European Commission Directorate - General for Translation English Style Guide A handbook for authors and translators in the European Commission Seventh edition: August 2011 Last updated: June 2013 Latest PDF version : ec.europa.eu/translation/english/guidelines/documents/styleguide_english_dgt_en.pdf HTML version: fjfhs.eu/esg/index.htm Companion Volume — Country Compendium: ec.europa.eu/translation/english/guidelines /documents/styleguide_english_dgt_count ry_compendium_en.pdf W hat’s new : ec.europa.eu/translation/english/guidelines/documents/whats_new_style_guide_en.pdf English Style Guide 28 June 2013 i C ONTENTS Introduction ................................ ................................ ................ 1 Part I Writing English ................................ ................................ .... 3 1 GENERAL ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 4 2 SPELLING ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 4 CONVENTIONS ................................ ................................ .............................. 4 INTERFERENCE EFFECTS ................................ ................................ ............ 6 CAPITAL LETTERS ................................ ................................ ........................ 7 GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES ................................ ................................ ............. 9 HYPHENS AND COMPOUND WORDS ................................ ..................... 12 3 PUNCTUATION ................................ ................................ ............................. 14 FULL STOP ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 15 COLON ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 15 SEMICOLON ................................ ................................ ................................ . 15 COMMA ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 16 DASHES ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 18 BRACKETS ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 19 QUESTION MARK ................................ ................................ ........................ 19 EXCLAMATION MARK ................................ ................................ .............. 19 QUOTATION MARKS ................................ ................................ .................. 20 APOSTROPHE ................................ ................................ ............................... 21 4 NUMBERS ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 22 WRITING OUT NUMBERS ................................ ................................ .......... 23 FRACTIONS ................................ ................................ ................................ ... 23 RANGES ................................ ................................ ................................ ......... 24 DATES AND TIMES ................................ ................................ ..................... 24 5 ABBREVIATI ONS AND SYMBOLS ................................ ................................ 25 ABBREVIATIONS ................................ ................................ ......................... 25 MATHEMATICAL SYMBOLS ................................ ................................ .... 29 SCIENTIFIC SYMBOLS AND UNITS OF MEASUREMENT ................... 30 6 FOREIGN IMPORTS ................................ ................................ ...................... 31 FOREIG N WORDS AND PHRASES IN ENGLISH TEXT ......................... 31 ROMANISATION SYSTEMS ................................ ................................ ....... 32 7 PARTS OF SPEECH ................................ ................................ ....................... 33 ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS ................................ ................................ .... 33 SINGULAR OR PLURAL ................................ ................................ ............. 33 PRESENT PERFECT/SIMPLE PAST ................................ ........................... 34 TENSES IN MINUTES ................................ ................................ .................. 34 English Style Guide ii 28 June 2013 VERBS IN LEGISLATION ................................ ................................ ........... 35 SPLIT INFINITIVE ................................ ................................ ........................ 37 THE GERUND AND THE POSSESSIVE ................................ ..................... 37 8 LISTS ................................ ................................ ................................ ............... 38 9 SCIENCE GUIDE ................................ ................................ ........................... 39 10 FOOTNOTES, CITATIONS AND REFERENCES ................................ .......... 41 11 CORRESPONDENCE ................................ ................................ ..................... 43 12 NAMES AND TITLES ................................ ................................ ..................... 44 PERSONAL NAMES AND TITLES ................................ ............................. 44 NA MES OF BODIES ................................ ................................ ..................... 45 13 GENDER - NEUTRAL LANGUAGE ................................ ................................ 47 Part II About the European Union ................................ ................... 49 14 THE EUROPEAN UNION ................................ ................................ .............. 50 15 PRIMARY LEGISLATION ................................ ................................ .............. 51 THE TREATIES — AN OVERVIEW ................................ ........................... 51 THE TREATIES IN DETAIL ................................ ................................ ........ 52 TREATY CITATIONS ................................ ................................ ................... 55 16 SECONDARY LEGISLATION ................................ ................................ ........ 55 LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURES ................................ ................................ .... 56 TITLES AND NUMBERING ................................ ................................ ........ 56 STRUCTURE OF ACTS ................................ ................................ ................ 59 REFERRING TO SUBDIVISIONS OF ACTS ................................ .............. 61 17 THE EU INSTITUTIONS ................................ ................................ ................ 61 COMMISSION ................................ ................................ ............................... 61 COUNCIL ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 62 EUROPEAN COUNCIL ................................ ................................ ................. 63 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ................................ ................................ ......... 63 COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ................................ . 64 COURT OF AUDITORS ................................ ................................ ................ 66 EUROPEAN ECONOMI C AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE ........................... 66 COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS ................................ ................................ 66 EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK ................................ ................................ .... 67 OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ................................ ........................ 67 AGENCIES ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 67 18 REFERENCES TO OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS ................................ ........... 68 THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL ................................ ................................ ........... 68 BULLETIN AND GENERAL REPORT ................................ ....................... 68 19 EU FINANCES ................................ ................................ ................................ 69 BUDGET ................................ ................................ ................................ ........ 69 English Style Guide 28 June 2013 iii FUNDS FINANCED FROM THE BUDGET ................................ ................ 70 OTHER FUNDS ................................ ................................ ............................. 71 20 MEMBER STATES ................................ ................................ .......................... 71 PERMANENT REPRESENTATIONS/REPRESENTATIVES .................... 72 NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS ................................ ................................ ....... 72 NATIONAL JUDICIAL BODIES ................................ ................................ .. 72 NATIONAL LEGISLATION ................................ ................................ ......... 73 21 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES AND CURRENCIES ................................ ............. 74 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ................................ ................................ ............. 74 CURRENCIES ................................ ................................ ................................ 74 22 EXTERNAL RELATIONS ................................ ................................ ................ 75 Annexes ................................ ................................ .................... 78 Annex 1 TRANSLITERATION TABLE FOR GREEK ................................ ............... 80 Annex 2 TRANSLITERATION TABLE FOR CYRILLIC ................................ ........... 84 An nex 3 FORMS OF ADDRESS ................................ ................................ ............... 86 Companion volume: Country Compendium English Style Guide 28 June 2013 1 / 88 Introduction This Style Guide is intended primarily for English - language authors and translators, both in - house and freelance, working for the European Commission. But now that so many texts in and around the EU institutions are drafted in English by native and non - native speakers alike, its rules, reminders and handy references aim to serve a wider readership as well. In this Guide, ‘ style ’ is synonymous with a set of accepted linguistic conventions; it therefore refers to recommended in - house usage, not to literary style. Excellent advice on how to improve writing style is given in The Plain English Guide by Martin Cutts (Oxford Univers ity Press, 1999 ) and Style: To ward Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams (University of