Last update: Oct 27, 2025
Here you will find the guidance for Filipino, but you should also consider the guidance for all languages.
1. Capitalization
Capitalize only the first letter of a sentence and the names of people, products or places. Example: I-download ang naka-pause.
Always apply your language conventions rather than adhering to the English source.
When the writing of a word is tolerated with and without capitalization, choose its version without capitalization (examples: page web, site internet).
Capitalize
- Proper names: Proton Mail, Proton VPN, NetShield
- Command/Folder names and keywords (first word only): Kanselahin ang pagsusuri, Huwag paganahin, Mag-donate
- First word of a sentence, title or subtitle
- In UI items made up of 2 alternative commands separated by a slash, both are capitalized: Kopyahin/Burahin ang folder
Do not capitalize
Words like internet and web, except when they are the first word of a sentence (web page).
2. Abbreviations
Whenever possible, avoid using abbreviations.
Abbreviate the text only when you lack space (mainly buttons, option names or strings with specific character limitations) or when you need to ease readability. Instead of abbreviating 4 or 5 consecutive words, summarize a term or phrase in 2 or 3 words written in full.
Days abbreviations (in calendars, agendas, timetables—names of days are written with a period at the end):
| English | Translation | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Lunes | Lun. |
| Tuesday | Martes | Mar. |
| Wednesday | Miyerkules | Miyer. |
| Thursday | Huwebes | Huweb. |
| Friday | Biyernes | Biyer. |
| Saturday | Sabado | Sab. |
| Sunday | Linggo | Ling. |
Months abbreviations (names of months written with a period at the end):
| English | Translation | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| January | Enero | En. |
| February | Pebrero | Peb. |
| March | Marso | Mar. |
| April | Abril | Abr. |
| May | Mayo | May. |
| June | Hunyo | Hun. |
| July | Hulyo | Hul. |
| August | Agosto | Ago. |
| September | Setyembre | Set. |
| October | Oktubre | Okt. |
| November | Nobyembre | Nob. |
| December | Disyembre | Dis. |
3. Acronyms
Common examples are VPN (Virtual Personal Network), DNS (Domain Name Server), HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), etc.
The most common acronyms and their translations are included in the glossary. Always refer to the glossary when localizing acronyms.
Commonly used acronyms do not need explanations (DVD, LED, TV, etc.).
When an acronym is repeated several times in the same section, include its extended form in parentheses only for its first occurrence.
4. Punctuation
4.1 Period
For the period at the end of a sentence (subject + verb), adapt the source to your language usage: when the English source does not put a period at the end of the sentence but should in your language, add it in your translation. Make sure that the text is not part of a longer sentence.
Include a period at the end of each extended sentence in a bullet list if it has a full meaning by itself.
Do not place any periods at the end of titles, links, nominative phrases, buttons, and checkboxes unless the item includes more than one sentence.
| English | We avoid | We prefer |
|---|---|---|
| This footer is added after your signature | Idinagdag ang footer na ito pagkatapos ng iyong lagda | Idinagdag ang footer na ito pagkatapos ng iyong lagda. |
| Impossible to load content. Please enable Chrome | Imposibleng mag-load ng nilalaman. Mangyaring paganahin ang Chrome | Imposibleng mag-load ng nilalaman. Mangyaring paganahin ang Chrome. |
| This message will expire in %s | Mag-e-expire ang mensaheng ito sa %s | Mag-e-expire ang mensaheng ito sa %s. |
| Signature verification error. | Error sa beripikasyon ng lagda. | Error sa beripikasyon ng lagda |
| Unknown error. | Hindi alam na error. | Hindi alam na error |
4.2 Exclamation mark
Exclamation marks are used to give emphasis.
