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

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

TL;DR¶

• Konkani translation requires conversational, warm, and simple register — formal verb-noun constructions copied from English produce text that reads as foreign even when individual words are correct.
• Konkani has three genders (masculine/feminine/neuter), each with distinct plural inflection patterns — applying the wrong pattern is the most frequent inflection error.
• Konkani uses postpositions, not prepositions — English “migrate to” becomes हांगा स्थलांतर करच�; preserving English prepositional order produces broken syntax.
• Genitive markers (चो/ची/च�) inflect by gender and number of the possessed noun — रामाचो चलो (masc.sg), गीताची चल� (fem.sg), सुमनाचीं घरां (neut.pl).
• Address the user with तूं/तमु ी forms directly; reference Goa Konkani Academi orthography (2007) and Sripad R. Dessai’s क�कणी शब्दकोश for normative decisions.

Register and tone for Konkani translation¶

Register in Konkani is the level of formality and warmth the target text projects. Modern Konkani readers across consumer-facing spheres expect a register that feels like everyday conversation, not the formal/literary Konkani found in older academic prose. Three principles define the natural Konkani register:

• Warm and relaxed. Sounds like honest conversation, not a formal notice. Less institutional, more grounded.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second. Sentences short enough to parse on a phone screen. Simplicity is the default.
• Ready to help. Anticipates what the reader needs and offers it at the right moment, rather than burying it under qualifications.

Why this matters: Bureaucratic register damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing copy it kills conversion. 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 Konkani words. A clinical drug monograph for prescribers uses precise Sanskrit-derived pharmacological terminology; the patient leaflet for the same drug uses everyday Konkani. A software API reference uses developer jargon; the end-user help article uses plain Konkani.

This applies in every sphere. Legal translation for corporate counsel uses Sanskrit-Marathi legal vocabulary; consumer-facing versions need plain-Konkani framing. Medical translation for clinicians keeps Sanskrit-Latin nomenclature; for patients it switches to common terms. IT translation uses developer jargon in engineer-facing docs, natural Konkani in end-user help.

Word choice: short forms and conversational vocabulary¶

Short, everyday words are preferred over long formal ones wherever both exist and the audience is non-specialist. Shorter words are friendlier, save screen space, and parse faster.

English source words with preferred Konkani forms¶

en-US source	kok-IN word	Usage
…is starting	सरु वात जाता	Use for progressive states
app	ऍिप्लकेशन	English loanword retained
sync	�सकं	Short loanword form preferred to �सक्रं ोनायजेशन

Words and phrases to avoid (formality without meaning)¶

en-US to avoid	Preferred en-US	Reason
Achieve	Do	Shorter, less formal
As well as	Also, too	Shorter
Attempt	Try	Shorter
Configure	Set up	Plain
Encounter	Meet	Plain
Execute	Run	Plain
Halt	Stop	Plain
Have an opportunity	Can	Shorter
However	But	Plain
Give/provide guidance, give/provide information	Help	Plain
In addition	Also	Shorter
In conjunction with	With	Plain
Locate	Find	Plain
Make a recommendation	Recommend	Plain
Modify	Change	Plain
Navigate	Go	Plain
Obtain	Get	Plain
Perform	Do	Plain
Purchase	Buy	Plain
Refer to	See	Plain
Resolve	Fix	Plain
Subsequent	Next	Plain
Suitable	Works well	Plain
Terminate	End	Plain
Toggle	Switch	Plain
Utilize	Use	Plain

Konkani equivalents — examples of preferred natural forms:

en-US source	Konkani — old/formal	Konkani — new/natural
After doing this	ह�केल्याउपरांत	ह� केल्या उपरांत
As soon as possible	जाता�ततलेबेगीन	जाता �ततल ेबेगीन
See you later	तमु कामागीरमेळटा	मागीर मेळची ं

Why this matters: Terminology consistency is non-negotiable in legal translation (a defined term 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).

Word-to-word translation: why direct mapping fails¶

Word-to-word translation substitutes each source word with its Konkani dictionary equivalent while preserving source word order. In Konkani this produces stiff, sometimes incomprehensible text — Konkani and English distribute information differently. Konkani relies on postpositions, case-marked genitives, gender agreement; English leans on word order and prepositions. Mapping one onto the other without restructuring produces the recognizable “translated-from-English” feel.

The remedy: read for paragraph-level meaning, then compose Konkani sentences that carry the same meaning naturally. Restructure to put the postposition after the noun, recast English possessives as चो/ची/च� genitives, and use the Konkani word order.

Sample Microsoft-voice scenarios¶

Addressing the user to take action¶

English	Konkani	Note
The password isn’t correct, so please try again. Passwords are case-sensitive.	पासवड र्चुक�चो आसा, देखून उपकार करून परत येत्न करचो. पासवड र्हे सवं ेदनशील आसतात.	Short, friendly retry message
This product key didn’t work. Please check it and try again.	ह� उत्पाद क� सारक� काम क�रना. उपकार करून तपासची आनी परत येत्न करचो.	Casual, polite check-and-retry
All ready to go	वापरूंक सगळ� तयार आसा	Short setup-complete confirmation
Would you like to continue?	तमु कांफुड � चालदू वरूंकजाय?	2nd-person polite question form
Give your PC a name—any name you want. If you want to change the background color, turn high contrast off in PC settings.	तमु च्या सगं णकाक एक नांव �दवच�- क तमु का ंजाय त� नांव �दवच�. तमु का ंफाटभयूं ेचो रंग बदलपाचो आसल्यार, सगं णक मांडावळींत उच्च गणु वधै म्य र्बदं करच�.	Address user directly with 2nd-person

