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

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

TL;DR¶

• Quechua translation across all spheres uses one register — there is no formal/informal distinction in Quechua, unlike Spanish (tú/usted).
• Address user as qam (you, singular) directly — no formal pronoun exists; second-person verb forms carry the address naturally.
• Quechua is agglutinative — suffixes attach to nouns and verbs to express possession, direction, action mode (-ta direct object, -pa genitive, -kuna plural, -chka progressive, -mi evidential, -paq purposive).
• Quechua has no grammatical gender — Yachachiq means “teacher” regardless of gender; specify with qari (male) or warmi (female) only when relevant.
• Reference: Ayacucho Chanka Guardia Dictionary, Ministerio de Educación RD; respect Peruvian regulations against unfair advertising (no absolute claims, no superlatives like “best”, “fastest”, “always”, “never”).

Register and tone for modern Quechua translation¶

Quechua does not distinguish between formal and informal registers. There is no equivalent to the Spanish tú/usted split or other languages’ T-V distinction. The same address form (qam) and verb conjugation apply across all professional contexts.

This simplifies modern Quechua translation across spheres: the same conversational, clear, well-constructed register works for legal documents, medical patient materials, marketing copy, software UI, and technical documentation. The translator’s task is to use the simplest style possible, with clear, concise, well-constructed sentences — not to choose between politeness levels.

Why this matters: In medical translation, instructions to patients use the same direct verb forms (imperative -y) as instructions in software UI. In legal translation for Quechua-speaking communities (court documents, indigenous rights materials), the register is naturally clear and direct. In marketing translation, the lack of formal/informal split means the same friendly, direct voice applies everywhere — but Peruvian advertising laws constrain superlatives heavily.

Peruvian advertising law constraints¶

Per stringent Peruvian laws against unfair advertising, the Peruvian authorities or courts can require any company to provide strong evidence that their services/products are up to the level boasted in advertising. Therefore:

• Superlative expressions like “The best product available”, “The fastest…”, “the most reliable”, “the most secure”, “the most recent”, and any other superlatives in general
• Absolute expressions leaving no room for exceptions or failure, like “Compatible with software designed for”, “solves all issues”, “fully secure”, “at any time”, “in all cases”, “at all time”, “always”, “never”, “unbreakable”

are a serious legal risk on the Peruvian market.

Example: “The fastest” should be translated as “aswan utqay” (more fast / faster) rather than absolute “fastest”.

Word choice: approved terminology and conversational vocabulary¶

The general style should be simple, clear, concise. Use the right verb corresponding to the action being described — be specific:

• When dealing with a check box, “select” is ñitiy (to press)
• For an option, “select” is akllay (to choose)

Verbs and continuous operations¶

99.9% of verbs in Quechua are regular. Continuous operations expressed in English with a gerund are translated into Quechua with the suffix -chka:

Avoid heavy structures with repetitions¶

Avoid repeating constructions:

Avoid repeating “you” when possible¶

Quechua often omits pronouns since verb conjugation already encodes person:

Sample voice¶

Inclusive language¶

General principles apply: use plain words; represent diverse perspectives; don’t generalize/stereotype; don’t use derogatory or politically charged terms.

Some accessibility products/services may not be available for Quechua — check with Microsoft contact and remove references from Quechua text if necessary.

Language-specific grammar standards¶

Adjectives¶

Adjectives can take masculine/feminine and singular/plural forms according to the noun they modify. They are commonly placed before the noun, same as English:

• Hatun wasi = big house (hatun = big, wasi = house)

Possessive adjectives: In Quechua, possessives are suffixes that attach directly to the noun, not separate words:

Articles¶

Definite articles are not used in Quechua, but -ta suffix is used as a direct-object marker (functions similarly):

Unlocalized feature names: Microsoft product names used without articles, but with -ta suffix when used with a verb:

Localized feature names: Handled like any Quechua name:

Borrowed English terms — consider:

• Motivation: Does the English word have features allowing integration into Quechua noun class?
• Analogy: Is there an equivalent Quechua term whose article could be used?
• Frequency: Is the term used in other technical documentation?

Example: Enter a valid URL → Chiqa URL nisqata churay.

Capitalization¶

English overuses capitals — don’t follow this in Quechua. Only proper nouns and the first word of a sentence are capitalized. For edition names, both words capitalized: Enterprise Edition → Enterprise Edition nisqa.

Capitalize only the first letter of the first word in commands, dialog box titles, and dialog box options.

Compounds¶

Compounds should be understandable and clear. Avoid overly long/complex compounds.

Gender¶

Quechua has no grammatical gender inflection. Yachachiq = teacher (man or woman).

