This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s 8-page Manipuri (Meitei) Localization Style Guide (originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Manipuri translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Manipuri translator reference by ChatsControl.

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

TL;DR¶

• Modern Manipuri translation prefers warm, conversational register; for Microsoft privacy content use Formal-but-friendly tone with the second-person form অদোম.
• Manipuri has no gender markers — nouns, pronouns, and adjectives don’t change form by gender; one of the cleanest translation contexts for gender-neutral writing.
• No capitalization in Manipuri — a single form is used for each letter regardless of position.
• Nuqta diacritic (used in Devanagari/Hindi) is NOT used in Manipuri — strictly avoid; pluralize acronyms with affix শশেং (eg, MPs → এম.শপ.শশেং).
• Reference authoritative Manipuri sources: Hidam Dolen’s English-Manipuri Dictionary, Ibomcha Sagolsem’s Pukeilol Dictionary, W. Tomchou Singh’s Anouba Manipuri Grammar and Composition; Poknapham daily newspaper for contemporary usage.

Register and tone for modern Manipuri translation¶

The modern Manipuri register for consumer-facing content is warm and relaxed, crisp and clear, ready to lend a hand.

• Write short, easy-to-read sentences.
• Do not translate literally.
• Be pleasant; ensure explanations are appropriate for target audience and enjoyable to read.
• Avoid slang; be careful with colloquialism. Conversational tone is acceptable to reassure customers, but stay professional.

Literal translations should be avoided — they often fail to get the intended meaning across and sound unnatural, even ridiculous. If necessary, split or merge sentences.

Why this matters: Source-faithful translation produces unnatural prose. Required in sworn legal translation and certified documents. Harmful in marketing translation, patient-facing healthcare materials, and software UX. Knowing where the boundary sits is core translator judgment.

Tone of voice and form of address¶

The formal-but-friendly tone matches the register expected for legal-consumer content, official communications, and respectful product copy.

Abbreviations¶

You might need to abbreviate words due to lack of space, especially in UI:

• A full stop is NOT used after an abbreviated term.
• Abbreviated terms are not used in the plural.

Acronyms¶

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

• The affix শশেং is appended to the acronym to form the plural:

• If an English acronym is to be used throughout a text, the first occurrence: full form (acronym). Subsequent: acronym only.
• Some English acronyms remain in English due to wide acceptance and usage in the target language. Examples: http, www.

Capitalization¶

Capitalization does not apply to Manipuri language and script. A single form is used for each letter. This applies regardless of sentence position, proper noun status, or title case.

Punctuation¶

Follow the source text punctuation.

Bulleted lists¶

Follow source text punctuation.

Dashes and hyphens¶

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

• Re-duplication words: to indicate repeated words
• Breaking words at the end of a line
• Page numbers, dates, and other number intervals
• Establishing relationships between two concepts

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

Em dash. Obtained by pressing Alt + 0151 or Ctrl + Alt + - (num) in Windows. Avoid extensive use of English em dash; use commas or parentheses instead. You can also start a new sentence. Feel free to change the sentence (you can remove the em dash) so that it will look and sound more natural in Manipuri.

Quotation marks¶

Follow the quotation mark type used in source text.

Usage of Nuqta¶

The Nuqta is a diacritic used in Devanagari script to describe modern sounds borrowed from languages not native to Devanagari, mainly Urdu (Arabic, Farsi) and English. It appears as a dot and is used in some Hindi letters. However, it is not used in Manipuri. Please ensure that the Nuqta is strictly avoided.

Numbers, symbols, and non-breaking spaces¶

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

Non-breaking space. When source includes a non-breaking space, ensure target also includes it. Always adhere to source formatting.

Ampersand. Always translate “&” as “অম ুেং” in running text. Do not keep “&” in target unless part of a tag, placeholder, shortcut, or other type of code.

Date¶

Date format: DD/MM/YYYY.

Example: ০১/০৪/২০২৫.

When only month and year (such as “March 2025”), use “Month YYYY” format.