Promoting a feature¶

English	Konkani	Note
Picture password is a new way to help you protect your touchscreen PC. You choose the picture—and the gestures you use with it—to create a password that’s uniquely yours.	तमु च े टचस्क्र�न सगं णकाच ेराखणेक मजत करूंक, �चत्राचो पासवड र्हो एक नवो माग र्आसा. तमु ी �चत्र �नवडच� — आनी ताच ेवांगडा तमु कांजाय त ेहावभाव �नवडचे — जाचे वरवीं तमु चो असो पासवड र्तयार करूंक जो फकत तमु चोच आसता.	Em-dash used to introduce specific requirements

How-to guidelines¶

English	Konkani	Note
To go back and save your work, click Cancel and finish what you need to.	फाट� ंवचूंक आनी, तमु च� काम सांबाळंूक, रद्द करच� हाचेर िक्लक करच� आनी तमु का ं�कद� करपाच े आसा त� स�पोवच�.	Short, clear action with 2nd-person
To confirm your current picture password, just watch the replay and trace the example gestures shown on your picture.	तमु च्या सध्याच्या �चत्राच्या पासवडार्ची खात्री करूंक, �चत्राची �रप्ल ेपळोवन हावभावांतल्यान देखी सोदनू काडची.ं	Tell user only what they need to know to act

Explanatory text¶

English	Konkani	Note
The updates are installed, but Windows 10 Setup needs to restart for them to work. After it restarts, we’ll keep going from where we left off.	अद्यावता ंस्थापीत केल्यांत, पणू तांकां काम करूंक Windows 10 सॅटअप परत सरूु करपाची गरज आसा. तो परत सरूु जाल्या उपरांत, आमी जंय सो�डल्ल�, थंय सावन परत सरूु करतले.	“We” provides a more personal feel
If you restart now, you and any other people using this PC could lose unsaved work.	तमु ी जर� आता ंपरत सरूु केल्यार, हो सगं णक वापरपी तमु ी आनी हेर लोकांच� सांबाळंूक ना�शल्ल� काम शणे ूंक शकता.	Clear, natural informative
This document will be automatically moved to the right library and folder after you correct invalid or missing properties.	तमु ी अवधै वा श�े णल्ले गणु धम र्सारके केल्या उपरांत, हो दस्तावेज आपसकू उजव्यान आ�शल्ल ेलायब्रर�ंत आनी फोल्डरांत वतलो.	Direct on the action that will be taken
Something bad happened! Unable to locate downloaded files to create your bootable USB flash drive.	�कद� तर� वायट घडलां! तमु चो बटू करपाचो USB फ्लॅश ड्रायव्ह �नमार्ण करूंक, डावनलोड केल्ल्यो फायल� खंय आसात त्यो सोदंकू असमथ र्आसात.	Short sentences inform what happened

Grammar, syntax, and orthographic conventions¶

Abbreviations¶

You might abbreviate words in UI (buttons, options) due to lack of space. Don’t abbreviate “and,” “or,” “something,” “someone,” or any other word users might not recognize. When in doubt, spell out.

Dictionary usage¶

Konkani expression	Abbreviation	English
शब्दयोगी अव्यय	श.अव्य.	Postposition
नाम	ना.	Noun
�वशशे ण	�व.	Adjective
�क्रया�वशशे ण	�क्र.�व.	Adverb
सवनर् ाम	सव.र्	Pronoun

Geographical / directional¶

Konkani	Abbreviation	English
उत्तर	उ.	North
द��ण	द.	South
गोमतं क	गो.	Gomantak

Administrative / Commercial¶

Konkani	Abbreviation	English
�क्रिस्टयन फॉर देवनागर�	सी.एफ.डी.	Christian For Devnagari
गोवा पलु �स	गो.प.	Goa Police
कंपनी	कं.	Company
प्रायव्हेट �ल�मटेड	प्रा.�ल.	Private Limited
पान	पा.	Page
न�द करची	न�.क.	Note

Honorific¶

Konkani	Abbreviation	English
डॉक्टर	डॉ.	Doctor
प्रोफसोर	प्रो.	Professor

Measurements¶

Konkani	Abbreviation	English
सेल्सीयस	से.	Celsius
�कलो �मटर	�क.�म.	kilometer
सँट� �मटर	से.�म.	centimeter
�कलोग्राम	�क.ग्रा.	kilogram
ग्राम	ग्रॅ.	gram

Use non-breaking space (CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR) within abbreviations. When non-breaking space cannot be used (Help files), write without space to keep the abbreviation on one line.

Don’t abbreviate these¶

Abbreviation	Konkani expression	Meaning
प.ु बां.	पस्ु तकाची बांदावळ	Book binding
आ.भा.	आवय भास	Mother tongue

Acronyms¶

Acronyms are words made from initial letters of major parts of a compound term (WYSIWYG, DNS, HTML).