To specify gender when relevant:

• qari yachachiq = male teacher
• warmi yachachiq = female teacher

Genitive¶

Use -pa suffix for genitive (same across all Quechua variants):

Modifiers¶

Quechua often adds modifier suffixes to verbs and nouns:

• Uray = down → Urayachiy = download (causative: cause to go down)
• Qillqay = to write → Qillqapay = to rewrite (iterative)

Nouns¶

Quechua tends to use more nouns than English. Example: How to use Microsoft Office → Microsoft Office hapiy.

Plural formation: Like in English, Quechua nouns and adjectives take plural by adding -KUNA suffix to the noun:

Punctuation¶

Always respect punctuation rules applying to Quechua.

Comma: In a series of three or more elements with similar grammatical function, separate with commas.

Colon: Use to introduce lists and explanations. Don’t capitalize the word following a colon unless (1) the colon is at the end of a heading or (2) the text following is a complete quotation. Don’t use colons to introduce only one idea.

Examples:

• Iskay kiputam kicharukun: qallariqta chaymanta tukuqtapas.
• Willakuy : kay OK niqpi ñitiy kichapanapaq.
• Microsoftmi nin : « Puriymi aswan allinqa! ».

Hyphen: Used to divide words between syllables and link parts of a compound word. For hyphenated compounds that shouldn’t be divided between lines (e.g., MS-DOS), use non-breaking hyphen.

En dash (–): Used as minus sign (with spaces) and in number ranges (no spaces in ranges).

Example: Pagoqa – 1 000 = 2 000

Em dash: Not used in Quechua.

Ellipses (…): Use the ellipsis character (not three periods). Rules:

• When indicating an omitted word, use spaces before and after: Tayta …ta riqsichisqayki, paymi llaqtapi yachachiq.
• When indicating an omitted string of words, enclose in square brackets: Manam llapa ñiqikunatachu ñawanichana, […] lliq umanchanapaqa.
• At the end of a word within a sentence with no words deleted (rare in documentation, more common in tutorials/callouts), no space before the points, one space after: Hamuqpi clickyay … or … wakin qawanapaq.
• At end of sentence or paragraph, ellipses also serve as final period: hamuq ñiqipi, Tupachiyta yachanki. Wakinqa chaymantapaqmi…

Don’t use suspension points after “etc.”

Period: Insert only one space after a period. Use period in all complete sentences with conjugated verbs. Don’t use period in software strings without a conjugated verb.

Quotation marks: Use Quechua quotation marks « » (guillemets) in both software and documentation.

Parentheses: No space between parentheses and text inside (same as English).

Word order¶

When explaining a concept, put the purpose of the action at the beginning of the sentence:

Symbols and non-breaking spaces¶

Whenever a symbol appears in English, keep it in Quechua. For paired marks (brackets, quotation marks, parentheses), use kichaq(kuna) (opening) and wichqaq(kuna) (closing) to differentiate.

Use non-breaking spaces:

• Between chapter (chapitre) or annex (annexe) and its number/letter.
• Between a unit of measure or currency and its number.
• Between any items that should not be divided onto separate lines.

Note: Non-breaking spaces sometimes cause problems for Table of Contents generation if used in online help topic titles.

Example: S/. 5,000

Localization considerations¶

Abbreviations¶

Regular abbreviations shorten a word by three or more letters and end with periods. Abbreviate only after a consonant or cluster of consonants.

Don’t abbreviate short units of measure such as pouce, pica, point, pied, pixel.

Acronyms¶

Write acronyms in capital letters, without periods or spaces. Acronyms do not agree in number. When acronym can be pronounced as a proper name, permissible to write it in lower case with initial capital (Unesco, Opep). Some acronyms become common nouns (ovni, laser).

Localized acronyms. If widely used, use “as is” without spelled-out term. If not widely used or could be mistaken for another, spell out term and include acronym in brackets first time.

Example:

• P+F ñiqita qaway manaraq allichaqkunata qayachkaspa.
• (SAI) nisqa yanapakuqatam kay aypukuqqa kamachin, kay computadoraman tikusqata.

Unlocalized acronyms. Common standardized acronyms remain in English without spelled-out form: ANSI, CD, DOS, DSL, DVD, ISO, IP.

If acronym isn’t widely used, the first time it occurs, write its full name in Quechua followed by the Quechua acronym in parentheses. If the English full name is needed for clarity, include it in italics in parentheses after the Quechua acronym.

Example:

• Willaykunapa kuyuqnin qunakuy (DDE) nisqapi yanapakuq llankaptinqa utaq imakuna ustichiy (OLE) nisqapipas chaynaqa huk siqikunata churawaqmi huk yanapakuypiqa.
• Willaykunapa kuyuqnin qunakuy (DDE, Dynamic Data Exchange), tinkuchikunmanmi huk rapipi chaypas kunayachisqa kananpaq.