Inclusive language¶

General guidelines:

• Comply with local language laws.
• Use plain language.
• Be mindful when referring to various parts of the world.
• In text and images, represent diverse perspectives and circumstances.
• Don’t generalize or stereotype people by region, culture, age, or gender.
• Don’t use profane or derogatory terms.
• Don’t use slang considered cultural appropriation.
• Don’t use terms that may carry unconscious racial bias or terms associated with military actions, politics, or controversial historical events and eras.

Avoid gender bias¶

There are no gender-specific words in Manipuri. Nouns, pronouns, and adjectives do not change form based on gender. This makes Manipuri one of the cleanest languages for gender-neutral translation.

Accessibility¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use words that imply pity, such as া থশাকেল্লবা or গী হে া েংলবা. Don’t mention a disability unless relevant.

Use generic verbs applying to all input methods and devices:

Keep paragraphs short — aim for one verb per sentence. Spell out words like অমস ুং, তিনতিনবা, মরমদা। Screen readers can misread special characters (&, +, ~).

Application, products, and features¶

Application/product names that are trademarked are not translatable. Before translating any application, product, or feature name, verify it’s translatable and not protected.

Version numbers always contain a period.

Trademarks¶

Trademarked names and “Microsoft Corporation” shouldn’t be localized unless local laws require translation and an approved translated form is available.

Reference information¶

Terminology. Use approved terminology from translation editing environment (including product names) and Microsoft Terminology Search page. Editing environment terminology is fresher.

Normative references:

1. DOLEN, Hidam. English-Manipuri Dictionary.
2. SAGOLSEM, Ibomcha. Pukeilol (Dictionary).
3. SINGH, W. Tomchou. Anouba Manipuri Grammar and Composition.

Note: If multiple spellings are acceptable, opt for the spelling adopted on Microsoft-approved terminology and the normative dictionaries. Use consistent spelling across products.

Informative references:

1. Poknapham (Manipuri daily newspaper) — for contemporary usage.

FAQ¶

What’s the right register for modern Manipuri translation?¶

Warm, relaxed, crisp and clear. Write short, easy-to-read sentences. Don’t translate literally — split or merge sentences as needed. For Microsoft privacy content use Formal-but-friendly tone with second-person অদোম. Avoid slang; conversational tone is acceptable but stay professional.

Which form of address should I use in Manipuri translation?¶

For Microsoft privacy content and similar professional contexts, use formal-but-friendly tone with second-person pronoun অদোম.

How does Manipuri handle gender?¶

There are no gender-specific words in Manipuri. Nouns, pronouns, and adjectives do not change form based on gender. This makes Manipuri one of the cleanest languages for gender-neutral translation — no special inclusivity strategies needed for grammatical gender.

What’s the rule for capitalization in Manipuri?¶

Capitalization does not apply to Manipuri language and script. A single form is used for each letter regardless of position in the sentence. Even at sentence beginnings, names, or titles, the same letter form is used.

Which Manipuri language references should I consult?¶

Hidam Dolen’s English-Manipuri Dictionary; Ibomcha Sagolsem’s Pukeilol (Dictionary); W. Tomchou Singh’s Anouba Manipuri Grammar and Composition. For contemporary usage: Poknapham (Manipuri daily newspaper). When multiple spellings are acceptable, follow Microsoft-approved terminology and the normative dictionaries above. Use consistent spelling across products.

How do Manipuri abbreviations and acronyms work?¶

A full stop is NOT used after an abbreviated term (Monday → শ েংন ৌকাবা → শ েংন ৌ). Abbreviated terms are not used in plural. To pluralize an acronym, append the affix শশেং (MPs → এম.শপ.শশেং). For English acronyms in text: first occurrence use full form (acronym); subsequent uses use the acronym alone. Some English acronyms (http, www) remain in English.

What’s special about Nuqta in Manipuri?¶

Nuqta is a diacritic used in the Devanagari script to describe modern sounds borrowed from languages not native to Devanagari (mainly Urdu/Arabic/Farsi/English). It is NOT used in Manipuri. Strictly avoid the Nuqta diacritic — this is a frequent error when translators come from Hindi or other Devanagari-script languages.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Manipuri (PDF)
• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• Poknapham — Manipuri daily newspaper