, stràbh).

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
ro strì > strì, dà stràbh > stràbh, dà stràc > stràc, dà shrath > srath, dà shreath > sreath	srì, sràbh, sràc

Use of graves to indicate lengthening¶

GOC applies the principle of not writing graves if vowel length is determined by following ll, nn, rr, or m. For consistency, this rule is used uniformly, including before rr (where GOC does not extend it):

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
cearr, gearr, as fhearr, cunntas, binn, cill	ceàrr, geàrr, as fheàrr, cùnntas, bìnn, cìll

Never use a grave when ll, nn, rr, or m is followed by a vowel, except in cases of inherently long vowels:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
cearra, gearradh, binne, cille BUT fèille, gèilleadh, dìlleachdan	ceàrra, geàrradh, bìnne, cìlle

The only two exceptions are the two-letter words ìm (BUT genitive ime) and àm (BUT ama, amannan).

Why this matters: Orthographic consistency is a baseline quality signal in published Gaelic translation (books, brochures, official documents). Mixed apostrophe styles, dialectal grave use, and fused vs. two-word prepositions distinguish careful work from rushed work. In educational materials orthographic correctness directly affects what learners absorb — a typo in a school resource teaches the typo. In legal translation orthographic precision is a baseline professionalism marker.

Possessives: periphrastic vs. simple¶

Periphrastic possessives¶

Use consistently for alienable possessives. They may be used very sparingly if space doesn’t allow the longer construction.

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
an sgrìn agad, am brabhsair agad, a’ chairt agad, na h-uinneagan agad	do sgrìn, do bhrabhsair, do chairt, d’ uinneagan

Simple possessives¶

Use simple possessive pronouns (mo (m’), do (d’), a, a (h-), ar (n-), ur (n-), an) for inalienable possession. For clarity, use periphrastic form in third person if needed. Don’t use t’, ar h-, ur h-, bhur n-, bhur h-. The third person masculine is fully elided before a vowel.

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
d’ ainm, do shloinneadh, do dhùthaich	an t-ainm agad, an sloinneadh agad, an dùthaich agad
àrainn, an àrainn aige (both for “his domain”)	—

Exception: special folder names¶

Special folder names such as My Computer, My Documents are an exception. To differentiate them from “common” usage, these take simple possessives: Mo choimpiutair, Mo sgrìobhainnean.

Why this matters: Alienable/inalienable possession is fundamental to Gaelic grammar. In medical translation (“your medication” vs. “your hand”) the distinction matters — alienable for the medication, inalienable for the hand. In legal translation (contracts, deeds) precise possessive choice affects what is being claimed as belonging. In software UI the choice between “do sgrìn” (wrong) and “an sgrìn agad” (right) is the difference between sounding native and sounding translated.

Articles¶

Definite article: omit less than English¶

In English it’s permissible to omit or imply the definite article in many cases. This must be avoided in Scottish Gaelic — it leads to unnatural language and ambiguity.

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Increase resolution	Meudaich an dùmhlachd-bhreacaidh	Meudaich dùmhlachd-bhreacaidh
Close window	Dùin an uinneag	Dùin uinneag
Disable Script	Cuir an sgriobt à comas	Cuir sgriobt à comas

Unlocalized feature names¶

Microsoft product names and non-translated feature names are used without articles in English. Treat them the same way in Scottish Gaelic. Names are lenited according to normal rules if the word begins with a Scottish Gaelic letter, except in acronyms and trademarked names which may not be modified:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Fosgail ann an Internet Explorer; Dùin PowerPoint; Cha deach Excel a shuidheachadh	Fosgail san Internet Explorer; Dùin am PowerPoint; Cha deach an Excel a shuidheachadh
Cuir a-steach do PowerPoint; Ion-phortaich o Microsoft Office; o MS-DOS	Cuir a-steach do PhowerPoint; Ion-phortaich o Mhicrosoft Office; o MhS-DOS

Localized feature names¶

Translated feature names follow normal Gaelic rules regarding lenition, case marking:

ScreenTip > GliocasSgrìn: Na seall dhomh na GliocasanSgrìn tuilleadh

Articles for English borrowed terms¶

For English loan words used in products, use feminine gender if ending in slender vowel/consonants; consonant-only acronyms are masculine. Gender switching must be avoided.

