Localizing punctuation in other languages

When localizing content, we usually focus on translating words and phrases but we sometimes overlook punctuation. The thing is—punctuation isn’t universal; it actually varies quite a lot between languages. To understand the nuances of this aspect of language, we need to look at how punctuation in other languages is used.

Punctuation’s role in conveying meaning

Punctuation guides readers through sentences, indicates pauses, and clarifies meaning. For instance, the placement of a comma can dramatically alter a sentence’s interpretation. We all know the famous (and funny) English example: “Let’s eat, Grandma” versus “Let’s eat Grandma.”

In localization, preserving the intended meaning requires attention to how punctuation behaves in the target language. We might end up confusing or even offending the reader if we misplace or translate punctuation in other languages incorrectly.

Common punctuation variations across languages

There are more than 290 writing scripts and over 7,000 languages in the world. Naturally, this means a plentitude of linguistic characteristics depending on where you are on the globe. When doing localization, you need to be aware of these differences in language and culture.

Question and exclamation marks

Here, good examples of things done a bit differently would be Spanish and Arabic:

• In Spanish, both question and exclamation marks are mirrored at the beginning and end of a sentence (¿Qué tal? ¡Fantástico!). This feature alerts readers to the sentence’s tone from the start, which is particularly useful in longer or more complex sentences.
• Arabic also customizes punctuation to its right-to-left writing direction, using a reversed question mark (؟) and a reversed comma (،).

Commas and periods

The placement of commas and periods in numbers and dates can be another significant difference:

• English separates thousands with a comma (e.g., 1,000) and denotes decimals with a period (e.g., 3.14).
• European Countries often reverse this: periods separate thousands (e.g., 1.000), and commas denote decimals (e.g., 3,14).
• India uses a unique system for large numbers, grouping digits in pairs after the first three (e.g., 1,00,000 for one hundred thousand).

Date formatting also varies:

• United States uses the month/day/year structure (e.g., 01/17/2025).
• Most other countries prefer the day/month/year format (e.g., 17/01/2025).
• Japan often uses year/month/day (e.g., 2025/01/17).

Quotation marks

Quotation marks vary widely in style and usage between languages. In English, double quotation marks (“ ”) are standard, with single quotation marks (‘ ’) used in specific contexts. However, we can also notice that:

• French uses guillemets (« ») to indicate dialogue or quotations. These marks are often preceded and followed by spaces, unlike English quotation marks.
• German employs angled quotation marks, also « », but frequently reverses the order for text, using » «. Alternatively, the language sometimes uses double quotation marks but with a different baseline alignment („ “).
• Japanese encloses quoted text with corner brackets (「 」), which align with the vertical or horizontal writing direction.
• Russian also utilizes guillemets (« ») but without spaces around them.

Hyphens and dashes

Even the humble hyphen varies across languages. German employs the hyphen (-) to create compound words, sometimes resulting in lengthy constructions. In contrast, French often uses it for proper nouns and certain grammatical structures, like phone numbers.

Ellipses

The the basic concept of ellipses (…) is universal, but the spacing and visual presentation differ:

• French places a space before and after the ellipses (“Bonjour …”).
• English does not include spaces before ellipses (“Hello…”).
• Chinese uses a six-dot ellipsis (……) rather than three dots, reflecting distinct stylistic conventions.

Unique punctuation systems

Some languages also have unique punctuation systems that are specific to non-Latin scripts such as:

• Arabic punctuation, which accommodates its script’s flowing and right-to-left nature. Beyond reversed marks, Arabic uses unique symbols like the Kashida (ـ) to justify text.
• Chinese punctuation, which includes full-width symbols, such as ！ for exclamation and ？ for questions, to match its script. Additionally, punctuation is often aligned vertically in traditional formats.
• Thai, which features minimal punctuation. For instance, spaces are used to separate phrases rather than words, and full stops are rarely employed.

A few things to keep in mind when localizing punctuation in other languages

First off, if you’re not localizing punctuation right, you risk removing the context and intent of the text. Punctuation might carry connotations or nuances that don’t translate directly, and some languages rely on punctuation for structure in ways that others do not.

It’s important to ensure platform and device compatibility, because devices and platforms render text differently. Sometimes, a sentence that looks well-formatted on a desktop might appear misaligned on a mobile device. This happens especially if the text includes full-width punctuation or symbols unique to the target language.

If you’re using a content management system, for example, make sure it supports the target language. Some platforms might favor Western conventions, which is not ideal when your target language does not follow those punctuation rules.

Remember—localization is not just about the the words; it’s about communication in its entirety, which includes respecting the punctuations rules of your target audience.