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

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

TL;DR¶

• Address Telugu readers with మీరు (meeru, respectful plural-you), never నువ్వు (nuvvu, singular informal) — singular informal reads as rude in any consumer-facing content.
• Avoid gendered pronouns అతను / ఆమె (he/she) in generic references — use plural వారు (vaaru) or rewrite to second-person మీరు; this is the most common defect in Telugu MT output.
• Replace formal Sanskrit-heavy vocabulary with conversational Telugu: ఇదేకాకుండా → అదనంగా / కూడా (in addition); గైడెన్స్ ఇవ్వు → గైడ్ చేయి (provide guidance); avoid bureaucratic register in consumer content.
• Telugu prefers verb at end of clause; English imperatives often need restructuring (Click Save → “సేవ్” క్లిక్ చేయండి).
• Product names stay in Latin script untranslated (Microsoft Word పత్రం, Microsoft 365లో); use commas as separators; Sanskrit-derived numerals (౧, ౨) are wrong — use ASCII digits in version numbers (Version 4.4 → సంస్కరణ 4.4).

Register and tone for Telugu translation¶

Modern Telugu readers expect a register that is clear, friendly, and concise across consumer-facing content. Use language that resembles conversation rather than the formal, technical Sanskritized vocabulary often used for technical and commercial content. The three guiding principles:

• Warm and relaxed. Natural, less formal, grounded in honest conversation.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second. Simplicity above all.
• Ready to help. Anticipate needs and offer information at the right moment.

Translating literally produces target text that is not relevant to customers. Consider intent and what the customer needs to know to complete the task.

Why this matters: Heavily Sanskritized formal Telugu reads as bureaucratic and distant. Marketing copy loses engagement; patient-facing medical materials lose comprehension; software UI creates friction; consumer-facing legal documents become harder to follow. Sworn legal translation and traditional government documents retain formal register; everything else uses conversational Telugu.

Audience targeting: technical vs. consumer vocabulary¶

Use technical terms for technical audiences; for consumers use common words and phrases. This applies in every sphere — clinical drug monographs use Sanskrit/Latin pharmacological terminology, patient leaflets use everyday Telugu; software API references use developer jargon, end-user help uses plain Telugu.

Word choice: short forms and everyday words¶

Use approved terminology from project resources for key terms, technical terms, and product names. Shorter words are friendlier, save screen space, parse faster.

Words and phrases to avoid in Telugu¶

These English-source patterns also map to leaner Telugu equivalents: Achieve→Do; Configure→Set up; Halt→Stop; Execute→Run; However→But; Locate→Find; Modify→Change; Navigate→Go; Obtain→Get; Perform→Do; Purchase→Buy; Subsequent→Next; Terminate→End; Utilize→Use.

Sample voice usage¶

Addressing the user to take action¶

Promoting a feature¶

Providing how-to guidelines¶

Explanatory text and providing support¶

Inclusive language¶

Use plain language. Don’t generalize or stereotype. Don’t use profane or derogatory terms.

Avoid gender bias¶

Use gender-neutral alternatives. Avoid compounds containing gender-specific terms (పురుషులు, స్త్రీలు).

When presenting generalization, use plural noun forms (ప్రజలు, వ్యక్తులు, విద్యార్థులు).

Don’t use gendered pronouns (ఆమె, అతను, అతడు) in generic references. Instead:

• Rewrite to use second or third person (మీరు or ఒకరు).
• Rewrite with plural noun and pronoun.
• Use articles instead of a pronoun (డాక్యుమెంట్ instead of అతని డాక్యుమెంట్).
• Refer to person’s role (రీడర్, ఉద్యోగి, కస్టమర్, క్లయింట్).
• Use వ్యక్తి.

If you can’t write around the problem, it’s OK to use a plural pronoun (వారు, వారి, వారికి) in generic references to a single person. Don’t use constructions like అతను/ఆమె.

When writing about a real person, use the pronouns that person prefers.

Accessibility¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use words that imply pity (ఈ జబ్బుతో ఉన్నారు / దీనితో బాధపడుతున్నారు). Don’t mention a disability unless relevant.

Keep paragraphs short and sentences simple. Spell out words like మరియు, అదనంగా, దాదాపు. Screen readers misread special characters like &, +, ~.

Language-specific standards¶

Abbreviations¶

Use abbreviations sparingly. Common acceptable abbreviations:

Don’t abbreviate “and,” “or,” “something,” “someone.”