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
an XML droch-chumte; WebCal bunaiteach; a’ Phantone seo ⁊ taghadh na Pantone seo	an XML dhroch-chumte; WebCal bhunaiteach; am Pantone seo ⁊ taghadh a’ Phantone seo

Capitalization¶

English tends to overuse capitalization. Don’t follow this in Scottish Gaelic.

Proper nouns, acronyms, product names¶

Retain capitalization only for proper nouns, acronyms, product names. Wholesale capitalization of full sentences is to be avoided:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
View Encryption Certificate	Seall an teisteanas dubh-cheilidh	Seall Teisteanas Dubh-Cheilidh
Message Character Set Conflict	Còmhstri seata caractairean na teachdaireachd	Còmhstri Seata Caractairean Teachdaireachd

Prefixed t- h- n-¶

Prefixed t- h- n- in Scottish Gaelic are never capitalized, even in a full string of capital letters:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Na h-URLichean seo; POBLACHD NA h-ÈIREANN	Na H-URLichean seo; POBLACHD NA H-ÈIREANN

Strings¶

When referring to a command string capitalized in English, use a single capital at the start of the string. If the string is longer than one word, use single quotes:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Mail Merge is made up of three parts.	Tha trì pàirtean ann an ‘Co-aonadh a’ phuist’	Tha trì pàirtean ann an Co-Aonadh Puist
Click Finish	Briog air Crìochnaich	Briog air ‘Crìochnaich’

Such references to command strings should never be inflected (no lenition, no case marking).

Internal capitalization¶

Internal capitalization indicating stress shift is observed. You may need to switch off parts of AutoCorrect.

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
MacGriogair, NicDhòmhnaill, MacNèill, Crois MoLiubha	Macgriogair, Nicdhòmhnaill, Macnèill, Crois Moliubha

Internal capitalization also for product internal strings:

ScreenTip, AutoShape (+) GliocasSgrìn, FèinChumadh

Why this matters: Capitalization style is identity-marking in Gaelic publishing. Excessive English-style capitalization is the most common defect in unedited Gaelic translation — it immediately signals translated content. In government and legal Gaelic the conservative capitalization rules are mandated; in brand/marketing voice they’re a quality differentiator.

Adjectives¶

Dative Case¶

No slenderisation in the dative — for a style that’s not overly formal:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
san uinneag mhòr, air an sgrìn mhòr, ron dà àireamh shlàn	san uinneig mhòir, air an sgrìn mhòir, ron dà àireimh shlàin

Dual Number¶

No slenderisation in the dual:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
dà uinneag mhòr, dà sgrìn ghorm, dà àireamh shlàn	dà uinneig mhòir, dà sgrìn ghuirm, dà àireimh shlàin

Multiple nouns qualified by one adjective¶

Inflect the adjective according to the final noun:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Open in hidden window or tab	Fosgail ann an uinneag no taba falaichte	Fosgail ann an uinneag no taba fhalaichte / Fosgail ann an uinneag no taba f(h)alaichte

Prefixed adjectives¶

Prefixed adjectives (droch, deagh, fìor) take a hyphen:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
droch-shusbaint, deagh-bheachd, fìor-bhathar	droch shusbaint, deagh bheachd, fìor bhathar

Compounds¶

Generally, compounds should be understandable and clear. Avoid overly long or complex compounds.

Noun compounds with more than two or three nouns usually require breaking up by the definite article to avoid ambiguities. If necessary, choose a more periphrastic translation:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Office Online Community-Submitted Calendars	Mìosachain a chuir a’ choimhearsnachd a-steach gu Office air loidhne	Mìosachain Coimhearsnachd Office Air Loidhne
Mail Merge Recipients	Faightearan co-aonadh a’ phuist	Faightearan Co-Aonadh Puist

Gender¶

In Scottish Gaelic, gender is relevant in several ways. Nouns may be grammatically male or female; separate pronouns and prepositions exist for male and female entities.

Animate nouns in third person: observe male/female distinction, including key categories where this is widely observed for inanimates (countries, planets):

Example (+)
ban-chleachdaiche > i; cleachdaiche > e; Alba > i; Èirinn > i

Inanimate objects: observe levelling to e:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
chan eil an sgrìn co-cheangailte > chan eil e co-cheangailte	chan eil i co-cheangailte
‘S urrainn do dh’IE an uinneag aiseag > ‘S urrainn do dh’IE aiseag	‘S urrainn do dh’IE a h-aiseag

Although common nouns may theoretically take a prefix to mark them as feminine (ban-dia, ban-righ), this is rarely done except for particularly salient entities (queens, goddesses). Therefore common nouns referring to the user may be used as required without gender-bias concerns (cleachdaiche, reiceadair).

