User Interface Text Guidelines

The official language of Joomla is en-GB and this guide is intended to assist anyone writing language strings in en-GB (British English). This guide should not be translated but may help serve as a starting point for Translation Teams to localise and produce their own guide.

Purpose

• Establish official style guidelines for writing en-GB strings.
• Ensure consistency throughout Joomla.
• Traditional rules of grammar do not always apply to the web. See Break Grammar Rules on Websites for Clarity.
• See NNG on American vs British english for the web.

Target audience

• Primary: Developers writing en-GB strings.
• Secondary: Translation teams.

Uses

• Primary: Basis for all en-GB strings.
• Secondary: Assist non native en-GB developers writing language strings in en-GB.
• Tertiary: Provide guidelines for translation teams to localise.

Notes

Avoid over-communication

Be explicit wherever necessary but don't explain the obvious. On the web scanning is the norm and too much text weakens the effectiveness of the message - it does not enhance it.