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

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

TL;DR¶

• Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) ALWAYS uses formal 您 (NOT 你). For plural use 你們 not 您們.
• Use 請 before imperative verbs for politeness; avoid Chinese dash (—).
• Use 電腦 for PC, 客服 for customer service, 周邊網路 for perimeter network.
• Use square brackets [ ] for UI elements, book title marks 《》 for book names.
• Reference Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary, Dictionary of Chinese Idioms, Academic Glossaries.

Register and tone for modern Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Three principles define the modern Traditional Chinese register:

• Warm and relaxed. Natural, less formal, more grounded in honest conversations.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second.
• Ready to help. Anticipates what the reader needs and offers it at the right moment.

The general style should be clear, friendly, and concise. Always use the polite form 您 for “You” in all software products.

The end users are of all ages and genders. Wording and tone should not discriminate against gender, age, race, occupation, religion, political belief, political party, national origin, geography, the rich, the poor, or the disabled.

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. In consumer-facing legal documents (terms of service, privacy notices) regulators increasingly demand plain language.

Flexibility¶

Modify or rewrite strings to be appropriate and natural for Traditional Chinese readers.

Word choice¶

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

Words and phrases to avoid¶

Use 請 before imperative verbs to make sentences more polite and clear. Use 您 not 你 for singular “you”; use 你們 not 您們 for plural “you”.

Inclusive language¶

Avoid gender bias¶

For generalization, use plural noun forms (人員, 各位, 大家).

Don’t use gendered pronouns (她/他, 她們/他們, 她的/他的) in generic references. Instead: rewrite with second/third person (您 or 其); use articles instead of pronouns (其文件 instead of 他的文件); refer to a role (讀者, 員工, 顧客, 客戶); use 人員 or 個人.

When writing about a real person, use their preferred pronouns (他, 她, 他們, 她們).

Accessibility¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use words that imply pity (患有, 受…之苦).

Language-specific standards¶

Abbreviations¶

Traditional Chinese doesn’t generally use abbreviations. For English abbreviations: based on source; no space; use NBSP (Ctrl+Shift+空格鍵).

Don’t abbreviate: Microsoft as MS in product names; Visual Studio as VS in product names; operating system names.

Acronyms¶

Traditional Chinese words don’t generally use acronyms. For English acronyms:

• Used alone: leave as-is (don’t add full name).
• After full name: Traditional Chinese (English acronym).
• In title: don’t write full spelling.
• All uppercase unless source uses lowercase officially (IPv4).
• Drop plural “s” when localizing.

Localized acronyms¶

Unlocalized acronyms¶

HDMI, MB, GB — stay as-is.

Adjectives¶

Possessive adjectives¶

Avoid translating every possessive even if present in English. Avoid using too many 的.

Don’t use “之…的” pattern too frequently. If 的 cannot be omitted, change 的…的 to 之…的.

Articles¶

For most cases, no need to translate articles to Traditional Chinese for fluency and conciseness. Translate articles only when needed to emphasize the noun and avoid confusion.

Conjunctions¶

Traditional Chinese voice can be conveyed through conjunction choice (e.g. 如果 sounds more conversational than 倘若).

Contractions¶

Font localization¶

Avoid Bold and Italic style for Traditional Chinese characters. Italic must be removed for localized book names — use 《》 to quote book name instead.

Exception: Bold style for headings should be kept as-is.

Localizing colloquialisms, idioms, and metaphors¶

Three options:

1. Don’t replace source colloquialism with Chinese unless perfect fit.
2. Translate intended meaning if integral.
3. If omittable without affecting meaning, omit.

Modifiers¶

Translate modifiers into different parts of speech for better readability. The modified element always follows the modifier — avoid literal word-for-word translation that stacks modifiers too long.

Nouns¶

Standard Chinese rules apply.

Prepositions¶

Standard Chinese rules apply.

Pronouns¶

Standard Chinese rules apply. Use 您 (formal) for “you” singular; 你們 for “you” plural.

Punctuation¶

Traditional Chinese uses mostly full-width punctuation. Use square brackets [ ] for UI elements (different from Simplified Chinese which uses double-byte quotation marks).

Em dash¶

The em dash (—) should NOT be used in Chinese — looks like 一 (one). Replace with colons, commas, or parentheses, or start a new sentence.