Variable gender by region¶

A considerable number of Scottish Gaelic nouns exhibit variable gender depending on geographical origins. Use the gender conforming to the broad > masculine, slender > feminine rule:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
bùth mòr, dealbh mòr	bùth mhòr, dealbh mhòr
brabhsair mòr (-air native ending), sgrìn bheag (no native ending, slender final), leibheil mhòr	—

Genitive¶

Observe genitive marking as appropriate. Convention: Trademarked product names may not be modified — could be interpreted as modification of such names. Simply do not modify trademarked product names:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
PowerPoint Features; Microsoft Office Applications	Feartan PowerPoint; Prògraman Microsoft Office	Feartan PhowerPoint; Prògraman Mhicrosoft Office

Modifiers (lenition)¶

Lenition applies in Scottish Gaelic as in other Celtic languages. In case of placeholders, this can be an issue. If possible, phrase so a placeholder isn’t in a leniting position. If not possible, consider using a colon:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
cuir às dhan rud seo: %s	cuir às do %s

Nouns: inflection and plural formation¶

Normal conventions of inflection¶

Nominative, genitive, vocative apply with specific software-localization rules:

Dual Number — no slenderisation:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
dà uinneag mhòr, dà sgrìn ghorm, dà àireamh shlàn	dà uinneig mhòir, dà sgrìn ghuirm, dà àireimh shlàin

Dative Case — no slenderisation:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
san uinneag mhòr, air an sgrìn mhòr, ron dà àireamh shlàn	san uinneig mhòir, air an sgrìn mhòir, ron dà àireimh shlàin

Feminine Genitive Marking — use conservative suffixes for feminine nouns in the genitive:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Stoidhle na h-uinneige	Stoidhle na h-uinneig, Stoidhle na h-uinneag

Plural formation¶

Plurals are used as normal. For space reasons, the plural genitive formation (nan + singular noun) can be used more frequently than in everyday language, particularly where English uses singular but implies plural:

English	Preferred (+)
Toolbar Manager, Address books file	Manaidsear nam bàr-inneal, Faidhle nan leabhar-seòlaidh
Color model, Customize address list	Modail nan dath, Gnàthaich liosta nan seòladh (space restrictions)

Prepositions¶

Pay attention to correct preposition use. Many translators, influenced by English, omit them or change word order:

US Expression	Scottish Gaelic Expression	Comment
Similar	Coltach ris	Should not be Coltach
Mouse Over	Luchag thairis air	Should not be Luchag thairis
Tag	Cuir taga ris	Should not be Cuir taga or Taga

Don’t overuse the partitive preposition de to break up long noun phrases. The genitive article (even if only implied in English), airson, or breaking up a long noun phrase into two separate phrases is usually preferable.

English	Preferred (+)
PivotChart Wizard Setup File	Am faidhle suidheachaidh airson CairtPivot

Gu¶

Use the somewhat formal definite forms of gu (gun a’ + genitive). Avoid gun + nominative:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Shrink to fit	Crùb chun a’ mheud cheart	Crùb gun mheud cheart

Do and De¶

For medium register, don’t use overly conservative singular forms of do and de:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
dhan, dhen BUT do na, de na	don, den, dha na, dhe na

Roimh¶

Traditional roimh (instead of ro) is not used except in fixed compounds:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
ron ath-cheum, roimhe, roimhear	roimh ‘n ath-cheum

Pronouns: use of thu not sibh¶

The polite plural pronoun sibh (including plural verb endings, conjugated prepositions) is too formal for computing context. Use the forms of thu.

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
sàbhail am faidhle, bu chòir dhut, nach cuir thu fios	sàbhailibh am faidhle, bu chòir dhuibh, nach cuir sibh fios

Why this matters: The thu/sibh choice is the single most important register decision in Scottish Gaelic translation. In product marketing sibh sounds institutional; thu sounds approachable. In medical patient materials sibh creates clinical distance; thu sounds like care from a familiar provider. In software UI sibh is wrong by current convention. In consumer-facing legal documents thu is increasingly preferred for plain-language framing. Only sworn legal correspondence and high formal ceremony retain sibh.