Chicago Press, 1995), and the European Commission ’ s own How to write clearly , all of which encourage the use of good plain English. See also Clear English — Tips for EU translators , Tips on translating from S lovak into English and A brief list of misused English terms in EU publications . For reasons of stylistic consistency, the variety of English on which this Guide bases its instructions and advice is the standard usage of Britain and Ireland (for the sake of convenience, called ‘British usage’ or ‘British English’ in this Guide) . The Gu ide is divided into two clearly distinct parts, the first dealing with linguistic conventions applicable in all contexts and the second with the workings of the European Union — and with how those workings are expressed and reflected in English. This shoul d not be taken to imply that ‘ EU English ’ is different from ‘ real English ’ ; it is simply a reflection of the fact that the European Union as a unique body has had to invent a terminology to describe itself. However, the overriding aim in both parts of the Guide is to facilitate and encourage the writing of clear and reader - friendly English. Writing in clear language can be difficult at the Commission, since much of the subject matter is complex and more and more is written in English by (and for) non - native speakers, or by native speakers who are beginning to lose touch with their language after years of working in a multilingual environment. We must nevertheless try to set an example by using language that is as clear, simple, and accessible as possible, ou t of courtesy to our readers and consideration for the image of the Commission. In legislative texts, accuracy and clarity are of course paramount. But legal or bureaucratic language that we might regard as pompous elsewhere has its place in both legislati on and preparatory drafting, though the specialist terms must be embedded in rock - solid, straightforward English syntax. In some cases — departmental memos or papers for specialist committees — we may regard ‘ Eurospeak ’ as acceptable professional shorthand ; searching here for ‘ plain English ’ periphrases wastes time and simply irritates readers. By contrast, in - house jargon is not appropriate in documents addressing the general public such as leaflets or web pages . Information of practical use, e.g. on right s, apply ing for jobs or accessing funding, must be immediately understandable even to those unfamiliar with the workings and vocabulary of the EU. This also means, for English Style Guide 2 / 88 28 June 2013 example, using short paragraphs, simple syntax and highlighting devices such as bullet s . For more information on writing web pages in particular, see the ‘ Writing for the web ’ section of the Commission’s Information Provider’s Guide . So ‘ style ’ is a matter of everyday concern to both authors and translators, for whom we hope this Guide will be a practical source of information and an aid to consistency. We have tried to bring together much that is available disparatel y in publications such as the Interinstitutional Style Guide published by the EU Publications Office, the Commission’s Legislative Drafting Manual and the interinstitutionally produced Joint Practical Guide for the drafting of EU legislation. Needless to say, our Guide does not in any way aim to replace these publications, which are well worth consulting in their own right. The E nglish Style Guide’s current Editorial Committee is: Lorence Astwood Ros Bottoni Sarah Butcher Mireille Cayley Tim Cooper (chair) Sue Dunlop John Fallas Mark Osborne Jonathan Stockwell Julia Townsend Philip Waywell All work for the European Comm ission’s Directorate - General for Translation. Many others have contributed thei r time and expertise over the y ears , and even though they remain nameless here, they are not forgotten. The current edition of the Guide is the seventh. The first was published back in 1982. This seventh edition has been slimmed down considerably, since nearly all the annexes have been removed. Most of the information they contained is now set out more clearly and logically by country in an accompanying document called the ‘ Country Compendium: A companion to the English Style Guide ’. While we have done our best to ensure that the information set out in this Gu ide is relevant, correct and up to date, errors and omissions are inevitable. If you have any comments on the content of the Guide, please send them by email to DGT - EN - [email protected] . English Style Guide 28 June 2013 3 / 88 Part I Writing English English Style Guide 4 / 88 28 June 2013 1 GENERAL 1.1 Language usage. The language used should be understandable to speakers of British English (defined in the introduction to this Guide as the standard usage of Britain and Ireland). As a general rule, British English should be preferred, and Americanisms that are liable not to be understood by speakers of British English should be avoided. However, bearing in mind that a considerable proportion of the target readership may be made up of no n - native speakers, very colloquial British usage should also be avoided. 1.2 Quoting text. When directly quoting a piece of text or citing the title of a document, you should reproduce the original rather than follow ing the conventions set out below. However, you should make it clear you are quoting text by putting it in quotation marks or italics or setting it off in some other way. If necessary, you may mark errors with ‘[sic]’ or insert missing text in square brackets. 