Acronyms¶

Localized acronyms (e.g., ఐరాస = ఐక్య రాజ్య సమితి; తెరాస = తెలంగాణా రాష్ట్ర సమితి). Unlocalized: ANSI, ISO remain untranslated. Where the acronym is rather common, adding fully spelled-out form only confuses users.

Adjectives¶

Possessive adjectives. Frequent in English; in Telugu translate when possession is stressed, otherwise ignore. “Input your password” → మీ పాస్‌వర్డ్ నమోదు చేయండి (possessive translated for clarity).

Articles¶

No definite/indefinite articles in Telugu, but ఓ, ఒక translate “A/An/The” when needed. Often better to omit: “An apple was eaten by the baby” → పాప ఆపిల్‌ను తిన్నది.

Unlocalized product names take no articles, are treated as separate words with suffixes added:

Localized feature names follow Telugu grammar fully: “Select a location closest to your office.” → మీ కార్యాలయానికి సమీపంలోని స్థానాన్ని ఎంచుకోండి.

Compounds¶

Compounds should be understandable. Most Telugu compounds are noun+noun, noun+verb, or verb+noun.

• Noun+noun: వస్త్ర + దుకాణం = వస్త్ర దుకాణం (cloth shop)
• Verb+noun: త్రాగు + నీరు = త్రాగు నీరు (drinking water)

Product + component compounds. Product names stay unchanged; Telugu additions follow:

Abbreviation/numeral + component compounds:

Conjunctions¶

Modern conversational tone allows conjunctions at sentence start:

Gender¶

Use neutral terms covering both genders such as ప్రజలు, వినియోగదారులు, వ్యక్తులు. Three separated genders (అతను, ఆమె, అది) only in exceptional contexts (license terms, table headers).

Nouns¶

Telugu noun classes accept English loan words integrated naturally:

Plural formation. Add లు (lu) at word end, similar to English “s”:

Prepositions (Telugu uses postpositions)¶

Pronouns¶

Personal pronouns: I=నేను, you=మీరు, he=అతను/వారు (prefer వారు), she=ఆమె/వారు, we=మేము, they=వారు. “You” should be translated as మీరు (respect), not నువ్వు (non-respect):

Punctuation¶

Comma. Separator when several names or items are written consecutively; short pauses. Example: ఈ పరీక్షలో ఉత్తీర్ణులైనది కుసుమ, కృష్ణ, మోక్షిత, శివ, గాయత్రి మాత్రమే.

Colon. Informs that what follows proves, clarifies, explains, or enumerates: దేశానికి ఉమ్మడి పౌరస్మృతి అవసరం : మోడీ.

Dashes. - Hyphen. Divides words between syllables, links compound parts, connects English loan words to Telugu (పాప్-అప్, ఇంగ్లీష్-తెలుగు నిఘంటువు). - En dash. As minus sign with spaces. In number ranges without spaces: 15–20 కేలరీలు. - Em dash. Telugu usually doesn’t use em dash. If source contains it, follow source: “దేశ భాషలందు తెలుగు లెస్స” — కృష్ణదేవరాయలు.

Ellipsis. 1, 2, 3…

Period. Same as English.

Quotation marks. Telugu uses “” for speech or quotations: నేడు “ఉగాది పండుగ”.

Parentheses. No space between parentheses and inner text: (గమనిక: విజయదశమి సందర్భంగా రేపు శెలవు ప్రకటించడమైనది.)

Sentence fragments¶

Use to convey conversational tone:

Symbols and non-breaking spaces¶

Symbol usage should match English source terms:

Use non-breaking spaces (or   in HTML) to prevent line breaks at inappropriate positions (e.g., between “248” and “KM” in “248 KM”).

Verbs¶

Use simple tenses. Continuous operations in English with gerunds → Telugu present continuous:

Localization considerations¶

Applications, products, and features¶

Product/application names are usually trademarked and rarely translated. Microsoft product names remain unlocalized. Treat as proper nouns.

Version numbers. Use ASCII digits, never Telugu numerals (౪.౪ is wrong):

Translate “Version” → సంస్కరణ; retain numeric value with periods.

Error messages¶

Use natural, empathetic, non-robotic style.

Standardize phrases (different US forms → same Telugu translation):

Placeholders. %d, %ld, %u, %lu mean numbers; %c means letter; %s means string. In English, numerals typically precede the noun, but if Telugu word order places numeral after noun, move the placeholder accordingly.

Keys¶

Names of keys appearing on keyboard should not be translated. Localized arrow names: Down Arrow → దిగువ బాణం గుర్తు, similarly Up/Left/Right.