Punctuation¶

Same conventions as in British English, with the following Gaelic-specific rules.

Comma¶

Strings of adjectives are not comma separated in Scottish Gaelic:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Uinneag bheag liath, clàr beag sgapte	Uinneag bheag, liath, clàr beag, sgapte

Colon¶

Same as British English. Example: Mearachd: Tha an clàr cruaidh làn

Hyphen¶

The hyphen divides words between syllables, links parts of a compound word, and connects parts of an inverted/imperative verb form. Care must be taken not to carry English hyphen conventions into Scottish Gaelic, where it mainly indicates stress shift. Note: MS deviates from GOC by retaining traditional hyphenation of adverbs:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Online	air loidhne	air-loidhne
send-for-review	cur airson athbhreithneachadh	cur-airson-ath-bhreithneachadh
machine-readable	a leughas inneal	so-leughte-le-inneal
today, here	an-diugh, an-seo	an diugh, an seo

Non-breaking hyphens must be used in adverbs (an-diugh, an-seo) and after t- h- n- to avoid line breaks. Access via Insert > Symbol > Special Characters menu (can be set as keyboard shortcut).

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
… a chuireas cairt an-seo	… a chuireas cairt an-seo (with line break)

En dash¶

Used as a minus sign (usually with spaces) and in number ranges (no spaces). Scottish Gaelic follows English conventions:

Preferred (+)
Eadar aois 3–5; duilleagan 22–128

Em dash¶

Only for emphasizing an isolated element or introducing a non-essential element. Follows English conventions:

Preferred (+)
Agus am measg nan rudan iongantach a fhuair mi — a bharrachd air croit mo sheanmhar — bha crogan mòr de dh’òr.

Ellipses (suspension points)¶

Same conventions as English. Example: Roghainnean …; gheibhear seo air Sràid …

Period¶

Same conventions as English. Example: Tha an stàladh deiseil.

Quotation marks¶

For direct speech, follow British English conventions. Single quotation marks should be used when quoting a menu item longer than a single word, to avoid confusion over the menu item’s extent.

Preferred (+)
Agus thuirt e: “Fàilte ort gun draoidh seo”
Tagh ‘Sàbhail agus lean air adhart’ fo na Roghainnean agus an uairsin briog air ‘Dùin agus tòisich an siostam’

Don’t capitalize menu items unless the item is generally capitalized.

Parentheses¶

No space between parentheses and the text inside them. Follows British English.

Preferred (+)
(a stàlaich thu roimhe)

The Tironian Ampersand¶

Gaelic (along with Irish) requires the use of an additional punctuation mark: the (left-facing) Tironian Ampersand located at U+204A (⁊). The mathematical operator U+2510 (┐) is commonly used as a fallback if font issues with U+204A.

Unless instructed otherwise, use the mathematical operator U+2510 (┐) where English has &.

English	Preferred (+)
Copy & Paste	Dèan lethbhreac ┐ cuir ann

Why this matters: The Tironian Ampersand is one of the most identity-marking features of authentic Gaelic typography. In published Gaelic materials (books, brochures, official documents) its presence signals careful native-quality work; its absence signals shortcuts. In legal documents in Gaelic it’s a baseline expectation. In marketing materials for Gaelic-speaking audiences it strengthens brand authenticity.

Singular & plural (4 forms)¶

If plural formulas occur, Scottish Gaelic needs 4 plural forms:

• 1, 11 + Form 1
• 2, 12 + Form 2
• 3-10, 13-19 + Form 3
• 0, >20 + Form 4

English	Preferred (+)
Insert %s page;Insert %s pages	Cuir a-steach % duilleag;Cuir a-steach %s dhuilleag;Cuir a-steach %s duilleagan;Cuir a-steach %s duilleag

Why this matters: Plural handling in Gaelic is fundamentally different from English. In software UI wrong plural forms produce visibly incorrect strings (e.g., “1 fichearean” instead of “1 fichear”). In medical dosage instructions wrong plural forms can suggest a different quantity than intended. In legal/contractual translation plural agreement is part of precise reference.

Split infinitive and subjunctive¶

Both do not apply to Scottish Gaelic. Use periphrastic constructions instead.