Common Konkani acronyms (transliterated)¶

Konkani	Expansion (transliterated English)	Acronym
�सटू	सँटर फॉर ट्रेड य�ु नयन	CITU
उल्फा	यनु ायटेड �लबरेशन फ्रंट ऑफ आसाम	ULFA
टाडा	टॅर�रस्ट एन्ड �डस्ट्रिक्टव्ह एिक्टिव्ह�टज �प्रव्हॅन्शन एक्ट	TADA
पोटा	�प्रव्हॅन्शन ऑफ टॅर�रस्ट एिक्टिव्ह�टज	POTA
पोटो	�प्रव्हॅन्शन ऑफ टॅर�रझम ऑ�डनर् न्स	POTO
साकर्	सावथ ए�शयन असो�सएशन फॉर रजनल को-ऑपरेशन	SAARC
यनु ॅस्को	यनु ायटेड नेशन्स एज्यकु ेशनल, साय�ं टफ�क एन्ड कल्चरल ऑगनर् ायजेशन	UNESCO
य�ु नसेफ	यनु ायटेड नेशन्स इंटरनॅशनल �चल्ड्रन्स इमजन्र् सी फंड	UNICEF
हू	वल्ड र्हॅल्थ ऑगनर् ायजेशन	WHO

Typical Konkani acronyms¶

Formed by taking the first syllable of each word:

Acronym	Expansion	English
बीजेपी	भारतीय जनता पाट�	BJP
एमपीट�	मरुमगुांव पोरट् ट्रस्ट	MPT
एसजीएफ	सेव गोवा फोरम	SGF
जीएफए	गोवा फुटबॉल असो�सएशन	GFA
केट�सी	कदंबा ट्रान्सपोटर् कॉप�रेशन	KTC
आरट�ओ	रोड ट्रॅ�फक ऑ�फसर	RTO
पीएमसी	पणजी म्युिन्सपल कॉप�रेशन	PMC
एबीव्ह�पी	अ�खल भारतीय �वद्याथ� प�रशद	ABVP

Avoid redundant generic terms after acronyms¶

If one of the acronym’s letters already stands for the generic term, don’t repeat it:

• (-) RPC call, HTML language, TCP/IP-Protocol, PIN Number
• (-) पीन नबंर, पॅन नबंर

Localized acronyms in documentation¶

When introducing an acronym, spell out the words on first use, including Konkani translation, English expansion, and acronym:

• डटे ा ऍक्ससॅ ऑब्जॅक्ट्स, �डएओ (Data Access Objects, DAO)
• रॅन्डम ऍक्ससॅ ममॅ र�, रॅम (Random Access Memory, RAM)

Don’t create new Konkani acronyms from the Konkani translation — leave the English acronym intact.

Unlocalized acronyms¶

Commonly understood acronyms stay untranslated and unexpanded: ANSI, ISO, ISDN, DOS, DSL, CD, DVD.

Adjectives¶

In Konkani, an adjective inflects to agree with its noun. Example: उणी मॅमर� — उणी is the adjective.

Possessive adjectives behave like adjectives, agreeing in gender and number. Example: हे �डस्काचेर सुवात ना — हे is possessive adjective.

Articles¶

Konkani has no articles. English “a / an / the” are dropped in translation: an apple = आपोल, a book = पुस्तक, the door = दार.

Unlocalized product names with articles¶

Microsoft product names and untranslated feature names are used without articles in English, and they must NOT take a Konkani genitive ‘s-like suffix attached to the product name — express possession with a periphrastic construction or hyphen:

• (-) Microsoft’s products
• (+) Microsoft products / Products by Microsoft

English	Konkani
Windows Mail shares your Internet Connection settings with Internet Explorer	Internet Explorer वांगडा Windows Mail तमु च्या माजाळ� कनॅक्शन मांडावळींची वांटणी करता
Website addresses will be sent to Microsoft	Microsoft क वबॅ सायट�च े नाम े धाडटले

Localized feature names¶

By contrast, translated feature names ARE used with appropriate definite/indefinite article structure in Konkani:

English	Konkani
Activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse	मावसा वरवीं �वडं ोचेर भ�वडावन ताका सक्र�य करच�
Select a location closest to your office	तमु च्या कायार्लयाक लागींच� थळ व�च्च�

English borrowed terms¶

When integrating English loanwords, consider motivation (formally motivated features), analogy (equivalent Konkani term), and frequency (use in other technical docs). Check Microsoft Language Portal to confirm article usage.

English	Konkani
Please register this key.	उपकार करून ह� क� न�दणीकृत करची.
Access to this link is not possible.	ह्या �लकं ाक ऍक्सॅस जावकं शकना.

Compounds¶

Konkani compounds combine two or more words into one. Four types:

1. प्रथमपद प्रधान (first-element dominant): सदांकाल, आमरण
2. द्�वतीयपद प्रधान (second-element dominant): वानरमारो, कृष्णापणर्, ऋणमुक्त, राजकंुवर, घरजांवय
3. उभयपद प्रधान (both-elements dominant): खर�फट, भाजीपालो
4. अन्यपद प्रधान (other-element dominant): प्राप्तधन, िजत��द्रय, �नधनर्, तपोबल

Konkani compounds are also written with hyphens. Keep compounds understandable; avoid overly long or complex compounds — unintuitive compounds cause intelligibility and usability issues.

Examples:

English	Konkani
Internet Accounts	माजाळयाची ंखाती ं
Workgroup Administrator	कायगर् ट प्रशासक
Logon script processing	�लपयेजी �क्रया लॉगऑन करची
Internet News Server Name	माजाळयाचा खबर� सवरर् ाच� नांव

Conjunctions¶

Starting a sentence with a conjunction is acceptable in conversational tone. “Because” / “But” at sentence start is fine when it conveys natural flow.

