Translation Guidelines

General

Make it clear as early as possible which country the story is taking place in. Keep in mind that local contributors writing for our various bureaus assume their audience is familiar with the geography, so they might write in their lede that something is taking place “in southeastern Bahia.” A simple change to “in Brazil’s Bahia state” immediately makes this more recognizable for our global audience.

In general, try to assume readers aren’t familiar with the geography; add context to aid them. Instead of “the Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh,” write “the Leuser Ecosystem in Aceh province, on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra.”

Keep quote attributions to a simple “said/says” or “added/adds” (or “noted/notes” at a pinch). Avoid words like “declared,” “explained,” “admitted,” etc., as these are not in keeping with our style.

Also on attributions, use simple pronouns or names, not professions like “the biologist said.”

In wildlife stories, if a species has a local name, use this interchangeably with the more common name (if it has one). Italicize non-English names on first reference only: the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), commonly known in the region as the boto. Don’t italicize if the non-English name is the commonly used name, e.g. muntjac; sambar.

If a person or place has accents in their name, be sure to retain them throughout the story: Laércio Guajajara; Yucatán Peninsula; Hawai‘i (but Hawaiian species, as the adjectival form is an English construction); Cần Giờ Biosphere Reserve.

For non-English names of organizations and institutions, use the English translation (capped) or a descriptive (lower case), along with the acronym: Federal University of Pará (UFPA); Indonesia’s anticorruption agency, the KPK; Peru’s protected areas agency, SERNANP. The exception to this is Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), a Brazilian NGO that specifically asked Mongabay (via @Karla Mendes) to keep its name unchanged in our English-language coverage. Avoid the use of acronyms in a foreign language if the full name of the organization hasn't been mentioned.

Translation note

When posting a translation, please add a note at the bottom of the article that identifies it as such. You want to include a link to the original article and Mongabay site where it was published as well as the original date of publication. Here is the note you can use in different languages (please replace the bureau and link as required when you use it).

English: This story was first reported by here in [Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc.] on [date].

Spanish: Esta historia fue publicada originalmente aquí en inglés el [fecha].

French: Cet article a été publié initialement ici en anglais le [date].

Portuguese: Esta reportagem foi publicada originalmente aqui em inglês em [data].

Hindi: यह कहानी मोंगाबे की ग्लोबल टीम द्वारा रिपोर्ट की गई थी और पहली बार हमारी अंग्रेजी की ग्लोबल साइट पर [तारीख] को प्रकाशित हुई थी।

Bahasa Indonesia: Berita ini dilaporkan oleh tim Mongabay Global dan di publikasikan perdana <di sini> pada tanggal [tanggal]. 

Brazil

Amazônia Legal

The administrative region comprising the nine states in the Amazon Basin. Refer to as the Brazilian Amazon, not the Legal Amazon.

Biomes

Brazil has six terrestrial biomes: Amazon Rainforest; Cerrado savanna; Pantanal wetlands; Atlantic Forest; Caatinga dry scrub; and Pampa grassland. Note that only the Amazon Rainforest and the Atlantic Forest get full caps.

Indigenous names

Many Indigenous names use the tribe/nation name as the last name, e.g. Sonia Guajajara, Júnior Hekurari Yanomami. To avoid confusion when there are several sources from the same tribe, use the full name on second reference. In stories where Indigenous sources are all from the same group, use just the first name on second reference.

Indigenous territories

Capitalize the full name: Vale do Javari Indigenous Territory; Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous Territory. Don’t capitalize “territory” without the name.

Whether an Indigenous territory is demarcated or not is important. Demarcation means the government recognizes the Indigenous people’s rights to the land, enforces the formal boundaries, and prohibits incursion by outsiders. A territory that hasn’t been demarcated, or is in the process of doing so, isn’t formally recognized by the government and therefore doesn’t have the same protections.

Any reference to mining in an Indigenous territory should make clear that it’s illegal under Brazil’s Constitution.

Avoid the terms reserve or reservation to refer to an Indigenous territory.

Isolated Indigenous peoples

Emphasize that these groups choose to live away from the rest of the world and that they’re not “lost” tribes: The Awá-Guajá live in voluntary isolation in the Arariboia Indigenous Territory. Don’t write that they choose to live away from society or civilization; as far as they’re concerned, they are their own society and their own civilization.