Syntax and verbs¶

Word order¶

Scottish Gaelic follows Verb-Subject-Object/Predicate:

English	Preferred (+)
The title of the page is displayed	Tha tiotal na duilleige ga shealltainn

Omitted verbs¶

Many English strings omit the verb. If space permits, include them in Scottish Gaelic:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Access denied	Chaidh inntrigeadh a dhiùltadh	Inntrigeadh air a dhiùltadh
Macro installed	Chaidh am macro a stàladh	Macro air a stàladh

Verb tense¶

English present tense statements need translation as future habitual (if implication is habitual or one-off in future) or present tense (if implication is one-off in present):

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
When you are finished selecting your assistant	Nuair a bhios tu air cuidiche a thaghadh (one-off, implied future)	Nuair a tha thu air cuidiche a thaghadh
If you are using Internet Explorer	Ma bhios tu a’ cleachdadh Internet Explorer (habitual)	Ma tha thu a’ cleachdadh Internet Explorer
If you live outside the UK…	Ma tha thu a’ fuireach taobh a-muigh na RA…	Ma bhios tu a’ fuireach taobh a-muigh na RA…

Periphrastic passive¶

Synthetic passives are discouraged in favour of the much more common periphrastic passive:

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
Chaidh an liosta seo a chruthachadh…	Chruthaicheadh an liosta seo…

Style and tone considerations¶

Audience and style¶

The target users are likely to be of three main types initially:

• People with strong linguistic dedication, both native speakers and learners
• Gaelic organizations
• Schoolchildren

Another important consideration is the lack of Gaelic-language technical support. This means to support the user, translations should be NOT overly puristic. The user must be able to communicate the issue to English-language support staff.

The style should not be overly conservative; neologisms should not be opaque if at all possible. Constructions should not be overly complex. In particular, synthetic passives are discouraged in favour of the periphrastic passive.

Tone¶

Aim between conservative and colloquial. Avoid strong dialect features (faotainn, ‘s caomh, cha thog, sa bhùthaidh).

Where the English source is rather colloquial (e.g., “You’ve got mail!”), translate the tone accordingly, which may require a slightly freer translation:

English	Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
You’ve got mail!	Fhuair thu post ùr!	Tha thu air post-d ùr fhaighinn!

Gàidhlig Ghlan / Clear Gaelic principles:

1. Avoid sentences that are too long or contain too many subclauses. Split if necessary.
2. Avoid noun phrases with more than 3 nouns. Use prepositions or syntactic techniques to split.
3. Address the user directly using thu (not sibh). Avoid impersonal verb forms if possible.
4. Use native grammar, syntax, and idiom.
5. Use a common sense approach to technical language. Bear in mind the end user hasn’t seen the English string. Avoid “dumbing down” or oversimplifying.

Voice¶

Forms of sibh (including conjugated prepositions and imperative verb forms) should not be used. The tone should be moderately informal as is common in software applications in Western Europe and existing Scottish Gaelic localisations.

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
‘S urrainn dhut	Is urrainn dhuibh, ‘S urra dhu’
Tha thu co-cheangailte ris an lìon a-nis.	—
Cuir ann ainm	—
… a tha thu airson a cho-dhaingneachadh	—

Localization considerations¶

General¶

Localization goes beyond simple translation — it requires accounting for the full range of differences between two language systems. This includes basic terminology, “mechanical” differences (case system, lenition, singular/plural, word order), and harder-to-define aspects like style and idiom.

Non-state languages are more sensitive to language that sounds non-native, especially in mediums not considered “traditional” for the language. Both translations and localizations will contain an unavoidable level of linguistic novelty.

Care must be taken to develop a localization process that makes it as easy as possible (without altering the message) for a native user to accept what they see on screen.

Abbreviations¶

You might need to abbreviate words in UI (mainly buttons or option names) due to lack of space. If possible, avoid abbreviations — they usually do not work well in Scottish Gaelic. If space is an issue, first consider a different translation, a shorter synthetic verb form, or a slightly freer translation.

If not possible, shorten the word by eliding syllables at the end, using a full stop to indicate the elision.

List of common abbreviations:

Expression	Acceptable Abbreviation
Crìochnaich	Crìoch.
etc.	⁊c
i.e.	.i.
mar eisimpleir	m.e.
mar sin air adhart	msaa.
tabaichean	tab.
Taobh-duilleig	td.

