A consideration when localizing software is how the text addresses the user. In English, there is only one second-person pronoun for both singular and plural alike: "you". The software addresses at most one user, so the decision to use a singular or plural form is moot: use singular when localizing. English also lacks the T-V Distinction, or the distinction between a formal and informal form of the second-person pronoun and related verb forms. Which one is used depends on the relationship between the speaker and the listener. But, many languages such as Spanish, German and French have the distinction and software localized for those languages, the formal form is used when addressing the user in software. A language such as Japanese, lacks true personal pronouns, yet the translations use polite verb forms instead of the "dictionary" forms as it is considered impolite in such a context.
Examples:
| Language | Formal | Informal |
|---|---|---|
| English | Do you want to delete the file? | Do you want to delete the file? |
| Spanish | ¿Desea Usted eliminar el archivo? | ¿Deseas (tú) eliminar el archivo? |
| Catalan | Voleu suprimir el fitxer? | Vols suprimir el fitxer? |
| French | Voulez-vous supprimer le fichier? | Voules-tu supprimer le fichier? |
| German | Möchten Sie die Datei löschen? | Möchtest du die Datei löschen? |
| Japanese | ファイルを削除しますか。 | ファイルを削除？ |
In each of the example languages, the use of the second-person singular pronouns and verb forms in the formal phrases is avoided. Spanish uses the pronoun Usted with third-person singular forms of the verb. Catalan and French use the second-person plural pronoun with corresponding second-person plural verb forms. German uses the pronoun Sie with third-person plural verb forms. Tagalog follows the same pattern as Catalan and French. The polite way of addressing seniors, persons of authority and strangers is to use the second-person plural forms, kayo-ninyo-inyo. For peers, children and those of lower social status than the speaker the forms are ka/ikaw-mo-iyo.*
Suggestion according to the "Style Guide"
Contradictory to the normal T-V distinction in Tagalog, however, the Filipino Style Guide suggests the use of the second-person singular forms! But, with a slight modification. According to section 3.1.2 of the guide,
"Another rephrasing recommendation is the use of the pronoun ‘iyo’ instead of ‘mo’... The use of 'mo' feels more informal and familiar."What's more is that the example that is given at the end of the section betrays the recommendation solely based on grammaticality:
"If you are using xyz.yyy.edu as your secondary proxy address, add xyz.yyy.edu as an accepted domain.
Kung iyong ginagamit ang xyz.yyy.edu bilang pangalawang proxy address , kailangan mong idagdag ang xyz.yyy.edu bilang xyz.yyy.edu bilang katanggap-tanggap na domain."**The personal pronoun after the verbal "kailangan" in the example must be "mo" because this form is strictly required. The clause can be rephrased as "...ang iyong kailangan ay..." with "kailangan" treated as a noun, but it is rather stilted and awkward. The suggestion to use "iyo" as a possessive instead of "mo" is still valid. Pre-positioned possessives may occur before their nouns as an alternate to following them as is the norm in most cases. And, the reason for using "iyo" is...
"To achieve the businesslike tone, sometimes a target text has to be paraphrased or restructured to avoid ‘sounding too familiar’. "
Nevertheless, "iyo" is still a second-personal singular pronoun and still "familiar". In fact, it is the oblique form and is commonly used in prepositional phrases following "sa".
Examples:
- dahil sa iyo "because of you"
- para sa iyo "for you"
- tungkol sa iyo "about you"
"I-klik mo ang I-Save para tapos na." Click Save to finish.A possible rewrite could be the following sentence, but it violates the "naturalness" of normal discourse because the verb "i-klik" needs to be cast as a noun. And, using "ay", or the syntax inversion marker, makes the sentence seem quite obtuse and violates a prohibition on its use in the guide.
"Ang iyong Pagki-klikan ay ang I-Save para tapos na."
Such are the end results if localizers follow with using "iyo" then rephrasing to adhere to grammaticality.
Regarding tone, "iyo" is supposed to be a middle ground between being "too familiar" and "too respectful" (Section 3.3 paragraph six). In addition, the text is supposed to "authoritative" in its tone.
A Computer Should Respect Its User
I find that using the second-person singular to make the software more "authoritative" is not congruent with Filipino culture. It’s artificial. The computer should not be the one in control; it should be the user who is giving out the orders! The computer is just a tool and an inanimate object that should not need to command such power and respect. In fact, it sounds inane.
If a persona were to be assigned to the computer, it should be that of service personnel, someone who helps you, for example, at a shoe store. You go in asking for help in purchasing a pair of shoes. Since both of you are strangers, it would be appropriate to address each other using the second-person plural pronouns, in other words, "kayo-ninyo-inyo". And, the person helping you would not only address you likewise but with an additional "sir" or "ma'am" and the occasional "po". If that person were to refer to you in the second-person singular, it would be too familiar and uncomfortable. It may feel as though that they were condescending and not giving adequate consideration that you deserve. I wouldn't want my computer to be that friendly nor to command such reverence.
In fact, I think of my computer as a servant. I doesn't need, nor does it care about what respect it gets.
And, so the computer should not talk to its user in such a familiar manner. It should be respectful and polite, yet it should be guiding and helpful. But, if the user feels that the computer is condescending and disrespectful, then the user will feel discouraged and reluctant. The verbiage then becomes a hindrance and counterproductive towards the goal of making the computer more accessible to other cultures and languages. Tagalog has the mechanism and it is culturally appropriate to address the user in a respectful manner, even if it may seem a little too much.
If my mother who grew up in the Philippines were to use software that addressed her in the second-person singular, I wonder how she would react. I imagine she would say, "Apay kasassaonak a kastoy?! Ukinnamon! Bastos!" Translation: "Why is this talking to me in this way?! <Expletive>! How rude!"
I wouldn't want to hear that from my mother if she were to read computer text in Iloko. It is why in localizing software I firmly believe in using only polite and respectful speech to facilitate the use of the software and of the computer. It is always best to err on the side of being too formal than to be not formal enough.
* - Tagalog and Iloko verbs conjugate for aspect and/or tense, not for person.
** - The forms of "iyo" and "mo", "iyong" and "mong" respectively, are a combination of the pronoun and the ligature "-ng".
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