1. Post-edition at Unbabel

2. Grammar

2.1. Sentence structure

2.2. Agreement

2.2.1. Nominal agreement

2.2.1.2 Determiners

2.3. Verbs

2.4. Personal pronouns

2.4.1 First-Person Pronouns

2.4.2. Second-Person Pronouns

2.4.3 Third-Person Pronouns

2.5. Possessives

2.5.1. Possessive Pronouns

2.5.2. Possessive Adjectives

2.6. Prepositions

3. Orthography

3.1. Capitalization

3.2. Compounds

3.3. Foreign words

3.4. Special symbols

4. Punctuation

4.1. How to use punctuation marks

4.1.1. Comma

4.1.2. Colon

4.1.3. Dashes and hyphens

4.1.3.1. Hyphen

4.1.3.2 En dash

4.1.5. Period

4.1.6. Quotation marks

4.1.7. Exclamation mark

4.2. Punctuation in greetings and closings

5. Register

5.1. Formal Register

5.1.2 Use of “please” in Malay language

5.2. Informal register

6. Localization challenges

6.1. Personal names

6.2. Organizations

6.3. Brands and products

6.4. Titles

6.5. Acronyms and abbreviations

6.6. Places

6.7. Address format

6.8. Numeric expressions

6.9. Time format

6.10. Week days

6.11. Date expressions

6.12. Phone numbers

6.13. Currency

6.14. Measures

7. Most frequent errors

7.1. Overly literal

8. Useful online resources

9. References

 

1. Post-edition at Unbabel

At Unbabel we have a unique approach to translation: each text submitted by a customer is translated by our Machine Translation system, and then corrected by our community of editors in an online platform. By editing the output of the software, the editors ensure the quality of the translations and confirm that the message is accurate (i.e., has the same meaning as the original), fluent (i.e., can be easily understood and sounds natural) and is in line with the style requested by the clients (i.e. respects their register and terminology). In order to help editors do the best job possible, we provide various types of information:

1. Customer instructions, which include the identification of the client and his requests to personalize the translation, such as the register that must be used to address the recipient of the message. Following these instructions is vital to deliver translations that match the client’s expectations.
2. Glossaries, which correspond to specific vocabulary and expressions used by the client, and that must be respected by the editors.
3. Translation Memories, which correspond to stored segments (expressions, sentences or paragraphs) that have previously been translated and accepted for customer usage. They are useful for ensuring consistency across translations.

We also have Smartcheck, which is an application that checks the grammar, morphology, orthography and style of the translations while being edited. By using a large set of rules, Smartcheck flags words or groups of words that may present some kind of issue.

Finally, in order to deliver the best possible translation, we also provide these guidelines about your language specifications. Please, read them carefully and always follow these instructions in your editions.

 

2. Grammar

The grammar has four parts: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and articles. Word structure or order includes words, phrases, sentences, and clauses.

Nouns and verbs come from other base words, and prefixes or suffixes are added to make them. For genders, Malay grammar has none. The same is used for male and female and then another word for natural gender. 

 

2.1. Sentence structure

The word order for the Malay sentence is Subject + Predicate. The predicate can include both verb and object or an adjective. In other words, it is almost similar to English, which uses the Subject + Verb + Object (SVO) structure; but with a few additions.

However when it comes to adjectives and possessives in apostrophe form, the structure is the reverse of English.

Adjective

Example
Source Text: She is wearing a red dress.
✘ Dia memakai merah baju.
✓ Dia memakai baju merah.

Note: the adjective comes before the noun

 

Possessives in the form of apostrophe

Example
Source text: That is Jim’s car
✘ Itu Jim punya kereta.
✘ Itu Jim punya kereta.
✓ Itu kereta Jim.

Note: The object comes before the owner

2.2. Agreement

In Malay, there are no plurals, grammatical gender, or verb conjugation for person, number or tense, all of which are expressed with adverbs or tense indicators.