Do not abbreviate other words. If a space issue cannot be solved except by abbreviation, drop vowels rather than consonants. Remember: in Gaelic writing tradition, lenited consonants (bh, ch, dh, fh, gh, mh, ph, sh, th) are one unit, as are double consonants (ll, nn, rr, ng).

Preferred (+)	Avoid (-)
billean: bill.; bll.	bil; bl

Always check with the linguistic lead if an abbreviation is needed.

Acronyms¶

Acronyms (WYSIWYG, OLE, RAM) do not normally work well in Scottish Gaelic. If localisation is considered important, construct an abbreviation using the initial letters of the words. If possible, avoid consonant clusters.

In general, acronym localisation should only be considered if the acronym is common enough in everyday speech to spread into general use. Otherwise retain English acronyms.

Localized acronyms:

English Acronym	Scottish Gaelic Full Form	Scottish Gaelic Acronym
EU	An t-Aonadh Eòrpach	AE
FAQ	Ceistean Àbhaisteach	CÀBHA
ID	Dearbh-aithne	DA
IT	Teicneolas Fiosrachaidh	TF
ICT	Teicneolas Fiosrachaidh is Conaltraidh	TFC
UK	Rìoghachd Aonaichte	RA
US(A)	Stàitean Aonaichte Aimeireaga	SA

Numbers and dates¶

Same numberset as in English UK. Bear in mind the possible morphological problems when dealing with placeholders that could be a number (see Singular/Plural).

Date format: Default short date dd/MM/yy (17/03/11); default long date d MMMM yyyy (15 An Lùnastal 2011). Note that month names undergo morphological change in the Correspondence Format (Màrt > dhen Mhàrt; Sultain > dhen t-Sultain).

Time: 24-hour format HH:mm:ss preferred for display; AM/PM time format (m/f) preferred linguistically as 24-hour clock doesn’t render easily into the language. Gaelic generally follows English (UK) conventions.

Days of the week (capitalized; lenition may apply per normal rules):

English	Normal Form	Abbreviation
Monday	Diluain	Dil
Tuesday	Dimàirt	Dim
Wednesday	Diciadain	Dic
Thursday	Diardaoin	Diar
Friday	Dihaoine	Dih
Saturday	Disathairne	Dis
Sunday	Didòmhnaich	Did

Months (definite article obligatory except in abbreviation):

English	Citation Form	Abbreviated Form	Long Date Form
January	Am Faoilleach	Faoi	dhen Fhaoilleach
February	An Gearran	Gear	dhen Ghearran
March	Am Màrt	Màrt	dhen Mhàrt
April	An Giblean	Gibl	dhen Ghiblean
May	An Cèitean	Cèit	dhen Chèitean
June	An t-Ògmhios	Ògmh	dhen Ògmhios
July	An t-Iuchar	Iuch	dhen Iuchar
August	An Lùnastal	Lùn	dhen Lùnastal
September	An t-Sultain	Sult	dhen t-Sultain
October	An Dàmhair	Dàmh	dhen Dàmhair
November	An t-Samhain	Samh	dhen t-Samhain
December	An Dùbhlachd	Dùbh	dhen Dùbhlachd

Long Date Form example: 17mh dhen Mhàrt (= 17th March)

Note the abbreviations for cardinal numbers: 1d for the first day of a month; 2na for the second; 3s for the third; Xmh for any subsequent day (including 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 31).

To maintain register, formal “den” (instead of “dhen”) should not be used.

Percentages: number, space, percent. Example: 66.60 %.

Currency: Same as UK (£; positive £2.50; negative -£2.50; ISO GBP; subunit sgillinn (sg)).

Decimal separator: . (Full stop). Example: 2.50. Thousand separator: , (comma). Example: 10,300.

Software considerations¶

User Interface and messages¶

Messages and user-interface text are localized to match Gaelic conventions throughout, observing the standardized register (thu, not sibh) and the orthographic and grammatical rules in this guide.

Keys (key names in Scottish Gaelic)¶

Keyboard key names follow standard equivalents — most key names are retained in English in the keyboard reference (Alt, Ctrl, etc.) per general Scottish Gaelic software localization convention.

Trademarks¶

Trademarked product names should not be modified (no lenition, no case marking), as it could be interpreted as modifying the trademark itself. Simply do not modify trademarked product names.

Reference materials¶

Normative references¶

1. This Style Guide — codification of Scottish Gaelic is incomplete, so this guide forms the normative source for non-terminology issues.
2. Microsoft CLIP glossary — closed terminology bank for Microsoft product translation.