Conversational reordering examples:

English	Konkani — long/old	Konkani — new (natural)
While the document is open, it’s not possible to create a copy.	जेन्ना दस्तावजे उगडो आसता, प्रत�नमार्ण करप शक्य आसना.	दस्तावेज उगडो आसतना, प्रत �नमार्ण करप शक्य ना.
While you’re working in the file, you cannot close this window.	जेन्ना तमु ी फायल�ंत काम करता आसतना, तमु ी हो �वडं ो बदं करूंक शकनात.	तुमी जेन्ना फायल�ंत काम करतात तेन्ना तुमी हो �वडं ो बंद करूंक शकनात.
While data are saved on storage, it’s not possible to add a new reader.	सांठ्याचेर डटे ा सांबा�ळल्लो आसता तन्े ना, नव्या वाचकाच� सयं ोजन करप शक्य आसना.	सांठ्या चेर डटे ा सांबा�ळल्लो आसतना, नव्या वाचकाच� सयं ोजन करप शक्य ना.

Gender¶

Konkani has three genders:

• पुरूश�लगं ी नाम (masculine): रेडो, दादलो, आजो, बोकडो, बेबो, काका, मामा, श्याम
• स्त्री�लगं ी नाम (feminine): बायल, म्हस, आजी, बोकडी, बेबूक, काक�, मामी, श्यामल
• नपुसक�लगं ी/अ�लगं ी नाम (neuter): भुरग�, चडेूं, माजर, तांतीं

The semantic-grammatical gender mismatch is common: बैल (ox) is grammatically masculine; म्हस (buffalo) is grammatically feminine; माजर (cat) is grammatically neuter regardless of biological sex.

Genitive¶

Genitive markers (चो / ची / च�) inflect by gender AND number of the possessed noun:

Genitive form	Konkani example	English
Masc. singular	रामाचो चलो हुशार आसा.	Ram’s son is smart.
Masc. plural	रामाचे चले हुशार आसात.	Ram’s sons are smart.
Fem. singular	ती गीताची चल�.	She is Gita’s daughter.
Fem. plural	त्यो गीताच्यो चलयो.	They are Gita’s daughters.
Neut. singular	सुमनाच� घर पणजे आसा.	Suman’s house is in Panaji.
Neut. plural	सुमनाचीं घरां पणजे आसात.	Suman’s houses are in Panaji.

Why this matters: In legal contracts genitive agreement determines who owns / is responsible for what — wrong agreement creates ambiguity opposing counsel will exploit. In medical instructions correct genitive marks the relationship between patient, dose, and time. In marketing wrong agreement signals carelessness.

Don’t attach Konkani genitive markers to trademarked product names. Use periphrastic constructions or hyphens:

• (-) Microsoft’s products
• (+) Microsoft products / Products by Microsoft

Localizing colloquialism, idioms, and metaphors¶

Three options for handling source colloquialisms:

1. Don’t replace the source colloquialism with a Konkani colloquialism unless it’s a perfect natural fit.
2. Translate the intended meaning (not literal) if the colloquialism is integral to the text.
3. If the colloquialism can be dropped without affecting meaning, drop it.

Modifiers¶

Modifiers can be word, phrase, or clause. Semantically they provide additional meaning to other elements.

English	Konkani
Disk space too low.	�डस्क सवु ात सामक�अती उणी आसा.
Delete some unnecessary files from the folder.	फोल्डरांतल्यान कांय गरज ना�शल्ल्यो फायल� वगळावच्यो.

Nouns¶

Three Konkani noun classes:

1. खास नाम / �वशशे नाम / व्यिक्तवाचक नाम (proper): प्राप्ती, गीता, जॉन्सन, वड, पणजी
2. जातीवाचक नाम (common): मनीस, सुकण�, मोनजात, द�गर, फूल, फळ, झाड
3. रास नाम (collective): �भर�, चोमो, गांथन, मेळ, घ�स

Examples:

English	Konkani
Delete it from server.	Server तल्यान वगळावच�.
Enter a password to log into the server	पासवड र्घालनू server हाततूं �भतर सरच�.
DNS can’t resolve the server IP address	Server IP नाम्याचो DNS सटु ावो करूंक शकना.
Verify the name of the server’s certificate	Server च्या प्रमाणपत्रा वयल्या नांवाची पनु तपर् ासणी करची.

Inflection of English loanwords¶

English plural	Konkani
Clients	क्लायट्ं स
Websites	वबॅ ासायट�
Downloads	डावनलोड्स
Proxies	प्रॉक्सीज

Plural formation by gender¶

पुरूश�लगं ी (masculine):

• Singular nouns ending in अ/आ/ई/ऊ → plural unchanged: माड → माड, रूपया → रूपया, ददु � → ददु �, काजू → काजू, द�स → द�स
• Singular ending in ओ → plural in ए: दादलो → दादले, रेडो → रेडे

स्त्री�लगं ी (feminine):

• Singular ending in अ/ई → plural in ओ: बांय → बांयो, चल� → चलयो
• Singular ending in आ → plural unchanged: पूजा → पूजा, मजा → मजा

नपुसक�लगं ी (neuter):

• Singular ending in अ → plural in आं: पान → पानां, फूल → फुलां
• Singular ending in एं → plural in �: तवश� → तवशीं, सुण� → सुणीं

Postpositions (not prepositions)¶

Konkani uses postpositions, which FOLLOW the noun. Direct English-style preposition placement is ungrammatical.