In Malay, nouns are not masculine or feminine, they might be all considered "neutral".

Example
Source text: He is happy.
✘ Dia lelaki gembira. 
✓ Dia gembira.

 

Source text: She is happy.
✘ Dia perempuan gembira. 
✓ Dia gembira.

 

Malay plurals are grammatical numbers, typically referring to more than one object or person in the real world. In English, singular and plural are the only grammatical numbers. In Malay, to change a singular word to a plural form, the general rule is to duplicate the singular word and insert a hyphen in the middle, although this is not always the case.

Malay nouns are by default plural. It is preferable not to use the hyphenated form but to place a word that describes that the noun is plural, for example para (for humans), beberapa or sesetengah (for non humans).

The duplicate single word joined by a hyphen form is used only when it becomes absolutely necessary to differentiate between singular and plural form. Usually when the noun is preceded by “these” it is necessary to use the duplicate hyphen form but this also depends on context. 

Example
Source text: My book.
✘ Saya buku 
✓ Buku saya.

Source text: My books.
✘ Saya buku-buku. 
✓ Buku-buku saya.

Source text: The students are studying very hard
✘ Pelajar itu sedang belajar besungguh-sungguh
✓ Pelajar-pelajar itu sedang belajar bersungguh-sungguh
✓ Para pelajar itu sedang belajar bersungguh-sungguh (*preferable)

 

2.2.1. Nominal agreement

2.2.1.2 Determiners

Determiners  include definite and indefinite articles (like the, a or an), demonstratives (this and that), quantifiers (many, some, etc.)

 

Example
Source text: Take a chair from there.
✘ Ambil kerusi dari sana.
✓ Ambil sebuah kerusi dari sana.

Source text: Take that red pen from there.
✘ Ambil pen dari sana.
✓ Ambil pen merah itu dari sana.

Source text: Some students speak Korean.
✘ Pelajar-pelajar berbahasa Korea.
✓ Beberapa pelajar berbahasa Korea.
✓ Sesetengah pelajar berbahasa Korea.

 

2.3. Verbs

Like English, Bahasa Malaysia also has its own set of vast vocabulary for verbs; verbs refer to the words people use to describe an action, act, or activity. Verbs in Malay are called kata kerja.

A big portion of the Malay verbs are usually accompanied with affixes, mostly the suffixes ber- and me-.  This is because some of the listed verbs, when not accompanied by suffixes, can stand as nouns, depending on the contexts (such as the words jalan and telefon, which mean road and telephone, respectively).

 

Example
Source text: Please open the book.
✘ Buka buku itu. 
✓ Sila buka buku.

 

Source text: She is opening the door.
✘ Dia berbuka pintu.
✓ Dia sedang membuka pintu.

 

2.4. Personal pronouns

2.4.1 First-Person Pronouns

Similar to English, Malay has first-person pronouns, second-person pronouns, and third-person pronouns.

These are the first category of personal pronouns in Malay, known as kata ganti diri pertama:

1. Saya = I
2. Aku = I (informal)
3. Kami = We/Us
4. Kita = We/Us

Saya is the most widely used pronoun in Malaysia, aside from aku. Both singular pronouns mean “I” in English. However, they differ when it comes to usage; saya is mostly used in a formal context while aku is commonly used in an informal setting.

 

2.4.2. Second-Person Pronouns

These are the second category of personal pronouns in Malay, known as kata ganti diri kedua:

1. Kamu = You - singular or plural (informal)
2. Awak = You - singular (informal)
3. Anda = You - singular (formal)
4. Kau = You (informal)
5. Kalian = You (plural, usually informal)

2.4.3 Third-Person Pronouns

These are the third category of personal pronouns in Malay, known as kata ganti diri ketiga:

1. Dia = He/She
2. Beliau = He/She
3. Mereka = They
4. Ia = it (used for living things only)
5. Nya (suffix) (to be used for living things, including humans)
   Note: Non living thing must not be referred to as "ia'" or "nya".

