language-standards

name	language-standards
description	Language and tone standards for all written content across 3 languages — English (British, East African), French (Francophone African), and Kiswahili (East African standard). Enforces authentic, culturally appropriate, professional communication in each language. Apply throughout all content generation steps.

Language Standards — Multi-Language Tone & Grammar

All website copy, headings, calls to action, descriptions, and microcopy must follow this style guide for their respective language. This is a cross-cutting standard applied throughout every content-writing step.

Core Principles (All Languages)

1. Clear and direct. Sentences are straightforward, grammatically careful, logically structured.
2. Formal and respectful. Politeness is essential. Communication shows courtesy and humility.
3. No excessive marketing language. Avoid drama, exaggeration, slang.
4. Professionally indirect. Soften directives with courteous phrasing.
5. Measured confidence. Confident without arrogance.
6. Culturally authentic. Respect regional norms, preferences, sensitivities.

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ENGLISH (en) — British English, East African Professional Standard

Core Characteristics

1. British English spelling throughout.
2. East African tone — formal, respectful, professionally courteous (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania blend).
3. Measured and confident without arrogance or dramatic language.
4. Logical sentence structure — no fragments or telegram-style copy.

British English Spelling

Always use British spelling:

Correct (British)	Incorrect (American)
organisation	organization
programme	program
centre	center
colour	color
travelling	traveling
specialise	specialize
honour	honor
favourite	favorite
analyse	analyze
defence	defense
licence (noun)	license (noun)
catalogue	catalog
enquiry	inquiry

Dates and Numbers

• Date format: 17 February 2026 (or 17th February 2026)
• Never: February 17, 2026 (American format)
• Numbers: Use commas for thousands: 1,000; 100,000
• Currency: £ for GBP, $ for USD, €, or regional (specify in design-tokens.md)

Tone by East African Country Context

Adjust tone slightly based on client location:

Uganda — Warm and Relational

• Very polite and appreciative
• Frequent use of "kindly"
• Emphasis on harmony and goodwill
• Example: "We highly appreciate your support in this matter. Kindly be informed that the funds have been received."

Kenya — Confident and Business-Oriented

• Efficient and practical
• Clear timelines and expectations
• Professional firmness
• Example: "Please share the signed agreement by Friday, 21 February 2026. The project remains on schedule."

Tanzania — Calm and Measured

• Formal and conservative
• Respectful and patient rhythm
• Influenced by Kiswahili sentence patterns
• Example: "We kindly request your guidance on the next steps. The matter is under review, and we shall revert shortly."

Neutral East African (Default)

Use when no specific country is indicated. Balanced blend of all three.

Courteous Phrases (English)

Natural and expected in East African business English:

• Kindly find attached…
• We kindly request…
• Please be advised that…
• We would like to inform you…
• Thank you for your continued support.
• We look forward to your response.
• We appreciate your partnership.
• Should you require any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us.
• Yours faithfully, / Yours sincerely,

Vocabulary Standards (English)

Preferred Professional Words

• facilitate, implement, undertake, liaise, coordinate
• engage, support, enhance, review, confirm
• advise, revert (widely accepted in East Africa, meaning "respond")
• significant, important, strategic, beneficial, valuable

Words to Avoid

Never use exaggerated marketing language:

Avoid	Use Instead
groundbreaking	significant
revolutionary	innovative
game-changing	strategic
amazing	commendable
awesome	excellent
incredible	remarkable
unleash	enable
skyrocket	improve significantly
supercharge	strengthen

Also avoid: American slang (FYI, ASAP, BTW), dramatic emotional tone, excessive exclamation marks.

Instead of abbreviations, write in full: "Please respond as soon as possible."

English CTAs and Button Text

Apply respectful tone to buttons and UI text:

Generic/Aggressive	East African Style
Buy Now	Place Your Order
Sign Up	Register Today
Get Started	Begin Your Journey
Learn More	Find Out More
Contact Us	Get in Touch
Download	Download the Brochure

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FRENCH (fr) — Francophone African Professional Standard

Core Characteristics

1. Formal francophone African French — not Québécois, not Belgian variants.
2. Respectful and courteous — professionalism with warmth.
3. Standard French grammar and conventions.
4. Vous (formal) throughout all professional communication — never "tu".
5. Culturally appropriate for Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, DRC, Gabon.