Konkani postposition types¶

• स्थानीय अव्यय (spatial): लागीं, पयस, मुखार, फुड�, फाट�ं
• सबं ंधी अव्यय (relational): वांगडा, खातीर, कडने, पासत, बगर, सयत
• जोड अव्यय (connective): पूण, आनी, काय, जाल्यार
• उमाळी अव्यय (interjection): आब्बा!, आरेरे..!, आवयस!, हाक-थू!, शाबास!, शी…!, आरार्!, चे-चे..!, आंवंय!

Frequent verb-postposition patterns¶

English	Konkani	Comment
migrate to	हांगा स्थलांतर करच�	Postposition follows noun
migrate from	हांगाच्यान स्थलांतर करच�
import to	हांगा आयात करच�
import from	हांगाच्यान आयात करच�
export to	हांगा �नयार्त करच�
export from	हांगाच्यान �नयार्त करच�
update to	हांगा अपडटे करच�
upgrade to	हांगा अपग्रेड करच�
change to	हांगा बदल करचो
click on	हाचेर िक्लक करच�
connect to	हांगा कनॅक्ट करच�

Why this matters: Direct preposition-first translation in legal contracts produces ungrammatical Konkani that may be unenforceable. In medical instructions wrong postposition placement obscures action sequence. In marketing it produces foreign-sounding copy. In software UI it produces awkward button text. Use the postposition table — never copy English word order.

Pronouns¶

Konkani pronouns include personal (हांव, तूं, तो, ती, त�), reflexive (स्वता, आपूण), reciprocal (आपसांत, एकामेकांत), relative (जो, तो), demonstrative (हो, तो), and wh-pronouns (कोण, कोणे).

English	Konkani
Save this file to your My Documents folder.	ह� फायल तमु च्या म्हजे दस्तावेज फोल्डरांत सांबाळची.
The file you’re trying to download is not available.	तमु ी डावनलोड करपाचो यत्न करतात ती फायल उपलब्ध ना.

Punctuation¶

Bulleted lists¶

Same as English.

Comma¶

Separator for consecutive items and for short pauses.

English	Konkani
To enhance the security and performance of your computer, we recommend that you turn on Windows Update.	तमु च्या सगं णकाची सरु �ा आनी सादर�करण वाडोवपाक, तमु ी Windows Update टनर् ऑन करच� अशी आमी �शफारस करतात.

Colon¶

Introduces what follows (proof, clarification, list).

English	Konkani
Full computer name:	सगं णकाच� परु ाय नांव:
Computer description:	सगं णकाच� वणनर्:

Avoid the misuse of colon after a verb:

Incorrect	Correct
आमी प्रवास केलो : म्हापश�, पणजी आनी मडगांव.	(drop colon after केलो)
ह� सांबा�ळल्ल� फायल : माजाळ� ऍक्सप्लोररांतल्यान दृश्य करपाक शकतात.	(drop colon)

Hyphen, en dash, em dash¶

• Hyphen: divides syllables, links compound parts. Example: बर�-वायट मनशान समजून घेवपाक जाय.
• En dash: minus sign with spaces (11–05 वेळार तुमी �नमाण� लॉग ऑन केल्ल�); page-range with no spaces (1–5 पान क्रमांक पळोवचे).
• Em dash: for emphasis or non-essential phrase. Example: हांव� म्हणल� क� —

Ellipses¶

For omitted words at sentence end:

English	Konkani
Save As…	अश� सांबाळच�…
Downloading updates…	अपडट्े स डावनलोड करतां…
Updating the software…	सॉफ्टवरॅ अपडटे करता.ं..

Period¶

End of statement and abbreviations:

English	Konkani
Please try again later.	उपकार करून मागीर यत्न करचो.
File is being saved.	फायल सांबाळ्या.
Delete this file.	ह� फायल वगळावची.

Quotation marks¶

• ” ” double quotes for speech: “त ूं म्हाका त� सांगनाका”. रामान म्हणल�.
• ’ ’ single quotes for quotation: ‘कषाय मधरु’ रवीन्द्र केळेकारांच� �नमाण� पुस्तक.

Parentheses¶

No space between parenthesis and text inside: (उपकार करून तुमी मुखावयल्या पांवड्यांच� अनुसरण करच�.)

Sentence fragments¶

For conversational tone, sentence fragments help. They’re short and to the point.

en-US long form	en-US fragment
Use the following steps.	Here’s how

en-US source	Konkani long form	Konkani fragment
Follow the steps:	पांवड्यांच�अनसु रणकरच�:	पांवड्याच� अनुसरण करच�:
Please try again later.	उपकारकरूनमागीरपरतयत्नकरचो.	उपकार करून मागीर परत यत्न करचो.
……welcomes you	…..येवकार�दता	तुमकां येवकार �दता

Split infinitive¶

English	Konkani
To go nearby that mountain where nobody has gone before.	जंय हाच े पयल�ं कोणूच वचूंक ना त्या द�गरा लागीं वच्च�.

Here the adverb लागीं splits the infinitive vच्च�.

Subjunctive¶

Used for wish, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, action not yet occurred:

English	Konkani
Try to save this file.	ह� फायल सांबाळपाचो यत्न करचो.

Symbols and non-breaking spaces¶

Symbols (traffic signs, etc.) work as in English: रावच�, हॉस्पीटल. Non-breaking space in HTML is  .

