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Style Guide for Utah Regional Investment Fund By: Kaylee Herrick Updated: 21 May 2012 Utah Regional Investment Fund, LLC (an EB-5 regional center) is designed to recruit foreign investments for local real-estate based projects in the US. These foreign investments bring revenue into the American economy so they can create and preserve more American jobs. Through these investments, they hope to raise their regional export sales and increase domestic capital investments into targeted employment areas to create the needed jobs in those specific markets. Utah Regional Investment Fund’s largest base of international affairs is in China. Therefore, all the company’s material needs to be understood across cultural and linguistic boundaries between the US and China. Many of their documents are legally binding and as a result must be precise and clear in both languages to produce the promised contract for the investor and the Utah Regional Investment Fund. Because Utah Regional Investment Fund’s materials are only for foreign investors, the material is written only for foreign entities and those highly knowledgeable in the business of investments. For this reason all the decisions made in this style guide will be directed to the needs that arise only from working with foreign investors that are already familiar with the terminology used in investing. To meet these needs, this style guide will consult The Chicago Manual of Style and The Global English Style Guide written by John R. Kohl to meet the specific needs of Utah Regional Investment Fund’s writing needs. The object of this style guide will be to target inconsistencies in the company’s documents using these style manuals to insure clarity across cultural and linguistic boundaries and increase the precision of needed information in the documents seen by the public. This style guide is not comprehensive but will address the needs and inconsistencies in the company to assure accuracy and clarity in their documents.
5 Grammar and Usage 5.1 Its versus It’s It is a very common to switch the possessive of it (which is its) and the contraction of it is (which is it’s). Although it’s looks like the possessive, there is no exception to the rule when it’s shows the possessive. This rule is to be followed in all writing. Examples: EB-‐5 visa program offers its participants nearly all the benefits of U.S. citizenship.
NOT EB-‐5 visa program offers It’s participants nearly all the benefits of U.S. citizenship. 5.2 Parallelisms Kohl in 6.5 discusses the issue of parallelism in writing. He says parallelisms is “often essential for clear communication.” Parallelism will help create clarity and understanding in writing if used properly. This construction will also help other language speakers understand the structure of the sentence.
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Examples: The Investment money can be the investor’s own funds, business proceeds, loans, or gifts which would allow an individual to gift funds to a child, relative or friend. NOT The Investment money can be the investor’s own funds, business proceeds, a loan, or a gift, which would allow an individual to gift funds to a child, relative or friend.
5.3 Colloquialisms
Using terms that are only familiar to a certain company or region should be avoided in documents meant for foreign audiences as mentioned in Kohl 9.20. Using such terms can cause confusion for the intended audience and make translating difficult. Trade these localized terms for other words that would be easily recognized by a foreign audience or make it perfectly clear what is being referred too.
Examples: This Questionnaire will be reviewed by Utah Regional Investment Fund, a Utah based limited liability company (which will now be referred to as the company). NOT This Questionnaire will be reviewed by Utah Regional Investment Fund, a Utah based limited liability company (the “Company”).
6 Punctuation 6.1 Omitting serial commas before ampersands. As stated in Chicago 6.21 “When an ampersand is used instead of the word and (as in company names), the serial comma is omitted.” Avoiding ampersands all together in sentences except when referring to particular companies could help with consistency and clarity in writing as well. Examples:
We seek to develop quality projects that create value and profitability for investors, consultants, end users, and communities. Utilizing creativity, diverse skills and experience we effectively manage and produce a superior product. NOT We seek to develop quality projects that create value and profitability for investors, consultants, end users, & communities. Utilizing creativity, diverse skills and experience we effectively manage and produce a superior product.
6.2 Colons
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Colons are mistakenly thought to be needed before every series or list. However, a colon should only be used if the sentence before it is a complete sentence. Chicago recommends in 6.65 apply a simple test to know when a colon should be used. If it merits “a colon, the words that introduce a series or list must themselves constitute a grammatically complete sentence.”