Applications, products, features¶

Application/product names are often trademarked, rarely translated. Wizard names should follow the approved format: Noun(paq) + yanapakuq or Infinitive(paq) + yanapakuq + object.

Frequent errors¶

Be careful when translating “again” — don’t translate literally:

• Start again → Musuqmanta qallariy.

Same for words like:

• “typical” → use chaynapuni or chayna
• “current” → use kunanpuni or kaq
• “optional” → use akllanapaq

Be careful with word order:

• Product key format → rurupa imayna sananpa kaynin (correct), NOT rurupa sananpa kaynin (incorrect).

Using “Microsoft”¶

In English, it is forbidden to use MS as an abbreviation for Microsoft. Same applies to Quechua.

• (-) MS Word nisqata hapina yupikuna allichanapaq
• (+) Microsoft Word nisqata hapina yupikuna allichanapaq

Trademarks¶

Don’t localize trademarked names or “Microsoft Corporation”. Reference: http://www.microsoft.com/trademarks/t-mark/names.htm.

User interface¶

Buttons typically infinitives. Quechua string should follow US source for punctuation. Never use a period with infinitives in Quechua.

Example: Add → Yapay

Check boxes typically infinitives. Use a period when the string is a sentence: Llapanmi yuyayta yachan.

Headings typically use second-person plural verb (allichay) or noun phrase. When user is expected to take action, use second-person verb to indicate purpose:

• Imankunata allichay.
• Yanapaqta tukuchiy.

Dialog titles should match the menus that call them — typically infinitives.

Messages¶

Main menus at top of UI — typically nouns or gerunds in Quechua: Kipu (File), Allichay (Edit), Llankanakuna (Tools).

Commands and menu items — typically nouns or infinitives. Avoid parentheses as much as possible.

Status bar messages — refer to actions being performed or completed:

Importance of standardization: Use one standard translation:

Error messages¶

Use consistent terminology and language style. Always use a period after an error message. Avoid parentheses as much as possible.

Standard phrases — Quechua negation always placed before the sentence:

Error messages with placeholders: %d, %ld, %u, %lu → <number>; %c → <letter>; %s → <string>.

Keys¶

References to key names appear in normal text (not small caps).

Access keys (hot keys): Underlined or highlighted letters in menu options.

Choosing access keys: Choose most significant letters (generally first character) for most important commands. Use remaining letters for remaining items. Aim for unique access keys per dialog, but if not enough letters available, duplicates allowed.

Selected standard shortcut keys:

Numeric keypad¶

Recommend avoiding distinguishing numeric keypad keys from other keys unless required by application. If unclear, provide explanations.

Peru-specific standards¶

Characters¶

Lower-case: a, á, ch, h, i, í, k, l, ll, m, n, ñ, p, q, r, s, t, u, w, y Upper-case: A, Á, Ch, H, I, Í, K, L, Ll, M, N, Ñ, P, Q, R, S, T, U, W, Y Extended Latin: á, Á, í, Í, ñ, Ñ, ¿, ¡, ?, !

Total: 17 characters (excluding extended).

Date¶

Calendar: Gregorian First day of week: Monday Default short date: dd-mm-yyyy (e.g., 17-03-2011) Default long date: d MMMM yyyy (e.g., 17 marzo 2011) Additional long date with day-of-week: dddd mm + killa + yyyy + wata (e.g., Lunes 17 marzo killa 2011 wata)

Time¶

24-hour format allowed (also 12-hour). Standard time format: HH:mm:ss. AM/PM designators: AM/PM.

Days¶

Monday → Lunes (Lun), Tuesday → Martes (Mar), Wednesday → Miercoles (Mie), Thursday → Jueves (Jue), Friday → Viernes (Vie), Saturday → Sabado (Sab), Sunday → Domingo (Dom).

First day: Monday. First letter capitalized: Yes.

Months¶

January → Enero (Ene), February → Febrero (Feb), March → Marzo (Mar), April → Abril (Abr), May → Mayo (May), June → Junio (Jun), July → Julio (Jul), August → Agosto (Ago), September → Setiembre (Set), October → Octubre (Oct), November → Noviembre (Nov), December → Diciembre (Dic).

Numbers¶

Numbers should always be joined by commas (when possible) — numbers shouldn’t be left “alone” at the end of a line.

• A billion: waranqa huñu (USA: 1,000,000,000 = Quechua: 1,000,000,000)
• Thousand: waranqa (USA: 5,000 = Quechua: 5,000)

Phone numbers¶

International dialing code: 51. Domestic format: ### ####. Local: 7 digits. Mobile: 9 digits (### ### ###). International: 11 digits (+51 ## ### ####).

For domestic numbers: 1 group of 3 digits + 1 group of 4 digits. One space between groups.