Example
Source text: It is included with 5 free gifts ('It" referring to a plan)
✘ Ia disertakan dengan 5 hadiah percuma
✓ Pelan ini disertakan dengan 5 hadiah percuma

Source text: For further information, refer to its terms and conditions
✘ Untuk maklumat lanjut, rujuk terma dan syaratnya
✓ Untuk maklumat lanjut, rujuk terma dan syarat pelan ini

The pronoun dia is used to refer to someone; a person who’s the subject of your discussion.  It is referring to a person indirectly  with no indication of gender. So, dia can either be a female or a male, depending on the context.

However, if you want to referer to a person whom you look up to, respect, and admire, you reference them using beliau rather than dia. In Malay, beliau is used whenever you want to refer to a highly regarded, reputable subject; a prominent name with some sort of significant contribution who possesses higher authority than you and this pronoun is much used in the formal context.

 

Example
Source text: You need to change the code. 
✘ Saya perlu tukar kod.
✓ Anda perlu menukar kod.

Source text: She is a famous writer in Malaysia.
✘ Dia perempuan penulis terkenal di Malaysia.
✓ Beliau ialah seorang penulis terkenal di Malaysia.
✓ Beliau penulis terkenal di Malaysia.

 

2.5. Possessives

2.5.1. Possessive Pronouns

It means a pronoun indicating possession in its independent form. For example: mine, yours, hers, theirs.

In Malay, it is known as kata ganti kepunyaan.

1. Mine - Saya punya / Aku punya
2. Yours - Awak punya / Anda punya
3. His / Hers - Dia punya / Beliau punya 
4. Ours - Kita punya / Kami punya
5. Theirs - Mereka punya

Example
Source text: Turn on your computer.
✘ Hidupkan awak komputer.
✓ Hidupkan komputer anda.

Source text: His car is faster than mine.
✘ Dia punya kereta lebih laju dari saya punya.  
✓ Kereta dia lebih laju daripada kereta saya.

 

2.5.2. Possessive Adjectives

Here it means a pronoun indicating possession in its dependent form. For example: my, your, her, their.

In Malay, it is known as kata sifat kepunyaan.

 

Example
Source text: My name is Ali.
✘ Saya nama ialah Ali.
✓ Nama saya ialah Ali.

 

Source text: They thanked their parents.
✘ Mereka terima kasih mereka punya ibu bapa.
✓ Mereka mengucapkan terima kasih kepada ibu bapa mereka.

 

Source text: Our cat is licking its paws.
✘ Kita punya kucing jilat kaki dia punya.
✓ Kucing kami sedang menjilat kakinya.

 

2.6. Prepositions

Malay has a simple sentence structure, but sentences cannot be constructed without a preposition connecting pronouns, nouns, phrases, and so on. They are a key part of the Malay language. In Malay, prepositions are called Kata sendi nama. They come before nouns or noun phrases and also before pronouns.

Here are several examples of the prepositions.

1. Di – at
2. Ke – to
3. Dari – from
4. Kepada – into/to
5. Daripada – from/than
6. Untuk – to/for
7. Pada – to/with/in
8. Demi – for/by
9. Bagi – for
10. Dengan – with/by
11. Tentang – about
12. Terhadap – towards
13. Sejak – since
14. Dalam – in/inside
15. Bawah – under/below
16. Di luar – outside
17. Di depan – in front
18. Di antara – in between
19. Di dalam – inside
20. Ke dalam – into
21. Di belakang – behind
22. Di atas – on top
23. Di bawah – below

 

Example
Source text: He is running at home.
✘ Dia lari pada rumah.
✓ Dia sedang berlari di rumah.

 

Source text: I have been waiting since noon.
✘ Saya tunggu pada tengah hari.
✓ Saya telah menunggu sejak tengah hari.