As their use is less common than in English, use them sparingly: you may replace an exclamation mark with a period if it sounds more natural, but do not replace a period with an exclamation mark.
| English | We avoid | We prefer |
|---|---|---|
| The PIN codes must match! | Dapat tumugma ang mga PIN code! | Dapat tumugma ang mga PIN code. |
| Can’t create a SRP verifier! | Hindi makalikha ng SRP verifier! | Hindi makalikha ng SRP verifier. |
| You have %d new emails! | Mayroon kang mga %d bagong email! | Mayroon kang mga %d bagong email. |
| Theme reset! Redirecting… | I-reset ang tema! Nagre-redirect… | I-reset ang tema. Nagre-redirect… |
| Importing contacts complete! | Kumpleto na ang pag-import ng mga contact! | Kumpleto na ang pag-import ng mga contact. |
4.3 Parentheses
Parentheses clarify statements or provide additional information. Avoid them when possible and adapt to the context.
| English | We avoid | We prefer |
|---|---|---|
| Please choose a display name to finish setting up your account. (Other people will see this.) | Mangyaring pumili ng isang display name upang tapusin ang pag-set up ng iyong account. (Makikita ito ng ibang tao.) | Mangyaring pumili ng isang display name upang tapusin ang pag-set up ng iyong account. Makikita ito ng ibang tao. |
| We also support importing vCard. (UTF-8 encoding) | Sinusuportahan din namin ang pag-import ng vCard. (UTF -8 na pag-encode) | Sinusuportahan din namin ang pag-import ng vCard (UTF -8 na pag-encode). |
4.4 Comma
Do not place a comma before “at” and “o” when the conjunction links two related terms.
| English | We avoid | We prefer |
|---|---|---|
| You can also add, delete, and edit them by clicking… | Maaari mo ring idagdag, tanggalin, at i - edit ang mga ito sa pamamagitan ng pag - click sa… | Maaari mo ring idagdag, tanggalin at i - edit ang mga ito sa pamamagitan ng pag - click sa… |
| Assign permissions to users, or groups | Magtalaga ng mga pahintulot sa mga user, o grupo | Magtalaga ng mga pahintulot sa mga user o grupo |
4.5 Colon and semicolon
Colons and semicolons are preceded by a non-breaking space.
The word following a semicolon should not start with a capital letter.
| English | We avoid | We prefer |
|---|---|---|
| Date: Old to new | Petsa : Luma hanggang sa bago | Petsa: Luma hanggang sa bago |
| Download paused: Low battery | I-download ang naka-pause: Mababang baterya | I-download ang naka-pause: mababang baterya |
4.6 Em dash (—), en dash (–), hyphen (-)
In English, dashes are used to separate an isolated element, introduce a nonessential clause, or emphasize a change in thought.
In Filipino, it’s often better to use a comma, full stop, or parentheses instead.
Do not use an em dash for date ranges—use “mula … hanggang” instead.
| English | We avoid | We prefer |
|---|---|---|
| In case the default value is unsuitable for a particular network, enter a value within 1280–1500 range. | Kung hindi angkop ang default na halaga para sa isang partikular na network, maglagay ng halagang nasa pagitan ng 1280–1500. | Kung hindi angkop ang default na halaga para sa isang partikular na network, maglagay ng halagang nasa pagitan ng 1280-1500. |
| Secure access to your favorite content from other countries — Now available on Android TV. | Secure access sa iyong mga paboritong nilalaman mula sa ibang bansa — Mayroon na ngayon sa Android TV. | Secure access sa iyong mga paboritong nilalaman mula sa ibang bansa. Mayroon na ngayon sa Android TV. |
| More than 12 hours passed since last update — ${ CALENDAR_APP_NAME } will try to update the calendar in a few hours. | Plus de 12 heures se sont écoulées depuis la dernière mise à jour — ${ CALENDAR_APP_NAME } essaiera de mettre à jour le calendrier dans quelques heures. | Plus de 12 heures se sont écoulées depuis la dernière mise à jour, ${ CALENDAR_APP_NAME } essaiera de mettre à jour le calendrier dans quelques heures. |
4.7 Quotation marks
Use quotation marks as in the source text. Place the period outside the closing quotation mark.
| English | We avoid | We prefer |
|---|---|---|
| The “From:” address is invalid. Please change it to a valid one | Di-wasto ang address na “Mula kay:”. Mangyaring palitan ito ng wasto | Di-wasto ang address na “Mula kay:”. Mangyaring palitan ito ng wasto |
| Are you sure you want to delete this calendar? “%1$s” will be set as default calendar. | Sigurado ka bang gusto mong i-delete ang post na ito? Itatakda ang “%1$s” bilang default na kalendaryo. | Sigurado ka bang gusto mong i-delete ang post na ito? Itatakda ang “%1$s” bilang default na kalendaryo. |
4.8 Ampersand (&)
Replace “&” with “at” unless it is part of a company/product name or registered trademark.