2 SPELLING CONVENTIONS 2.1 British spelling. Follow standard British usage , but remember that influences are crossing the Atlantic all the time ( for example, the spellings program and disk have become normal British usage in data processing, while sulfur has replaced sulphur in scientific and technic al usage ). Note, however, that the names of US bodies may retain the original spellings, e.g. Department of Defense . Do use a spellchecker, set to UK English, as an aid. Remember, though, to use your judgment and in case of doubt check in a dictionary or i ndeed this Guide. 2.2 Words in - ise/ - ize . Use - ise . Both spellings are correct in British English, but the - ise form is now much more common in the media. Using the - ise spelling does away with the need to list the most common cases where it must be used anywa y. (There are up to 40 exceptions to the - ize convention: the lists vary in length, few claiming to be exhaustive.) The spelling organisation should thus be used for all international organisations, even if they more commonly use the - ize spelling , e.g. International Labour Organisation (its website uses International Labour Organization , while Americans will write International Labor Organization ). However, following the rule in 2.1 above, the spellings of bodies native to the USA and other countries that use the – ize spelling may be retained. English Style Guide 28 June 2013 5 / 88 2.3 The - yse form for such words as paralyse and analyse is the only correct spelling in British English. 2.4 Digraphs. Keep the digraph in aetiology, caesium, oenology, oestrogen, etc. ( etiology etc. are US usage), but note that a number of such words (e.g. medieval and fetus ) are now normally spelt withou t the digraph in British English. Foetus is still common in Britain in non - technical use. 2.5 Double consonants . In British usage (unlike US practice), a final - l is doubled after a short vowel on adding - ing or - ed to verbs (sole exception: parallel, paralleled ) and adding - er to make nouns from verbs : t ravel, t ravelling , t ravell ed , traveller level, levelling, levelled , leveller Other consonants double only if the last syllable of the root verb is stressed or carries a strong secondary stress: admit, a dmitting, admitted refer, referring, referred format, formatting, formatted but benefit, benefiting, benefited focus, focusing, focused combat, combating, combated target, targeting, targeted Exception: a few verbs in - p (e.g. handicapped, kidnapped, worsh ipped , unlike developed ). 2.6 Carcass/carcase . Prefer carcass(es) to carcase(s) , except when citing official texts that use the latter. 2.7 Input/output . Avoid the forms inputted and outputted ; write input and output : e.g. 70 000 records were input last month . 2.8 Use - ct - not - x - in connection, reflection, etc. But note complexion and flexion . 2.9 Write gram , kilogram (not gramme, kilogramme). However, use tonne not ton (‘ton’ refers to the non - metric measure). 2.10 Write metre for the unit of length, meter for measuring instruments. 2.11 A(n) historical . The use of an rather than a before words such as historical or hotel dates back to a time when the ‘h’ was never pronounced in these words. While you should now write a hotel , an historical event is still regarded as acceptable, presumably because the ‘h’ is still frequently dropped in even careful speech, so you may choose which form you prefer. English Style Guide 88 / 88 28 June 2013 Envelope Start Close Letters to Presidents of EU institutions Mr/Ms [name] President of the [institution] Sir/Madam, or Dear Mr/Madam President, I have the honour to be, Sir/Madam, Yours faithfully, or just Yours faithfully, Letters to Secretaries - General Mr/Ms [name] Secretary - General of the [...] Sir /Madam, I have the honour to be, Sir/Madam, Yours faithfully, or just Yours faithfully, Letters to the Pope His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI Vatican City Your Holiness, or Most Holy Father, I have the honour to be/to remain, Your Holiness’s obedient servant, Letters to Cardinals His Eminence Cardinal [name] Archbishop of [...] 1 Your Eminence, or My Lord Cardinal, or Dear Cardinal [name], I remain, Your Eminence/My Lord Cardinal, Yours faithfully, or just Yours sincerely, Letters to Archbishops His Grace the Archbishop of [...] or The most Reverend Archbishop [name] 2 Your Grace, or My Lord Archbishop, or Dear [Lord] Archbishop, I remain, Your Grace, Yours faithfully, or just Yours sincerely, Letters to Bishops His Lordship the Bishop of [...] or The Right/Most 3 Reverend [name], Bishop of [...] My Lord, or My Lord Bishop, or Dear Bishop [with or without name], I remain, My Lord [Bishop], Yours faithfully, or just Yours sincerely, 1 If appoin ted to a See. 2 The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are Privy Counsellors. Address envelopes to ‘The most Rev and Right Hon the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury/York’. 3 Bishops are styled ‘Right Reverend’, except in Ireland where they are styled ‘Most Rev erend’.
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:25:46 +0000
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