STYLE GUIDE FOR
HELP INTERNATIONAL BY MARGARET WILLDEN HELP International (help-international.org) is a nonprofit organization based in Provo, Utah, that strives to “empower people to fight global poverty through sustainable, life-changing development programs.”1 Following the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1999, several volunteers formed a relief team to respond to the destruction in Honduras, forming H.E.L.P. Honduras. The program has since expanded to reach India, Uganda, Peru, Thailand, Fiji, and Nepal. HELP International seeks to aid in three core capacities: public health, education, and entrepreneurship projects. While the organization has provided relief following major natural disasters, HELP also currently focuses on “secondary development” through training and community outreach. As effective communication remains vital to HELP International’s efforts, this in-house style guide considers the global nature of the organization. To best help the organization reach its international audience, this guide strives to integrate elements of global English in materials produced by HELP International. As such, this guide includes principles of global English and draws from John R. Kohl’s The Global English Style Guide: Writing Clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global Market (North Carolina: SAS Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-59994-657-3). To further aid clarity and effective communication in HELP International’s publications, this inhouse style guide also outlines principles to make style decisions consistent. While this guide is not comprehensive, it will increase efficiency and consistency by becoming a reference for future style decisions. Though HELP International does not currently adhere to a particular style manual, this in-house style guide generally follows the principles as stated in The Chicago Manual of Style (sixteenth edition). This guide may address style decisions not addressed in Chicago and depart from principles outlined therein to best serve the needs of the organization. It should be considered supplemental to Chicago. Furthermore, this document may also specify an appropriate style choice in the event that Chicago deems multiple alternatives acceptable. As needed, the style guide will highlight style decisions that are discussed by Chicago but have been repeatedly violated by writers and editors within the organization. UPDATED OCTOBER 21, 2015
1“Mission
& History,” HELP International, accessed October 21, 2015. !1
CONTENTS 5 GRAMMAR AND USAGE 5.1 Complete sentences to introduce lists 5.2 Parallel structure 5.3 Causative have and get 5.4 If . . . then statements 5.5 Use of colloquialisms 5.6 Restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses 5.7 This, that, these, and those as pronouns 6 PUNCTUATION 6.1 Inclusive dates 6.2 Commas with large sums of money 6.3 Commas with locations 6.4 Serial comma 6.5 Semicolons in a series 6.6 Commas with coordinate adjectives 6.7 Slashes 6.8 Commas with dates 7 SPELLING, DISTINCTIVE TREATMENT OF WORDS, AND COMPOUNDS 7.1 Possessive nouns 7.2 General word hyphenation 7.3 Hyphenation in multi-word verbs 7.4 Metaphors 7.5 Contractions 8 NAMES AND TERMS 8.1 Country names 8.2 Treatment of names 8.3 Foreign city names 8.4 Sentence-style capitalization 8.5 Organizational titles 8.6 Course and subject names !2
9 NUMBERS 9.1 Spelling out numbers one through one hundred 9.2 Monetary symbols versus words 9.3 Numbers beginning a sentence 10 ABBREVIATIONS 10.1 Name of organization 
!3
5 GRAMMAR AND USAGE 5.1 COMPLETE SENTENCES TO INTRODUCE LISTS To introduce a list of items, use a complete sentence to ensure consistency and ease of translation. Use of incomplete sentences creates greater difficulty for translators and subsequent delay in production of materials for an international audience. (See Kohl 3.8.) ✓ Community education involves the following activities: • literacy • orphanage work • school construction ✕ Community education involves • literacy • orphanage work • school construction 5.2 PARALLEL STRUCTURE According to Chicago 5.212, “[p]arallel constructions—series of like sentence elements—are common in good writing.” Beyond aiding the quality of writing, parallel structure also helps facilitate clear communication and comprehension for non-native English speakers. Use parallel grammatical structure to improve ease of translation and understanding. (See Kohl 6.5.) ✓ Projects will be focused on administering disaster relief, cleaning up the area, and meeting the needs of the immediate community. ✕ Projects will be focused on disaster relief, clean-up, and meeting the needs of the immediate community. 5.3 CAUSATIVE HAVE AND GET Because some verb constructions can create ambiguity when translated, avoid using have or get as auxiliary verbs meaning “to cause someone to do something” or “to cause something to happen.” Such grammar may be unfamiliar to non-native speakers of English, and avoidance of this particular construction can bring clarity to the meaning of the sentence. (See Kohl 3.10.2.) ✓ We tried to arrange for the volunteers to be involved in a community outreach in Thailand. ✕ We tried to get the volunteers involved in a community outreach in Thailand.