Verbs¶

Use simple tense. Konkani inflects verbs for tense (present/past/future) and aspect (continuous). English gerunds map to continuous-aspect Konkani:

• Send → Sending = धाडच� → धाडटा
• Edit → Editing = संपादन करच� → संपादन करता
• Delete → Deleting = वगळावच� → वगळायता

Be consistent in error-message verb usage:

English	Konkani	Note
The document is too large. / Document too large.	दस्तावेज खूब व्हड आसा. / दस्तावेज खूब व्हड.	Be consistent with “to be”
Access was denied. / Access denied.	प्रवेश न्हयका�रल्लो.	Use same tense as source
The file ‘%s’ is an unknown graphics format.	फायल ‘%s’ अ�ात स�चत्राचं ी आकृती आसा.	Rephrase “is” with “have” if needed
The application may attempt to convert the graphic.	स�चत्र रुपांतर�त करपाक ऍिप्लकेशन करूं येता.	may + Verb → Verb + possibly
A problem occurred while trying to connect to the network share “%1!s!”.	“%1!s!” नॅटवकर् वांटणेशरॅ ा कडने सपं कर् करतना समस्या उप्रासल्या.	Shorten/rephrase
The following error occurred: “%1!s!” (error #%2!lx!)	मखु ा वयल� चूक उप्रासल्या : ‘%1!s!’ (चूक #%2!lx!)	Shorten if possible
An unknown error has occurred. / No error occurred.	अ�ात चूक उप्रासल्या / चूक उप्रासकूं ना.	Shorten if possible

Verb loanwords from English follow Konkani morphology:

English	Present	Past	Continuous
chat	चॅट्स	चॅटेड	चॅट�ंग
crawl	क्रावल्स	क्रावल्ड	क्रावल�ंग
debug	�डबग्स	�डबग्ड	�डबगींग

Error message style¶

Use consistent terminology and language across error messages. In Konkani, the negative marker can come AFTER the main verb, or the negative-quality adjective can come BEFORE the verb. Pick a pattern and apply consistently.

Translators are encouraged to apply Microsoft-voice principles for natural, empathetic, non-robotic translations:

English	Konkani
Oops, that can’t be blank…	ओहोओ, त� �रकाम� आसकूं शकना…
Not enough memory to process this command.	हो आदेश फुड �व्हरूंक, फावो �ततल� मॅमोर� ना.

Standard phrases in error messages¶

English variants	Konkani	Comment
Can’t … / Could not … (File can’t be found / could not be found)	मेळना…	Used for “unable to affect outcome”
Failed to … / Failure of … (Failed to connect / Failure to connect)	अपेस आयल�…
Can’t find … / Could not find … / Unable to find … / Unable to locate …	सोद लागना…
Not enough memory / Insufficient memory / There is not enough memory	फावोशी मॅमोर� ना
… is not available / … is unavailable (The command is not available / The command is unavailable)	…उपलब्ध ना

Error messages with placeholders¶

Letters carry meaning: - %d, %ld, %u, %lu → number - %c → letter - %s → string

Reword the Konkani so the substitution is grammatical.

English	What user sees	Konkani
Replace invalid %s?	Replace invalid data? / Replace invalid file?	अवधै %s ची पनु स्थार्पणूक करपाची?
%s already exists	File already exists / Name already exists	%s आद�चं अिस्तत्वांत आसा
%s is now set as your personal contact.	Regina is now set as your personal contact / Mr. Kim is now set as your personal contact	%s आता ंतमु चो खाजगी सपं कार्वर� मांडला.
%s stopped working and was closed	The application stopped working and was closed / The program stopped working and was closed	%s काम करपाच� थांबल� आनी बदं जाल�.

Keys¶

Key names in English do NOT inflect — keep keyboard-printed names in their English form (Alt, Ctrl, etc.). Function/named keys may be translated where meaningful.

Key name translations¶

English	Konkani
Alt	Alt
Backspace	बॅकस्पेस
Break	Break
Caps Lock	Caps Lock
Ctrl	�नयत्रं ण
Delete	वगळावच�
Down Arrow	सकयलो बाण
End	समाप्ती
Enter	समावेश
Esc	Escape
Home	Home
Insert	�रगोवच�
Left Arrow	दावो बाण
Num Lock	Num Lock
Page Down	Page Down
Page Up	Page Up
Pause	थांबोवच�
Right Arrow	उजवो बाण
Scroll Lock	Scroll Lock
Shift	�शफ्ट
Spacebar	सवु ातपट्टी
Tab	टॅब
Up Arrow	वयलो बाण
Windows key	Windows क�
Menu Key	मेन ूक�
Print Screen	मद्रु ण स्क्र�न

Keyboard shortcuts (access keys)¶

Special option	Allowed in Konkani?	Note
Slim characters (i, l, t, r, f)	Yes	Konkani uses Devanagari; “slim” mapping does not apply directly
Downstroke characters (g, j, y, p, q)	Yes	Devanagari script has a top line; downstroke rule does not apply
Extended/conjunct characters	No	Konkani conjunct characters cannot be used
Additional letter in brackets	No	Cannot be used
Number in brackets	Yes	Allowed
Punctuation in brackets	No	Many clear simple letters available
Duplicate shortcuts when no other char available	Yes	Special cases only
No shortcut when no chars left (minor option)	No	Must assign

Konkani follows the Devanagari InScript keyboard standardized by the Indian government. Konkani, Marathi, Hindi shortcut words are SIMILAR, so the same shortcut keys are localized across them.

