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Poll: What causes the most friction when following client-provided style guides?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Aug 23

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What causes the most friction when following client-provided style guides?".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:01
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
N/A Aug 23

In over 40 years only one client has provided me with a style guide! I used to translate a lot for the European Institutions (when they paid a fair rate) and “The Interinstitutional Style Guide” contains all the stylistic rules and conventions which must be used…

CafeTran Trainer
 
CafeTran Trainer
CafeTran Trainer
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
+ ...
Glossaries Aug 23

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:

In over 40 years only one client has provided me with a style guide! I used to translate a lot for the European Institutions (when they paid a fair rate) and “The Interinstitutional Style Guide” contains all the stylistic rules and conventions which must be used…


A little off-topic, but in the same 40+ years, I’ve never received a decent glossary from a client either. So I’ve always had to create my own on the fly.


[Edited at 2026-08-23 09:33 GMT]

Josephine Cassar
Alexandra Speirs
Aisha Maniar
 
Karletto666
Karletto666
Slovenia
Local time: 09:01
English to Slovenian
+ ...
strict rules Aug 23

I had a client that gave me 10 pages of rules. O_O

Michael Newton
Maria Laura Curzi
 
M. Anna Kańduła
M. Anna Kańduła  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:01
English to Polish
Mistakes in style guides Aug 23

I had a few clients who insisted on something that was blatantly incorrect in the target language.

Josephine Cassar
Zea_Mays
Michael Newton
Lancashireman
Maria Laura Curzi
 


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Poll: What causes the most friction when following client-provided style guides?






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