Informative references¶

1. Gaelic Orthographic Conventions 2009 (GOC) — sqa.org.uk SQA-Gaelic_Orthographic_Conventions. The baseline orthographic standard for Scottish Gaelic.
2. Am Faclair Beag — faclair.com. The most current online Scottish Gaelic dictionary, including IT terminology used in existing software applications.
3. An Stòr-dàta Briathrachais — smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/sbg/lorg.php. Technical terminology database from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. In case of discrepancies, Faclair Beag terminology takes precedence.

FAQ¶

Should I use ‘thu’ or ‘sibh’ when addressing users in Scottish Gaelic?¶

Use “thu” (informal singular). The polite plural “sibh” is too formal for computing contexts, consumer products, and contemporary marketing — its use evokes traditional sermon or formal correspondence register. The forms of “thu” apply to all associated conjugated prepositions and imperative verbs: “sàbhail am faidhle”, “bu chòir dhut”, “nach cuir thu fios”. Only sworn legal correspondence retains “sibh”.

Which spelling convention should I follow for Scottish Gaelic translation?¶

Gaelic Orthographic Conventions 2009 (GOC) is the normative reference, with documented software-localization deviations: no slenderisation in dative case (“san uinneag mhòr” not “san uinneig mhòir”), no slenderisation in dual number (“dà uinneag mhòr” not “dà uinneig mhòir”), hyphenated adverbs (“an-diugh”, “an-seo”), and traditional two-word preposition+pronoun forms (“ri an” not “rin”). The 9-page GOC PDF is at sqa.org.uk.

How do I handle the ampersand ‘&’ in Scottish Gaelic?¶

Use the Tironian Ampersand (⁊, U+204A) or the mathematical operator (┐, U+2510) as a fallback if there are font issues. Example: “Dèan lethbhreac ┐ cuir ann” for “Copy & Paste”. This is a distinctive feature of Gaelic typography (shared with Irish) and signals authentic native-quality writing in published materials, legal documents, and marketing copy.

When should I use periphrastic possessives (‘agad’) vs. simple possessives (‘do’)?¶

Use periphrastic possessives consistently for alienable possessives — things you can own and lose: “an sgrìn agad”, “a’ chairt agad”, “na h-uinneagan agad”. Use simple possessives (“mo”, “do”, “a”) for inalienable possession — body parts, names, nationalities, family relations: “d’ ainm”, “do shloinneadh”, “do dhùthaich”. Exception: special folder names like “My Computer” / “My Documents” use simple possessives (“Mo choimpiutair”, “Mo sgrìobhainnean”) to differentiate them from common usage.

Which authoritative references should I use for Scottish Gaelic translation?¶

Normative: this style guide itself (codification is incomplete) and the Microsoft CLIP glossary. Informative: Gaelic Orthographic Conventions 2009 (GOC, sqa.org.uk), Am Faclair Beag (faclair.com, the most current online Gaelic dictionary including IT terminology), and An Stòr-dàta Briathrachais (smo.uhi.ac.uk). When the Faclair Beag glossary and Stòr-dàta disagree, Faclair Beag takes precedence.

How do I handle the four-form Scottish Gaelic plural in software strings?¶

Scottish Gaelic uses four plural forms: Form 1 (1, 11), Form 2 (2, 12), Form 3 (3-10, 13-19), Form 4 (0, >20). For “Insert %s page(s)”: “Cuir a-steach %s duilleag; Cuir a-steach %s dhuilleag; Cuir a-steach %s duilleagan; Cuir a-steach %s duilleag”. All four forms must be supplied for any plural-aware string in software UI, dosage instructions, and any quantity-referencing legal text.

How should I capitalize compound names like MacGriogair or GliocasSgrìn?¶

Internal capitalization indicating stress shift is observed (you may need to disable parts of AutoCorrect). Use “MacGriogair”, “NicDhòmhnaill”, “MacNèill”, “Crois MoLiubha” — not “Macgriogair” or “Nicdhòmhnaill”. Same applies to product internal strings: “GliocasSgrìn” (ScreenTip), “FèinChumadh” (AutoShape).

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Scottish Gaelic (PDF)
• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• Gaelic Orthographic Conventions 2009 (GOC) PDF
• Am Faclair Beag
• An Stòr-dàta Briathrachais