!4
5.4 IF . . . THEN STATEMENTS Clear syntactic cues are vital for communication with an international audience and can help facilitate greater comprehension for non-native English speakers. If beginning a conditional clause with if, use then to begin the following clause to improve readability. This structure will reinforce the “cause-and-effect” phenomenon within the sentence and provide a clear syntactic cue. (See Kohl 6.10.) ✓ If HELP International can help provide adequate nutrition and education for those in poverty, then families can better learn how to have proper healthy eating. ✕ If HELP International can help provide adequate nutrition and education for those in poverty, families can better learn how to have proper healthy eating. 5.5 USE OF COLLOQUIALISMS Avoid using colloquialisms in formal writing. Use of idiomatic or colloquial words hinders ease of translation and can contribute to otherwise avoidable linguistic variation. (See Kohl 9.20.) ✓ Though debris removal and clean up will be a heavy component of this program, we also anticipate assisting in many other capacities. ✕ Though debris removal and clean up will be a heavy component of this program, we also anticipate assisting in lots of other capacities. 5.6 RESTRICTIVE AND NONRESTRICTIVE CLAUSES To improve clarity, especially for translators and non-native English speakers, use relative pronouns which, who, whom, and whose to indicate a nonrestrictive relative clause. (See Kohl 4.3.) In restrictive relative clauses, use that instead of which to help facilitate consistency. (See Kohl 4.4 and Chicago 5.220 and 6.22.) ✓ The BEST Game (a product of Making Cents International) is a highly interactive business simulation game that engages the participants in a virtual market of manufacturers, buyers, vendors, and consumers. ✕ The BEST Game (a product of Making Cents International) is a highly interactive business simulation game which engages the participants in a virtual market of manufacturers, buyers, vendors, and consumers. 5.7 THIS, THAT, THESE, AND THOSE AS PRONOUNS The words this, that, these, and those should be used only as adjectives (rather than pronouns) so that the referent remans clear. Although human translators will likely be able to determine the referent, machine-translation software may not be able to accurately discern its meaning. (See Kohl 5.2.)
!5
✓ HELP International conducts resume workshops for adults and youth. These workshops help provide a means for employment. ✕ HELP International conducts resume workshops for adults and youth. These help provide a means for employment.
6 PUNCTUATION 6.1 INCLUSIVE DATES For ranges of dates, use an en dash (not a hyphen) between the dates. Do not add a space before or after the en dash. (See Chicago 6.78.) ✓ February 4–April 28 ✕ February 4-April 28 ✕ February 4 - April 28 6.2 COMMAS WITH LARGE SUMS OF MONEY For sums of money of one thousand dollars or more, group the digits in groups of three (beginning from the right), and insert a comma in between each group. (See Chicago 9.55.) ✓ The six-week program will cost $2,950. ✕ The six-week program will cost $2950. 6.3 COMMAS WITH LOCATIONS When set in running text, use commas to separate individual elements in the name of a location. If the sentence continues after the name of a location and the name contains multiple elements (e.g., city and country), use a comma after the last element. (See Chicago 6.46.) ✓ The plane will land in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 31. ✕ The plane will land in Bangkok, Thailand on March 31. 6.4 SERIAL COMMA Use a comma to separate each item in a list. In lists of three or more items, the comma preceding the and is traditionally considered optional. However, to avoid ambiguity, always use the serial comma, placing it before the conjunction. (See Chicago 6.18.)