 

3. Orthography

3.1. Capitalization

Capitalization follows the capitalization of the English source, such as capitalizing only the first letter in a sentence and proper nouns. However, there are certain occasions where the first letter in each word is capitalized (title case) for titles.

There are also specific rules for Malay which govern religious matters, considered as compulsory capitalization even if the English source is not capitalized:

• Sentence Capitalization
• Proper Names
• Words Related to Religious Matters (e.g. Allah, Yang Maha Kuasa, Quran)
• Names of Days, Months, Years, Holy Days and Historical Days (e.g. hari Ahad, bulan Januari, Hari Raya and Hari Kemerdekaan)
• Geographical Names (i.e. Kuala Lumpur, Singapura, Jepun, Asia Pasifik and Asia Tenggara)

 

Example
Source text: Abu Bakar lives in Petaling Jaya.
✘ Abu bakar tinggal di petaling jaya.
✓ Abu Bakar tinggal di Petaling Jaya.

Source text: She is the Managing Director of that company.
✘ Dia ialah pengarah urusan syarikat itu. 
✘ Dia ialah Pengarah Urusan syarikat itu.
✓ Dia Pengarah Urusan syarikat itu.

 

Note:
"ialah" above is redundant
"ialah' and "adalah" are used to clarify.
In simple phrases such as the following ialah is omitted:

 

Example
Source: My name is Ali.
✘ Nama saya ialah Ali.
✓ Nama saya Ali

Source: I am a teacher.
✘ Saya ialah seorang guru.
✓ Saya guru

 

Example for use of ialah, i.e. to clarify

Monetary operations are discretionary market operations
✓ Operasi monetari ialah operasi pasaran mengikut keperluan

(note "ialah" here)

 

3.2. Compounds

A compound noun is defined as a form of words that exists when two or more words are combined into a single syntax and it gives a specific meaning. Compound nouns act as one unit and are spelled separately.

Compounds should be understandable and clear to the user. Avoid overly long or complex compounds. Keep in mind that unintuitive compounds can cause intelligibility and usability issues.

In Malay, compound words are written as two separate words, with a few exceptions.

 

Example
Source text: The company’s headquarter is located in Kuala Lumpur.
✘ Ibupejabat syarikat terletak di Kuala Lumpur.
✓ Ibu pejabat syarikat terletak di Kuala Lumpur.

The following are the established compound nouns that defy this rule:

antarabangsa,

bumiputera, 

jawatankuasa, 

kakitangan, 

kerjasama, 

warganegara, 

olahraga, 

pesuruhjaya, 

setiausaha, 

sukarela, 

suruhanjaya, 

tandatangan, 

tanggungjawab,

matahari

 

3.3. Foreign words

Normally, all foreign words will be translated or absorbed in Malay as loanwords.

Loanwords in the Malay language can be divided into three main groups:

1. Borrow permanently (E.g. bank, forum, etc.)
2. Loan translation (E.g. fried rice - nasi goreng, technical aspects - aspek teknikal, etc.)
3. Transliteration (E.g innovation - inovasi, collaboration - kolaborasi, etc.)

However, use of foreign words is allowed if there is no equivalent valid translation in Malay and italics should be used for the foreign word.

 

3.4. Special symbols

Symbols (@, #, &, %, /, |, { }, etc.) usually follows the English source format. These symbols are written without a whitespace preceding them.

 

Example
Source text: 30% of the students are females.
✘ 30 % daripada para pelajar adalah perempuan.
✓ 30% daripada para pelajar adalah perempuan.
✓ 30% pelajar adalah perempuan.

Source text: Their song is #1 in the chart.
✘ Lagu mereka # 1 dalam carta.
✓ Lagu mereka #1 dalam carta.
✓ Lagu mereka nombor 1 dalam carta.

 

4. Punctuation

4.1. How to use punctuation marks

The general punctuation rules in Malay are identical to English. Punctuation spacing in Malay is also as in English, i.e. punctuation marks are always followed by one space.