Voice video considerations¶

For voice-over, English terms and product names left unlocalized are pronounced as English words. If Telugu has an established pronunciation for a term, use it. Use a tone matching the audience — informal for products and games, formal for technical content. The Telugu tone should mimic the source tone but stay formal and respectful.

Reference materials: authoritative Telugu sources¶

Normative references:

1. Radhakrishna, B. (1985) Language – Style, Principles (in Telugu). Hyderabad: Telugu Academy.
2. Uma Maheshwar Rao, G. (2005) Standard Telugu: Written Language (in Telugu). Vidyullipi-4, pp. 1-14. Hyderabad: SCIL.
3. Uma Maheshwar Rao, G. (2003) Telugu Design Guide and General Information. Vidyullipi-2, pp. 1-37.

Informative references:

1. Krishnamurti, Bh. & Gwynn, J.P.L. (1985) A Grammar of Modern Telugu. Delhi: OUP.
2. te.wikipedia.org — Telugu Wikipedia.
3. Eenadu (daily newspaper).
4. Computer Vignanam (magazine).

FAQ¶

How should I address users in Telugu translation?¶

Use మీరు (meeru, respectful plural-you), never నువ్వు (nuvvu, singular informal). మీరు is correct for software UI, marketing, medical patient materials, business correspondence, and consumer-facing legal documents. The singular informal form is read as disrespectful across all consumer-facing contexts. Possessive: మీ. Verbs agree with the plural form. This applies even in casual marketing — Telugu’s social register rules don’t bend the way English’s do.

What’s the rule on gender in Telugu translation?¶

Avoid gendered pronouns అతను (he) and ఆమె (she) in generic references. Use the plural వారు (vaaru), which works for any gender, or rewrite using the second person మీరు. For specific roles, use neutral nouns: డ్రైవర్ (driver), ఆఫీసర్ (officer), రీడర్ (reader), ఉద్యోగి (employee), కస్టమర్ (customer). For “student” use విదార్థి (not gender-specific విదార్థి/విదార్థిని). When writing about a real person, use whatever pronouns they prefer. The literal MT default — translating generic English “he” as అతను — is socially incorrect Telugu.

Which formal Telugu words should I replace?¶

Replace overly Sanskrit-derived or literal-formal vocabulary: ఇదేకాకుండా → అదనంగా / కూడా (in addition); గైడెన్స్ ఇవ్వు / అందించు → గైడ్ చేయి (provide guidance); చేయగల సామర్థ్యం ఉన్నది → చేయగలరు (have ability to do); samaachaaramunu ivvu / andinchu → samaacharaanni ivvu / andinchu (give information — short over long). Modern consumer Telugu prefers everyday spoken vocabulary over Sanskrit register; this matters most in marketing and patient-facing medical.

How are English loanwords and product names handled in Telugu?¶

Microsoft product names stay in Latin script untranslated, used as separate words with Telugu suffixes/postpositions: Microsoft 365లో కొత్తగా ఏమి ఉన్నాయి? (What’s new in Microsoft 365?), Microsoft Word పత్రం (Microsoft Word document). Common English IT terms are transliterated into Telugu script: డ్రైవ్ (drive), ఫైల్ (file), క్లిక్ (click), యాప్ (app), సర్వర్ (server). Where a native Telugu equivalent exists and is clear, use it (పాస్‌వర్డ్ for password, డౌన్‌లోడ్ for download). Verify article + loanword combinations against Microsoft Terminology.

What are the Telugu punctuation rules that differ from English?¶

Use ASCII digits (4.4, not ౪.౪) for version numbers and technical contexts — traditional Telugu numerals are wrong in software/IT. Comma works as in English. Telugu typically doesn’t use em dash (—); if source has it, follow source. The en dash is used in number ranges without spaces (15–20 కేలరీలు). Quotation marks: “” for speech/quotes, parentheses with no internal space. Period as in English. Hyphen used to connect English loanwords to Telugu (ఇంగ్లీష్-తెలుగు నిఘంటువు).

When should I deviate from literal translation in Telugu?¶

When literal translation produces stiff, formal Telugu that violates the natural conversational register expected by modern consumer-facing content. Required in sworn legal translation and certified documents where literal accuracy is mandated. Strongly advised in marketing, healthcare patient materials, and software UI — restructure word order to verb-final, replace English-style attributive constructions with Telugu compound forms, convert third-person/gendered references to plural or second-person, and recast Sanskrit-heavy vocabulary into everyday Telugu. Word-by-word MT output is recognizable as translated.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guides hub
• Microsoft Terminology — Globalization
• Krishnamurti & Gwynn, A Grammar of Modern Telugu
• Telugu Academy publications