Marco temporal

The “time frame” legislation that states that in order to lay a claim for Indigenous territory, an Indigenous group must prove that it was occupying the area in question before the cutoff date of Oct. 5, 1988 (the date the current Constitution was promulgated).

While time frame bill is an acceptable reference, a more accurate term would be the cutoff bill. In either case, on first reference give a brief explanation of what the legislation is about.

Names of institutions

In general, assume the readers aren’t familiar with the institutions or what they do. Be sure to include a brief description on first reference.

Congress. Brazil’s Congress is comprised of two Houses. Refer to them as the Chamber of Deputies, the lower House of Congress, and the Senate. Refer to members of the lower House as Congress member rather than deputy.

(Federal) Public Ministry. This is roughly the equivalent of an attorney general’s office. Be clear on whether a story is talking about the Federal Public Ministry or one of the state-level public ministries.

Fiocruz. Formally the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Introduce as Fiocruz, Brazil’s leading public health research institute. Can also be referred to as the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation.

Funai. Formally the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples, but it’s easier to introduce it as Funai, Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency.

IBAMA. Formally the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, but it’s easier to introduce it as IBAMA, Brazil’s environmental protection agency.

ICMBio. Formally the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, but it’s easier to introduce it as ICMBio, the environment ministry’s office overseeing protected areas. Can also be referred to as the Chico Mendes Institute.

Regions

Avoid using the regional subdivisions — North, Northeast, Center-West, Southeast, and South — to identify a location, as these are far too broad. Acre, for instance, is the westernmost state in Brazil, but is administratively in the North region. Better to specify the state.

Latam

Campesino

Don’t refer to as “peasant.” Don’t italicize, even on first reference.

Ejido

Communally managed farmland. Describe it as such on first reference. Italicize on first reference only.

Falkland Islands

The Malvinas/Falkland Islands, not just the Falklands. All South American countries (with the exception of Guyana, a former British colony) recognize Argentina’s claim to the islands.

Illicit crops

This term, when referring to illegal cultivation inside protected or Indigenous areas, almost always means coca cultivation. Be specific so that the reader knows whether the story is talking about coca, marijuana or some other plant.

Names

If an individual has two last names, use both on second reference: President López Obrador.

Tren Maya

A tourist train line running through historically Maya regions of Mexico. Refer to as Tren Maya or the Tren Maya project, not the Mayan train.

Indonesia

Corporate titles

In the Indonesian corporate hierarchy, a direktur is the equivalent of an executive, while a komisaris is the equivalent of a director. Don’t confuse direktur with director and komisaris with commissioner.

Names

Use the first name on second reference (unless the individual’s first name is Muhammad, Abdul or Ahmad or a variation of those). Specifically for Balinese individuals, the first names Wayan, Putu, Gede/Gde, Ni Luh, Made, Kadek, Nyoman, Komang and Ketut signify birth order, so use the last name on second reference.

Kalimantan

The name for Indonesian Borneo. Describe on first reference as Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo.

Ounce

In the Indonesian context, an ounce (ons) is 100 grams, not the U.S./imperial standard of 28 grams. Cite in grams and convert accordingly.

Palm oil

An oil palm plantation, because it grows the trees (oil palms), but a palm oil company, because it deals in the commodity (palm oil).

Pantura

A portmanteau of Pantai Utara Jawa, or north Java coast. Avoid.

Papua

The Indonesian (western) half of the island of New Guinea. Describe on first reference as Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost region. Don’t confuse with Papua province, which is one of several provinces that make up the Papua region.

Suspect

A “suspect” in the Indonesian legal sense is different from the Western sense. An individual who has been named a suspect has been charged with a crime. Make that clear in the story.

India

Tone

When translating or adapting a story from Hindi into English for the Mongabay India site, you can tweak the tone; it does not have to be a literal translation. You can also shorten the length and simplify as needed.

Words in Hindi

If you need to use a Hindi word as is, put it in italics and add the English translation in brackets.

Commonly used terminology in Hindi, such as words related to government institutions (gram sabha, panchayat), measurements or units (lakhs, bighas) or other regional language words that are commonly understood across India (namaste, masala, ghee, pundit) need not be put in italics or translated.

Check if proper nouns (including people names) have a specific English spelling.

Institutions

Some institutions may have official names in Hindi and in English. If there is only a Hindi name, use it and add some context in English or add the translation in brackets.

Adapting content from Mongabay India

When adapting content in English from the Mongabay India website to be used on Mongabay Global, make sure to change British spelling and vocabulary to American English.