!6
✓ Projects may include teaching English, construction projects, improving water sanitation, building gardens, teaching feminine hygiene, and much more. ✕ Projects may include teaching English, construction projects, improving water sanitation, building gardens, teaching feminine hygiene and much more. 6.5 SEMICOLONS IN A SERIES While items in a list are generally separated by commas, semicolons may be used if one or more items in the series include a comma. Commas should be used if no ambiguity seems to be present in doing so. (See Kohl 8.10.2 and Chicago 6.58.) ✓ Volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities, including teaching basic health classes in disease prevention, nutrition, and sanitation; shadowing experienced professionals; and participating in health education camps. ✕ Volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities, including teaching basic health classes in disease prevention, nutrition, and sanitation, shadowing experienced professionals, and participating in health education camps. 6.6 COMMAS WITH COORDINATE ADJECTIVES When two or more adjectives precede a noun, consider whether or not the adjectives could be joined by and and still retain its meaning when placed in reverse order. If so, these adjectives can generally be separated by a comma. However, if the adjective is crucial to the meaning of the noun itself (e.g., tennis shoe), do not separate the adjective from the noun. (See Chicago 6.33.) ✓ About one hundred of them are uninhabited nature preserves. (Nature is essential to the meaning of preserve.) ✕ About one hundred of them are uninhabited, nature preserves. 6.7 SLASHES Although a slash can succinctly signal alternatives, avoid using slashes to join two or more words because such construction can be difficult for translation. Slashes can sometimes create ambiguity and variations in the meaning of the text. Use and or or instead. (See Chicago 6.104 and Kohl 8.11.) ✓ HELP International develops and executes grassroots projects in areas related to public health. ✕ HELP International develops/executes grassroots projects in areas related to public health.
!7
6.8 COMMAS WITH DATES To improve consistency, use the month-day-year date style instead of the year-month-day (ISO) date style. Set off the year with commas. ✓ Hurricane Mitch formed on October 22, 1998, and caused devastating flooding in Honduras. ✕ Hurricane Mitch formed on 1998-10-22 and caused devastating flooding in Honduras.
7 SPELLING, DISTINCTIVE TREATMENT OF WORDS, AND COMPOUNDS 7.1 POSSESSIVE NOUNS Use an apostrophe and an s when indicating the possessive of most singular nouns. While some writers traditionally do not form possessives of inanimate objects by adding an apostrophe and an s, such use of punctation can bring greater clarity and does not typically hinder translation. Do not use an apostrophe with an s to indicate a contraction with nouns. (See Chicago 7.15 and Kohl 3.7.2.) ✓ The program’s areas of development include sports, music, and dance. ✕ The areas of the development of the program include sports, music, and dance. 7.2 GENERAL WORD HYPHENATION According to Chicago 7.77, “Far and away the most common spelling questions for writers and editors concern compound terms—whether to spell as two words, hyphenate, or close up as a single word.” To avoid variation, look up the word in a dictionary (such as Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary). Chicago 7.85 also contains a hyphenation guide that includes compounds not commonly found in the dictionary. ✓ About one hundred of Fiji’s beaches are uninhabited nature preserves. ✕ About one hundred of Fiji’s beaches are un-inhabited nature preserves. 7.3 HYPHENATION IN MULTI-WORD VERBS Although multi-word verbs like set up and clean up are generally unhyphenated and spelled out separately when used as verbs, the noun forms of these words can sometimes be inconsistent. As written in Kohl 8.7.2, adhere to the following guidelines to maintain consistency:
!8
