Here you will find a selection of guidelines, guides and other aids to help you in writing, translating, revising or proofreading texts.
Resources for English and foreign language texts
The resources listed here apply to English texts. You can access the resources for German, French, Italian and Romansh texts by selecting the appropriate language in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
Style Guide
This guide is intended primarily for English-language translators, both in-house and freelance, working for the Federal Administration. It also aims to serve the native and non-native speakers within the Administration who draft texts in English. It provides a standard for conventions specific to the Federal Administration and the situation in Switzerland. It also draws attention to some of the common pitfalls involved in translating from German and French into English.
Style Guide (PDF, 1 MB, 07.11.2024)Style Guide
Legal Style Guide
The Legal Style Guide was produced jointly by legal translation specialists at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Chancellery. It is intended primarily for English language translators, both in-house and freelance, working for the Federal Administration. It provides pointers on legal writing style, terminology, citations, references and cross-references. It highlights common problems and suggests how to avoid some of the pitfalls involved in translating legal texts from German and French into English.
Contact
Central Language ServicesTerminology Section
Gurtengasse 3
3003 Bern
- Tel.
- +41 58 464 11 47