5. Spacing and non-breaking spaces
Use non-breaking spaces to prevent improper division of elements such as product names, part numbers, numbers, or dates.
When using currency symbols or units of measurement, include a non-breaking space between the number and the symbol.
To insert a non-breaking space using your keyboard:
- On Windows: Hold the Alt key while typing 255.
- On Apple: Ctrl + Option⌥ + Space bar.
| English | Filipino | [non-breaking space] |
|---|---|---|
| 5€ | 5 € | 5[non-breaking space]€ |
| 1 GB | 1 GB | 1[non-breaking space]GB |
6. Numbers
Filipino uses the same number formats as English.
3.75 → 3.75
For numbers smaller than 1, always put a zero before the decimal point.
.5 → 0.5
The period in app/software version numbers remains unchanged.
Proton Mail v.3
Never use thousand separators in years.
15,000 and year 2015 → 15,000 at taon 2015
Time and date:
- Hours and minutes are separated by a colon. Use the 12-hour format with A.M. and P.M.
Example: at 9:25 P.M → sa 9:25 pm - The date format is “dd/mm/yyyy”.
Example: 01-31-22 (mm/dd/yy) → 31/01/2022
7. Currencies
Do not convert USD ($) or EUR (€) to any local currency.
Place the USD or EUR code after the number, or the symbol (€ / $) after the number, separated by a non-breaking space.
Example:
Amount of €30 → Halaga ng € 30 or Halaga ng 30 EUR
8. Units of measurement
Use the metric system.
Insert a non-breaking space between a number and the relevant unit.
Convert imperial units into metric equivalents.
Example:
6 talampakan → 1,83 m
| Category | Measurement unit | Translation | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| LINEAR | Kilometer | Kilometro | km |
| Meter | Metro | m | |
| Centimeter | Sentimetro | cm | |
| Millimeter | Millimetro | mm | |
| MASS | Ton | Tonelada | t |
| Kilogram | Kilogram | kg | |
| Pound | Pound | lb | |
| IMPERIAL | Inch | Pulgada | in |
| Feet | Talampakan | ft | |
| Mile | Milya | mi | |
| Gallon | Gallon | gal | |
| COMPUTING | Byte | Byte | B |
| Megabyte | Megabyte | MB | |
| Gigabyte | Gigabyte | GB | |
| Terabyte | Terabyte | TB |
9. Foreign words
The decision about whether to keep an English word or use its Filipino equivalent depends on how common the term is.
To determine usage, compare search results for both the English word and the Filipino translation. The more frequently used term should guide your choice.
If in doubt for an important term, ask the Proton Localization team for an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) check.
Foreign words may appear in quotation marks or italics when uncommon. However, English words that are widely accepted remain in their original form and do not take an -s in plural.
When foreign words are well understood, they can remain untranslated. Add an explanation in Filipino only when necessary.
Avoid excessive use of anglicisms.
10. Localizing person names
Do not localize real persons’ names.
| English | Filipino |
|---|---|
| Bart Butler is a senior engineer at Proton Mail | Si Bart Butler ay isang senior engineer sa Proton Mail. |
11. Localizing domains and email addresses
Localize fictitious domain names and email addresses used for explanatory purposes.
- Translate the local part of an email address.
- Translate the domain name.
| Example | English | Filipino |
|---|---|---|
| user@ | user@ | user@ |
| yourdomain.com | yourdomain.com | Iyong domain.com |
However, do not localize any real email addresses or domain names.
Example:
To reset your mailbox password, please use the web version of Proton Mail at proton.me
→ Upang i-reset ang iyong password sa mailbox, mangyaring gamitin ang web na bersyon ng Proton Mail sa proton.me
12. Localizing CTA (Call To Action) buttons
Depending on the context (support, landing page, etc.) and button location, either the infinitive or the 2nd person plural form can be used. Confirm with the language lead if uncertain.
For neutral instructions or additional information, use the infinitive:
- Kopyahin ang file
- Huwag baguhin ang pangalan ng domain
For engaging or action-oriented buttons, use the 2nd person plural:
- Makipag-ugnayan sa amin
- Bisitahin ang aming website para sa karagdagang detalye