“If the word is spelled as one word (no hyphen) when it is used as a noun, then spell the word adjectival form like the noun.” clean up (verb) cleanup (noun) cleanup (adjective) (NOT clean-up) “If the noun form is hyphenated, then hyphenate the adjectival form as well.” start up (verb) start-up (noun) start-up (adjective) (NOT start up) 7.4 METAPHORS Because metaphors are generally idiomatic to a language and will likely be difficult for non-native English speakers to comprehend, avoid using metaphors with or without quotation marks. Instead, use literal terms. (See Kohl 8.9.2.) ✓ Prior to your arrival, notify your banker of your travel plans to ensure your credit card is not disabled. ✕ Prior to your arrival, notify your banker of your travel plans to ensure your credit card is not “frozen.” 7.5 CONTRACTIONS Contractions can improve concision, and most conversational English speakers will likely understand common contractions like didn’t and can’t. However, avoid using unusual contractions, as most non-native English speakers may struggle to understand them. Some contractions are either too formal or too informal for materials produced by HELP International. (See Kohl 9.14 and Chicago 7.29.) ✓ could have ✕ could’ve ✓ shall not ✕ shan’t
!9
8 NAMES AND TERMS 8.1 COUNTRY NAMES Capitalize the names of all cities and countries. In addition, capitalize any adjective or noun derived from these names. (See Chicago 8.44.) Fiji; Fijian India; Indian Mbale, Uganda; Ugandan Peru; Peruvian Bangkok, Thailand; Thai 8.2 TREATMENT OF NAMES For the sake of consistency, avoid adding periods and spaces between letters in the name of the organization. ✓ HELP International ✕ H. E. L. P. International ✕ H.E.L.P. International 8.3 FOREIGN CITY NAMES For cities outside of the United States, list both the city and country for the purpose of clarity. ✓ You can intern or volunteer in Mbale, Uganda. ✕ You can intern or volunteer in Mbale. 8.4 SENTENCE-STYLE CAPITALIZATION Use sentence-style capitalization for all titles in materials produced by HELP International. This style of capitalization involves capitalizing the first word in a title, the first word in a subtitle, and any proper nouns. This style is generally recommended for foreign titles. (See Chicago 8.156.) ✓ 2015 Nepal fall crisis team ✕ 2015 Nepal Fall Crisis Team
!10
8.5 ORGANIZATIONAL TITLES Titles of individuals on the staff (e.g., chief executive officer) are not typically used with the personal name, and titles of such positions are not capitalized. (See Chicago 8.26.) ✓ Suzanne Whitehead, chief operating officer ✕ Chief Operating Officer Suzanne Whitehead 8.6 COURSE AND SUBJECT NAMES Do not capitalize course or subject names used in a generic sense (e.g., a business course). Capitalize the names of specialized, official courses that are unique to HELP International. (See Chicago 8.85.) ✓ Seventy-three business courses are taught, focusing on marketing and entrepreneurship. ✕ Seventy-three Business courses are taught, focusing on marketing and entrepreneurship. ✓ I am enrolled in Student Leadership, a course that teaches the meaning of teamwork and effective leadership. ✕ I am enrolled in student leadership, a course that teaches the meaning of teamwork and effective leadership.
9 NUMBERS 9.1 SPELLING OUT NUMBERS ONE THROUGH ONE HUNDRED In general, spell out all numbers one through one hundred when used in a non-technical context. Use numerals for numbers above one hundred. (See Chicago 9.2.) ✓ The program costs $1,350 for two weeks. ✕ The program costs $1,350 for 2 weeks. 9.2 MONETARY SYMBOLS VERSUS WORDS Instead of spelling out the word “dollar,” use a dollar sign symbol when listing amounts of US currency. For foreign currencies, specify the name of the currency to avoid confusion. When using both US dollars and foreign currencies, use words to specify all currencies to maintain consistency. (See Chicago 9.21.)
!11
✓ HELP International alumni are eligible for a $400 scholarship. ✕ HELP International alumni are eligible for a four hundred dollar scholarship. ✓ Two Fijian dollars are roughly equal to one US dollar. ✕ 2 FJ$ are roughly equal to $1. 9.3 NUMBERS BEGINNING A SENTENCE Spell out all numbers beginning a sentence. If a year begins a sentence, recast the sentence (or spell out the year, though the former is preferred). Though statistics are frequently cited in printed materials, adherence to this style choice will create a professional appearance. (See Chicago 9.5.) ✓ Five thousand individuals received access to clean water. ✕ 5,000 individuals received access to clean water. ✓ Registration for the 2016 HELP International winter program will begin shortly. ✕ 2016 HELP International winter program registration will begin shortly.
10 ABBREVIATIONS 10.1 NAME OF ORGANIZATION Avoid shortening the name of the organization to prevent the name from being confused with other agencies and companies. ✓ Intern or volunteer abroad with HELP International! ✕ Intern or volunteer abroad with HELP!
!12