City prefixes: 1 (Lima), 54 (Arequipa), 43 (Huaraz), 52 (Tacna), 84 (Cusco).

Currency¶

Currency: Nuevos soles Symbol: S/. (placed before the number, with no space) Positive format: S/.154,500 Negative format: - S/.154,500 Decimal symbol: period (.) not followed by space Digits after decimal: 2 Digit grouping: comma (,) Positive example: S/.154,500.53 ISO currency code: SOL

Measurement units¶

Metric system used. Temperature: Celsius.

• Linear: km, m, dm, cm, mm
• Capacity: hl, l, dl, cl, ml
• Mass: T, kg, lb, G, dg, cg, mg
• English units (when needed): Plg (inch), Pie (feet), Mi (mile), gal (gallon)

Percentages¶

• Use space between figures and percentage symbol per SI standard.
• The number and symbol cannot be on separate lines.
• Spell-out form: pachakpa tallqin.
• Use symbol with numerals: 15 % (not 15 pachakpa tallqin).
• When number is spelled out, use pachakpa tallqin instead of symbol: 6 pachakpa tallqinmi ñawinchayta yachanku (NOT 6 % ñawinchayta yachanku).

Sorting rules¶

1. Capital and lowercase letters are equal.
2. Whether letters are accented or not doesn’t affect alphabetizing order. Sorting follows second letter regardless of accents.
3. For homonyms: non-accented before accented; small letters before capital letters.
4. Precedence of accents: a comes before A, which comes before á; i comes before I, which comes before í.
5. Numbers and symbols like @ sort before letters.

Reference materials: Quechua language references¶

Normative references (deviation automatically fails a string in most cases):

1. Ayacucho Chanka Guardia Dictionary — Diccionario Quechua Chanka.
2. Ministerio de Educación, RD — Peru Education Ministry’s Resoluciones Directorales on Quechua.

Informative references are the same.

Note: Quechua is not a single uniform language. Major regional variants include:

• Quechua Chanka (Ayacucho, Huancavelica) — covered by this guide
• Quechua Qosqo-Qollaw (Cusco, Puno, Apurímac, Arequipa) — Cusco variant
• Quechua Wanka (Junín, central Andes)
• Quechua Ancash (Áncash region)
• Quechua Cajamarca-Cañaris (northern Peru)
• Kichwa (Ecuador) — different orthography
• Quechua Bolivia, Argentina — distinct variants

Each variant has distinct spelling, grammar, vocabulary. Confirm target variant with project team before translating.

FAQ¶

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

Quechua has no distinction between informal and formal modes of conversation — one register applies. Use simple, clear, well-constructed sentences. The same conversational register works for medical materials, marketing copy, software UI, and consumer-facing legal documents.

How should I address users in Quechua translation?¶

Use qam (you, singular). Quechua has no informal/formal split — second-person verb forms (-nki, -waq, -y imperative) carry the address. Example: “You are now connected to the Internet” → Kunan internetman tinkusqa kanki.

How does Quechua handle suffixes and agglutination?¶

Quechua is agglutinative: meaning is built by stacking suffixes. Key suffixes: -ta (direct object marker), -pa (genitive), -kuna (plural), -chka (progressive/continuous), -mi (evidential first-person), -paq (purposive), -manta (ablative “from”), -man (allative “to”). Possessives are noun suffixes (Allichayniykita qawapay — “Check your configuration”).

Does Quechua have grammatical gender?¶

No — Quechua has no grammatical gender inflection. Yachachiq means “teacher” regardless of gender. Specify gender only when relevant with qari (male) or warmi (female): qari yachachiq (male teacher), warmi yachachiq (female teacher).

Which Quechua normative references should I follow?¶

Ayacucho Chanka Guardia Dictionary (Diccionario Quechua Chanka — normative for Ayacucho-Chanka variant of Peru); Ministerio de Educación del Perú RD (Resoluciones Directorales on Quechua spelling). Note: Quechua has multiple regional variants (Chanka, Qosqo-Qollaw, Wanka, Ancash, Cajamarca) with distinct spelling/grammar — confirm target variant with project team.

Why are absolute claims and superlatives risky in Peruvian Quechua translation?¶

Peruvian advertising laws are stringent. Authorities can require evidence supporting any boast — superlatives (best, fastest, most reliable) and absolutes (always, never, fully secure, all cases) carry serious legal risk. Translate “the fastest” as “aswan utqay” (more fast) rather than absolute “the fastest”. Applies to marketing copy, product descriptions, and consumer-facing claims.

How does Quechua handle pluralization?¶

Quechua nouns and adjectives take plural by adding -kuna suffix to the noun: Kipu (file) → Kipukuna (files); Willakuy (message) → Willakuykuna (messages).

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Quechua (Peru) (PDF)
• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• Microsoft Language Portal