 

4.1.1. Comma

In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. Before the last term, "dan" is used in replace of the comma.

Example
Source text: Red, blue, and white.
✘ Merah, biru, dan putih.
✓ Merah, biru dan putih.

 

4.1.2. Colon

A colon tells the reader that what follows is closely related to the preceding clause. The colon has more effect than the comma, with less power to separate than the semi colon, and more formality than the dash.

It usually follows an independent clause and should not separate a verb from its complement or a preposition from its object.

 

Example
Source text: Your computer requires the following items: keyboard and monitor.
✘ Komputer anda memerlukan item-item berikut : papan kekunci dan monitor.
✓ Komputer anda memerlukan item-item berikut: papan kekunci dan monitor.

 

4.1.3. Dashes and hyphens

General use of dashes and hyphens in Malay is identical to English. Besides that, in Malay, the hyphen is used to form a plural word (full reduplication- ‘kata ganda’) for example a child is ‘budak’ and children are ‘budak-budak’.

4.1.3.1. Hyphen

The hyphen is used to divide words between syllables, to link parts of a compound word, and to connect the parts of an inverted or imperative verb form.

In Malay,  a hyphen is used where a word is reduplicated to indicate plurals, connect the syllables which are separated by a line break, clarify the phrase, linking capital letters with lowercase letters, linking word and number or linking between words in a particular phrase or term.

 

Examples

 

4.1.3.2 En dash

The en dash is used as a minus sign, usually with spaces before and after. 

En dash is used to indicate the period, for example when you replace the word "to" in the date range.

The en dash is also used in number ranges, such as those specifying page numbers. 

 

Examples

 

4.1.5. Period

A period is used to denote the end of a sentence.

 

4.1.6. Quotation marks

In Malay, the commonly used quotation marks are single quote (‘) and double quote (“).In a sentence, double quote is used first before single quote.

 

4.1.7. Exclamation mark

An exclamation mark is used to express excitement, surprise, astonishment, or any other strong emotion. There is no period used after the exclamation mark.

 

Example
Source text: My head is so painful!
✘ Kepalaku amat sakit!.
✓ Kepalaku amat sakit!

 

4.2. Punctuation in greetings and closings 

Malay language has the same rules as English for greetings and closings. Whether formal or informal, the initial letter of every significant word in the greeting is capitalized; only the first word of the closure is capitalized. They are both followed by a comma.

 

Example
Source text: Dear Sir/Madam,
✘ Wahai Tuan/Puan,
✓ Ke hadapan Tuan/Puan,

Source text: Yours Sincerely,
✘ Yang Benar
✓ Yang benar,

 

5. Register

Register refers to the level of formality used in the text. It shows how our clients address their customers and contributes to the voice of the brand itself. Register may vary depending on the company, the brand, the service they offer, the customers, and the target language.

Register is divided into formal and informal, as shown below.

 

5.1. Formal Register 

The formal register is used in public speeches, formal writing, and in educational settings. It is characterized by a significant number of borrowings from Sanskrit, Arabic and other foreign languages. It is referred to as Standard Malay.

 

Other than that, titles should also be translated to an equivalent in Malay language.

 

Examples

 

5.1.2 Use of “please” in Malay 

The most common Malay words that are used for “please’’ are sila and tolong.  These words are normally used in  formal writing or speeches.

 

Examples:

 

5.2. Informal register

The informal register is used in everyday conversations. It is characterized by a significant number of loan words from local languages. It is referred to as colloquial, or informal Malay.

 

 

6. Localization challenges

Most of these challenges refer to unique entities, such as people, places, organizations, brands, or the specific format of dates, addresses and so on. Languages may adopt different rules regarding whether those units should be translated, reformatted or kept as in the original language. When editing a text, you should follow the rules below for the different types of units listed below. However, please note that if there is a glossary provided by the client that includes some of them, you should always apply the glossary items.

