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English Style Guide helps users of English in Finnish government texts

Government Communications Department
Publication date 19.4.2017 14.16 | Published in English on 30.1.2018 at 10.55
News item 20/2017

The English Style Guide: A Handbook for Translators, Revisors and Authors of Government Texts provides recommendations on the use of English in Finnish government texts. It has been drawn up for translators and revisors of such texts and for public officials drafting documents in English.

The guide is based on the European Commission’s English Style Guide, published by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation, but the focus is on recommendations and guidelines applicable in the Finnish context.

It is important to ensure consistency among documents. The guide introduces, with practical examples, the main rules and conventions that should be followed when using English in administrative documents within the government sector in Finland.

Plain language, readability and clarity are recommended whenever possible.

The guide was drawn up for writers whose mother tongue is not English and for writers with native or near native English who require guidance on the practices to be followed.

Any questions and comments on the Guide are welcome and can be sent to englanti(a)vnk.fi.

English Style Guide