Book title marks 《》¶

Use 《》 for book/manual/online guide/magazine names. Don’t use italic for book names.

Sentence fragments¶

Sentence fragments convey conversational tone where possible.

Singular and plural¶

Standard Chinese rules — drop “s” from acronyms when localizing.

Spacing¶

Standard Chinese rules apply.

Syntax¶

Standard Chinese rules apply.

Verbs¶

Simple tenses preferred.

Localization considerations¶

Accessibility¶

Accessibility options make computers usable by people with cognitive, hearing, physical, or visual disabilities.

Applications, products, and features¶

Application/product names often trademarked, rarely translated. Verify translatability.

Version numbers¶

Version numbers contain a period.

Translation of version strings¶

Version strings with copyright info should always be translated.

Trademarks¶

Trademarked names and “Microsoft Corporation” should not be localized unless local laws require translation and an approved translated form exists.

Localization rules for special URLs¶

Use zh-tw URL paths (e.g. docs.microsoft.com/zh-tw/).

Software considerations¶

Arrow keys¶

Arrow keys move input focus within a group.

Error messages¶

Apply Microsoft voice principles for natural, empathetic, non-robotic translation.

Keyboard shortcuts¶

Standard rules apply.

Keys¶

Key names follow standard Microsoft localization.

Numeric keypad¶

Don’t distinguish numeric keypad keys from other keys unless required.

User interface¶

UI elements bracketed with [ ] in Traditional Chinese.

Voice video considerations¶

Good voice video addresses one intent, brief, high audio quality, informative visuals.

English pronunciation¶

English terms pronounced English way. Microsoft pronounced English way. Adapt to Chinese phonetic system if original sounds awkward.

Tone¶

Match target audience: informal/playful for products and games; formal/informative/factual for technical content.

Reference materials¶

Normative references:

1. Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary — Ministry of Education R.O.C., dict.revised.moe.edu.tw.
2. Dictionary of Chinese Idioms — dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw.

Informative references:

1. Microsoft Docs (zh-TW) — docs.microsoft.com/zh-tw.
2. Revised Handbook of Punctuation — Ministry of Education R.O.C., language.moe.gov.tw/001/upload/files/site_content/m0001/hau/haushou.htm#suo.
3. Academic Glossaries — National Academy for Educational Research, terms.naer.edu.tw.

FAQ¶

What’s the modern register for Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) translation?¶

Polite, clear, friendly. ALWAYS uses formal 您 (NOT 你 as in Mainland Simplified). Use 請 before imperative verbs (請輸入密碼). For plural ‘you’ use 你們 not 您們. Sworn legal translation, formal contracts retain even more formal register.

How does Traditional Chinese differ from Simplified Chinese?¶

Address: zh-TW uses formal 您; zh-CN uses informal 你. Vocabulary: 電腦 (PC, zh-TW) vs 电脑/计算机 (zh-CN), 客服 vs 客户服务. zh-TW uses traditional characters (繁體字). UI bracketing: zh-TW uses square brackets [ ]; zh-CN uses double-byte quotes. Reference dictionaries differ — zh-TW uses Ministry of Education R.O.C. dictionaries.

How should UI elements and book titles be marked in Traditional Chinese?¶

UI elements: use square brackets [ ] — 請按一下 [取消], 在 [電腦設定] 中. Book/manual names: use book title marks 《》 — 《Office 365 移轉指南》. Don’t use italic for book names (use 《》 instead). Bold style avoided for Chinese characters except headings.

What are the most common Traditional Chinese translation pitfalls?¶

Using 你 instead of formal 您, word-for-word translation that misses fluent Chinese, using English em dash (—) that looks like 一 (one), too many 的 (omit where meaning unaffected), keeping all possessives from English source, adding plural -s to acronyms in Chinese (數個 IFS not 數個 IFSs).

What are the font and font size requirements?¶

Avoid italic and bold for Traditional Chinese characters (exception: headings stay bold). Use 《》 for book names instead of italic. UI elements bracketed with [ ]. Use NBSP (Ctrl+Shift+空格鍵) in abbreviations to prevent line breaks.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Chinese (Traditional)
• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary (Ministry of Education R.O.C.)
• Dictionary of Chinese Idioms
• Academic Glossaries (NAER)