Standard shortcut translations¶

English	Konkani	Transliteration
Save - &S	सांबाळच�	sambalchein
Find - &F	सोदचे	sodhechein
Cut - &X	कापच�	kaapchein
Copy - &C	नक्कल करची / प्रत काडची	Prath kadchi/nakkal karchi
Paste - &V	दसोवच�	dhasochein
Undo - &Z	पवू वर्त	poorvavarthu
Select all - &A	�नवड करची	Nivda karichi
Print - &P	मद्रु ण करच�	Mudruna karche
Open - &O	उगडच�	Ugdachein
Quit - &Q	सोडच�	sodchem
Close - &W	बदं करच� / धांपच�	Bandh karchein / dhopuchein
Bold - &B	ठळक	talak
Italic - &I	पालशीं	Palsheer/palshein
Underline - &U	अधोरेखीत	adhorekhit
New - &N	नव�	navem
Help - &?	आदार	adar

Arrow keys, numeric keypad¶

Arrow keys move focus among controls in a group. Right = next, left = previous; Home/End/Up/Down expected behavior. Users can’t navigate out of a control group with arrows.

For numeric keypad, avoid distinguishing keypad keys from main keys unless the application requires it.

Shortcut keys (Ctrl combinations)¶

English command	Shortcut	Konkani command
Help window	F1	आदार �वडं ो
Context-sensitive Help	Shift+F1	सदं भ-र् सवं ेदनशील आदार
Display pop-up menu	Shift+F10	पॉप-अप मेनचू � प्रदशनर् करच�
Cancel	Esc	रद्द करच�
Activate/Deactivate menu bar	F10	मेन ूबार मोड सक्र�य/असक्र�य करचो
Switch to next primary application	Alt+Tab	फुडल्या प्राथमीक ऍिप्लकेशनांत स्वीच करच�
Display next window	Alt+Esc	फुडल्या �वडं ोच� प्रदशनर् करच�
Display pop-up menu for window	Alt+Spacebar	�वडं ो खातीर पॉप-अप मेनचू � प्रदशनर् करच�
Display pop-up menu for active child	Alt+-	सक्र�य भरु ग� �वडं ो खातीर पॉप-अप मेनचू � प्रदशनर् करच�
Display property sheet	Alt+Enter	चालतं व�चणे खातीर गणू धम र्पत्रकाच� प्रदशनर् करच�
Close active application	Alt+F4	सक्र�य ऍिप्लकेशन �वडं ो बदं करचो
Switch to next window	Alt+F6	ऍिप्लकेशना मद�ं फुडल्या �वडं �त स्वीच करच�
Capture active window	Alt+Prnt Scrn	िक्लपबोडा�त सक्र�य �वडं ो प्र�तमा हातासची
Capture desktop	Prnt Scrn	िक्लपबोडा�त डॅस्कटॉप प्र�तमा हातासची
Access Start button	Ctrl+Esc	कायपर् ट�त सरु वात बटन ऍक्सॅस करचो
Display next child window	Ctrl+F6	फुडल� भरु ग� �वडं ोच� प्रदशनर् करच�
Display next tabbed pane	Ctrl+Tab	फुडल� टॅब केल्ल्या आदफू ाच� प्रदशनर् करच�
Launch Task Manager	Ctrl+Shift+Esc	काय र्वेवस्थापक आनी प्रणाल� प्रारंभीकरण लॉचं करच�
File New	Ctrl+N	नवी फायल
File Open	Ctrl+O	फायल उगडची
File Close	Ctrl+F4	फायल बदं करची
File Save	Ctrl+S	फायल सांबाळची
File Save as	F12	फायल अशी सांबाळची
File Print Preview	Ctrl+F2	फायल मद्रु ण पवू प्रर् दशनर्
File Print	Ctrl+P	फायल मद्रु ण करची
File Exit	Alt+F4	फायल प्रस्थान करची
Edit Undo	Ctrl+Z	सपं ादन पवू वर् त करच�
Edit Repeat	Ctrl+Y	सपं ादनाची पनु रावतृ ी करची
Edit Cut	Ctrl+X	सपं ादन कातरच�
Edit Copy	Ctrl+C	सपं ादनाची नक्कल करची
Edit Paste	Ctrl+V	सपं ादन दसोवच�
Edit Delete	Ctrl+Backspace	सपं ादन वगळावच�
Edit Select All	Ctrl+A	सपं ादन सगळ� व�चच�
Edit Find	Ctrl+F	सपं ादन सोदच�
Edit Replace	Ctrl+H	सपं ादन पनु स्थार्पना करची
Edit Go To	Ctrl+B	सपं ादन हांगा वचच�
Help	F1	आदार
Italic	Ctrl+I	पालशी
Bold	Ctrl+G	उठावदार
Underlined/Word underline	Ctrl+U	अधोरेखीत / उतर अधोरेखन
Large caps	Ctrl+Shift+A	Large caps
Small caps	Ctrl+Shift+K	Small caps
Centered	Ctrl+E	मदलो भाग
Left aligned	Ctrl+L	दावी आखं णी
Right aligned	Ctrl+R	उजवी आंखणी
Justified	Ctrl+J	समथनर् ीय

English pronunciation guidelines¶

General¶

English terms and product names left untranslated should be pronounced the English way. However, if Konkani has an established pronunciation (e.g. “server”), use the local one. Adapt to Konkani phonetics if the original is awkward.