Examples: Through the infusion of new capital, URIF will generate a greater demand for business services and employment across Utah's broad economic spectrum and will accomplish this by (directly goes into list without a colon). NOT Through the infusion of new capital, URIF will generate a greater demand for business services and employment across Utah's broad economic spectrum and will accomplish this by:
6.3 Typographer’s quotation marks In published writing directional quotation marks or also called “curly” quotation marks are preferred over unidirectional quotation marks in writing. Examples: Selecting and financing, either on a “stand alone” basis or through leveraged resources, qualified "for profit" business projects within the state of Utah. NOT Selecting and financing, either on a "stand alone" basis or through leveraged resources, qualified "for profit" business projects within the state of Utah.
6.4 Slashes to Signify Alternatives In many documents slashes are used to represent alternatives such as he/she and and/or. These however cause the documents to look less aesthetically pleasing and may cause confusion. Avoid slashes as alternative for better clarity and consistency in documents. Examples: The EB-‐5 Green Card Program offers a green card for the applicant, his or her spouse, and all unmarried children under the age of 21. NOT The EB-‐5 Green Card Program offers a green card for the applicant, his/her spouse, and all unmarried children under the age of 21.
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6.5 Parentheses with other punctuation Chicago recommends, “A period precedes the closing parenthesis if the entire sentence is in parentheses; otherwise it follows.” When deciding whether a period should go in the parenthesis or outside, make sure all the parenthetical matter is its own sentence. If it is not, put the period outside the parenthesis. Examples: Apply for U.S. citizenship optional (60 months after U.S. entry). NOT Apply for U.S. citizenship optional. (60 months after U.S. entry.)
6.6 Commas in pairs
To avoid confusion, whenever a comma is used to set off a particular element such as a city from a state or a date from the year, there must be another comma after the end of the phrase. Examples: The popular destination of Garden City, Utah, is the site for the Water’s Edge at Bear Lake project. NOT The popular destination of Garden City, Utah is the site for the Water’s Edge at Bear Lake project.
6.7 Lists and Outlines
Be consistent with how you construct vertical lists. If you use bullets on a list, make sure to use bullets on all your outlines. Chicago recommends in 6.121 that “where similar lists are fairly close together, consistent treatment is essential.”
7 Spelling, Distinctive Treatment of Words, and Compounds 7.1 “Scare Quotes” Sometimes quotations are used around a word to show that it is considered slang or nonstandard in the particular context of the sentence it is in. Because Utah Regional Investment Fund focus is on a foreign audience, such terms should be avoided to make the language clear in the document that might not understand nonstandard words used in the English language. Examples: On a digital music player, a music file is really just a separately encoded file in a directory.
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NOT On a digital music player, a “track” is really just a separately encoded file in a directory. 7.2 Line Breaks, Dividing After a Vowel At a line break, a word is best divided how it would normally be announced and after a vowel. In the case of diphthongs, both vowels are treated as one vowel such as the eu in aneurysm (Chicago 7.34).
Examples: The EB-‐% Green Card for Immigrant Inve-‐ stors is a United States vise created by the immigration Act specifically for obtaining an EB-‐5 Green Card.
NOT The EB-‐% Green Card for Immigrant Inves-‐ tors is a United States vise created by the immigration Act specifically for obtaining an EB-‐5 Green Card.
8 Names and Terms 8.1 Legislative and Deliberative Bodies Chicago notes in 8.61, “The full names of legislative and deliberative bodies, departments, bureaus, and offices are capitalized. Adjectives derived from them are usually lowercased, as are many of the generic names for such bodies when used alone.” Unless it is a specific name of a company or term, the term is usually lowercased. Examples:
The EB-‐5 visa investor program in the state of Utah provides opportunities to invest in Utah's commercial enterprise and the creation of American jobs. NOT The EB-‐5 visa investor program in the state of Utah provides opportunities to invest in Utah's commercial enterprise and the creation of American Jobs. 8.2 Institutions and Companies
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Names of specific companies, institutions, departments, and the like are capitalized even when used in its shortened form. However, generic terms or broad references to a type of company, institution or department is usually lowercased. Examples: Regional centers are approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). NOT Regional Centers are approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).