 

6.1. Personal names

Names should be left untranslated.

The full name format is the first name, patronym (bin, binte, binti), and then their father’s first name.  The “bin” and 'binti” titles (which mean “son of” or “daughter of”) are prefixes to patronyms among Malaysian Malays who are also constitutionally Muslim and who do not usually have surnames or family names.

In the case of non-Muslim names, where son of or daughter forms part of the name, for example:

Kalarani d/o Muthu

Subramaniam s/o Maniam

whereby d/o=daughter of and s/o=son of

This should be translated as 

Kalarani a/p Muthu

Subramaniam a/l Maniam

a/p= anak perempuan and a/l= anak lelaki

 

6.2. Organizations

Organizations’ names should always keep the format of the source text and be left untranslated. They should only be translated when there is an equivalent term in Malay.

Example
Source text:  World Health Organisation
✘ World Health Organization
✓ Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia

*The first time an organisation is mentioned in a document, the English version of the organization's name is placed in brackets along with its initials, as below, and these should be in italics.

Example
Source text:  World Health Organisation
✘ World Health Organization
✓ Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (World Health Organisation, WHO)

 

6.3. Brands and products

Brands and products’  names should always keep the format of the source text and left untranslated. Use title case in brands and product names. That means the first letter of each word making up the brand or product name should be capitalized.

Example
Source text: Mr. Siva bought a Samsung washing machine.
✘ En. Siva membeli mesin basuh samsung.
✓ En. Siva membeli mesin basuh Samsung.

 

6.4. Titles

Titles should keep the format of the source text and be left untranslated. Use upper case in titles, therefore the first letter of each word making up the title, brand or product name should be capitalized.

Example
Source text: They went to watch The Batman.
✘ Mereka pergi menonton filem lelaki kelawar.
✓ Mereka pergi menonton filem The Batman.

 

6.5. Acronyms and abbreviations

Acronyms and abbreviations should keep the format of the source text. They should only be translated when there is an equivalent term in Malay.

 

Examples of the most common abbreviations for Malay are:

 

Example
Source text: UN (United Nations)
✘ UN (United Nations)
✓ PBB (Pertubuhan Bangsa-bangsa Bersatu)

Source text: USA
✘ USA
✓ AS

 

6.6. Places

If a foreign place name has a conventionalized equivalent name in Malay, the Malay version should be chosen.

Example
Source text: The company operates in Morocco.
✘ Syarikat tersebut beroperasi di Moroko.
✓ Syarikat tersebut beroperasi di Maghribi.

6.7. Address format

When translating international addresses into Malay, as a rule, keep them in the original language. Country names can only be translated if there is an equivalent name in Malay.

 

Examples

 

The address format is as follows: name, street number, street name, region, postal code, town/city, and state.

 

6.8. Numeric expressions

Regarding format for numerals (written in numbers or words), please always respect the source text: if it is written as digits in the source text, this should be maintained in the translation. Similarly, if it is written as words, it should be translated to the target language.

The decimal separator is a period. For numbers smaller than 1, you must always put 0 before the decimal period. The thousands separator is a comma (1,200).

 

Example
Source text:  About 1000 people have attended the birthday party.
✘ Kira-kira 1000 orang telah menghadiri majlis hari jadi tersebut .
✓ Kira-kira 1,000 orang telah menghadiri majlis hari jadi tersebut.

 

6.9. Time format

The time format used in Malay is the am/pm format.

 

Example
Source text:  She usually comes home at 4 p.m.
✘ Dia biasanya pulang pada pukul 4.
✓ Dia biasanya pulang pada pukul 4 petang.

 

6.10. Week days

Weekdays are capitalized.