Example	Phonetics
SecurID	�सक्यॉर आईडी
.NET	डॉट नॅट
Skype	[skaip]

Acronyms¶

Pronounced like real words when possible, adapted to local pronunciation:

Example	Phonetics
RADIUS	रॅ�डयस
RAS	रास
ISA	आइएसए
LAN	लॅन
WAN	वनॅ
WAP	वपॅ
MAPI	मापी
POP	पॉप
URL	यआू रएल

Otherwise pronounced letter by letter:

Example	Phonetics
ICMP	आइसीएमपी
IP	आइपी
TCP/IP	ट�सीपी/आइपी
XML	एक्सएमएल
HTML	एचट�एमएल
OWA	ऑडब्ल्यएू
SQL	एसक्यएू ल

URLs¶

• Omit “http://” in speech.
• “www” pronounced as डब्ल्यू डब्ल्यू डब्ल्यू.
• “dot” may be omitted or read; if read, pronounced English-way.

Punctuation in speech¶

? ! : ; , are naturally implied by voice. En dash (–) for isolated element emphasis → pronounce as comma / short pause. Special characters (/ \ < > + −) use approved Konkani translations.

Geopolitical concerns¶

The localized product should respond to Konkani-region specifics. Sensitive content may occur in:

• Maps
• Flags
• Country/region, city, language names
• Art and graphics
• Cultural content (encyclopedia entries with historical/political references)

Maps and graphic representations need accuracy and political-restriction checks. Country/region/city/language names change; verify even previously approved ones. Cultural review covers religious symbols, body/hand gestures.

Accessibility¶

Accessibility options are designed to make the computer usable by people with cognitive, hearing, physical, or visual disabilities. Hardware and software components engage a flexible UI, alternative input/output, and exposure of screen elements.

Applications, products, features, and version numbers¶

Product/application names are often trademarked — rarely translated. Sometimes feature names are trademarked too (e.g. IntelliSense™). Verify before translating.

Version numbers always contain a period (Version 4.2). They are usually part of version strings but technically distinct.

Trademarked names and “Microsoft Corporation” should NOT be localized unless local law requires an approved translated form.

Reference materials¶

Normative references — must be followed when this guide doesn’t specify:

1. Mr. Sripad Raghunath Dessai — क�कणी शब्दकोश (4 volumes). The principal Konkani-Konkani dictionary.
2. Mr. Gurunath Kelekar — English-Konkani Dictionary.
3. Goa Konkani Academi — क�कणी शुध्दलेखनाचे नेम (2007 edition). Orthographic standard.
4. Mr. Damodar Ghanekar, Mr. Suresh Borkar, Mr. Mukesh Thali — English-Konkani Dictionary (2 volumes).
5. Mr. Prakash G. Thali — English-Konkani Dictionary.
6. Fr. Pratap Naik — क�कणी बरोवंची प्रमाण र�त. Standardized writing prescription.
7. Dr. Manohar Rai Sardessai — English-Konkani Dictionary.
8. Mr. Damodar Ghanekar & Mr. Suresh Borkar — क�कणी स�चत्र अश्टांगी अभ्यासकोश.
9. Mr. Shantaram Hedo — क�कणी-क�कणी शब्दकोश.

FAQ¶

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

Warm, conversational, and concise. The register that reads as natural professional Konkani is closer to everyday speech than to formal/literary Konkani. Apply this default to software UI, marketing copy, patient-facing medical text, and consumer-facing legal documents. Sworn legal translation and academic medical references may retain higher formality.

How should plural forms be handled in Konkani translation?¶

Plural inflection depends on noun gender and final vowel. Masculine nouns ending in अ/आ/ई/ऊ stay unchanged (माड→माड); those ending in ओ change to ए (दादलो→दादले). Feminine nouns ending in अ/ई become ओ (बांय→बांयो, चल�→चलयो); those ending in आ stay same (पूजा→पूजा). Neuter nouns ending in अ become आं (पान→पानां); those ending in एं become � (तवश�→तवशीं).

Why do Konkani translations of English prepositional phrases often sound broken?¶

Konkani uses postpositions, which follow the noun, while English uses prepositions, which precede it. Translating “migrate to X” as a preposition-first calque produces ungrammatical Konkani; the natural form is X हांगा स्थलांतर करच�. Use the postposition table when mapping common verb-preposition combinations from English.

Which Konkani vocabulary should I avoid in modern translation?¶

Avoid unnecessarily formal English equivalents: ‘execute’ → use run / चालू कर rather than Latinate borrowings, ‘utilize’ → use use / वापर, ‘navigate’ → go / वच, ‘terminate’ → end / सोपोव. The Microsoft-voice principle is to prefer short, everyday Konkani words over long bookish ones whenever the audience is non-specialist.

What authoritative Konkani language references should I use?¶

Goa Konkani Academi क�कणी शुध्दलेखनाचे नेम (2007 edition) for orthography. Sripad R. Dessai क�कणी शब्दकोश (4 volumes) for general vocabulary. Gurunath Kelekar English-Konkani Dictionary, Damodar Ghanekar / Suresh Borkar / Mukesh Thali English-Konkani Dictionary (2 vols.), Prakash G. Thali English-Konkani Dictionary, and Manohar Rai Sardessai English-Konkani Dictionary as bilingual references. Fr. Pratap Naik क�कणी बरोवंची प्रमाण र�त for written-standard prescription.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Konkani (PDF)
• Goa Konkani Academi
• Sripad Raghunath Dessai — क�कणी शब्दकोश
• Fr. Pratap Naik — क�कणी बरोवंची प्रमाण र�त