 

Examples

6.11. Date expressions

The date format used in Malay is day-month-year. Dates may show variation in the following aspects: 

• Leading zeros in days: both 09-11-21 and 9-11-21 are fine
• Separators: hyphens, slashes and dots are all fine (09-11-21, 09/11/21 and 09.11.21 are all correct)
• 4-digit or 2-digit year: both 09-10-2021 and 09-10-21 are fine

Example
Source text: It was published on 04/22/1997. (assume that ‘it’ refers to a journal)
✘ Ia telah diterbitkan pada 04/22/1997.
✓ Jurnal ini telah diterbitkan pada 22/04/1997.
✓ Jurnal ini telah diterbitkan pada 22 April 1997.

*Note: “la” must not be used for non-living things.

 

Month names are as follows

 

6.12. Phone numbers

There is no hard and fast rule for phone number formats. For ease of reading, the country code, dialing code, and area code, if present, should be separated from the rest of the number.

For separating the digits in the phone number, you should use whitespaces as a rule of thumb. Dots or dashes can be used but are not appropriate in all countries, so stick to whitespaces unless a customer has specifically requested it in the client instructions.

Example
Source text:  Please call +603 93964122
✘ Sila panggil +60393964122.
✓ Sila hubungi +603 9396 4122.

 

6.13. Currency

The currency in Malaysia is Ringgit (RM). Malaysians use commas as the thousand separators.

You should keep the currency initials (USD, GBP, EUR, IDR, etc.) or currency symbols ($, €, £, etc.), as they are a convention accepted worldwide. The currency initials and symbols usually occur before the amount and there is no space in between the symbols and amount.

 

Example
Source text:  They have invested US$ 5.3 million
✘ Mereka telah melabur sebanyak US$5.3 juta.
✓ Mereka telah melabur sebanyak USD5.3 juta.

Source text:  The house was sold at  £700,000.00.
✘ Rumah itu telah dijual pada harga £700 000.
✓  Rumah itu telah dijual pada harga £700, 000.00.

 

6.14. Measures

Measurements should always keep the format of the source text and should never be converted. It should only be translated when there is an equivalent term in Malay.

The use of space after the value is optional but should follow the source wherever possible.

Malaysians use the metric system of measurement: kilogram, meter, and so on.

Example
Source text: It is 770 kms long.
✘ Panjangnya 770kms.
✓ Panjangnya 770 km.

*Note that if “it” is a non-living thing, the suffix “nya” must not be used for anything other than humans and animals.

Example
Source text: It is 770 kms long. (Assume that “it” is a highway)
✘ Panjangnya 770kms.
✘ Panjangnya 770 km.
✓ Panjang lebuh raya itu ialah 770 km.

 

7. Most frequent errors

There are some common problems in Malay translations, and the most frequent errors are listed below for reference. Translators need to be careful in handling these cases to avoid making mistakes editing.

7.1. Overly literal

Usually “overly literal” translation is caused by word-for-word translation. If texts are translated directly without an overall understanding of the paragraph, the contents may sound unnatural. Strict word-to-word translation can also make the tone stiff and unnatural.

 

Example
Source text:  I am sorry it has taken so long for someone to get back to you.
✘ Saya minta maaf ia telah ambil amat panjang untuk seseorang datang kembali kepada anda.  
✓  Minta maaf kerana mengambil masa yang lama untuk menghubungi anda.

 

In addition, please pay particular attention when an idiom is used in the English source. In such cases,, word-for-word translationshould be avoided. 

 

Example
Source text:  He is the apple of my eye.
✘ Dia ialah buah epal mata saya.  
✓ Dia kesayangan saya.

8. Useful online resources

Malay dictionaries
Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu

English dictionaries
Oxford English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary
Cambridge English Dictionary

English thesauruses
Thesaurus.com
Oxford English Thesaurus
Collins English Thesaurus

English verb conjugator
Reverso

English grammar guide
English Grammar Online

 

9. References

1. Kamus Dewan Edisi Keempat, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka 2005
2. Tatabahasa Dewan Edisi Ketiga, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka 2011