French Spelling and Grammar

Use standard French orthography:

• Accent marks required: é, è, ê, ë, à, ù, ç, œ, æ
• Double-check diacritical marks (many African translators omit them)
• UTF-8 encoding mandatory

Verb Conjugation

• Use vous for all formal communication (not tu)
• Example: "Veuillez remplir le formulaire" (not "Remplis le formulaire")
• Imperative form: "Veuillez" + infinitive for politeness

Gender Agreement

All adjectives and past participles must agree with gender:

• "La page est complétée" (feminine)
• "Le service est complété" (masculine)
• "Les pages sont complétées" (feminine plural)

French Dates and Numbers

• Date format: 17 février 2026 (or 17 février 2026)
• Month names: Lowercase (février, not Février)
• Numbers: Use space or period for thousands: 1 000 or 1.000 (not 1,000)
• Decimal separator: Comma (not period): 3,14 (not 3.14)
• Currency: Franc CFA (FCFA), Euro (€), or specified in design-tokens.md

Formal Registers and Politeness

Standard Openings

• Madame, Monsieur,
• Chère Madame, Cher Monsieur,
• Greetings,

Standard Closings

• Cordialement, (warm, professional)
• Respectueusement, (respectful)
• Avec mes meilleures salutations,
• Veuillez agréer l'expression de nos salutations distinguées.

Courtesy Phrases (French)

• Nous vous prions de…
• Veuillez… (imperative form with "vous")
• Merci de votre attention.
• Nous apprécions votre partenariat.
• N'hésitez pas à nous contacter.
• Nous vous remercions de votre soutien continu.
• Nous attendons avec intérêt votre réponse.
• Si vous avez besoin de précisions supplémentaires, veuillez nous contacter.

French Vocabulary Standards

Preferred Professional Terms

• Faciliter, mettre en œuvre, entreprendre, coordonner
• Engager, soutenir, améliorer, examiner, confirmer
• Conseiller, informer, communiquer
• Significatif, important, stratégique, bénéfique, précieux

Words to Avoid (Marketing Hype)

Avoid	Use Instead
révolutionnaire	innovant
"game-changing"	stratégique
incroyable	remarquable
génial	excellent
dingue	étonnant
Libérez le pouvoir	Activez la capacité

Francophone African Terminology

Use terms understood across francophone Africa (not Canada-specific, not France-specific):

• Budget (not "subvention")
• Entreprise (company, not "compagnie")
• Personnel (staff, not "employés" alone)
• Client (customer/client, standard everywhere)
• Formation (training, widely used)

French CTAs and Button Text

English	French (Formal)
Sign Up	S'inscrire
Register	Créer un compte
Contact Us	Nous contacter
Learn More	En savoir plus
Submit	Soumettre
Download	Télécharger
Place Your Order	Passer votre commande
Get Started	Commencer maintenant

French-Specific Considerations

In-Country Reviewer Required

All French content must be reviewed by a native francophone speaker from the target market (Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, DRC, Gabon). Send for review before publishing.

Text Expansion

French is typically 20–40% longer than English. Design for 1.3x expansion:

• Buttons must accommodate longer labels
• Navigation items must wrap gracefully
• Form labels must not overlap fields

Regional Variations

Avoid country-specific terms unless relevant:

• Use neutral francophone African vocabulary
• Avoid France-centric references
• Avoid Canadian (Québécois) terminology

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KISWAHILI (sw) — East African Standard

Core Characteristics

1. Standard East African Kiswahili — not regional dialects (Mombasa, Zanzibar variants).
2. Formal/respectful register throughout professional communication.
3. Humble and relationship-focused — Swahili culture emphasizes harmony.
4. UTF-8 encoding for proper character rendering.
5. Simple sentence structure — Kiswahili clarity values straightforward expression.

Kiswahili Grammar and Structure

Standard Kiswahili Conventions

• Subject prefixes: Proper noun classes (m-/ba, ki-/vi, n-, li-)
• Verb conjugation: Tense markers (-li-, -na-, -ta-, -ki-, -a)
• Adjective agreement: Must agree with noun class
• No gender distinction in pronouns (yeye = he/she)

Formal Register (Habari Rasmi)

Use formal register in all professional communication:

• Avoid slang (sheng, Nairobi street language)
• Use full words (hakuna = do not have, not "hakuna matata")
• Respectful pronouns and address forms

Tense Selection

• Present habitual: -na- (Anataka = He/she wants)
• Near future: -ta- (Atakuja = He/she will come)
• Past completed: -li- (Alifika = He/she arrived)
• Conditional: -ki-, -ngali (Akija = if he/she comes)

Kiswahili Dates and Numbers

• Date format: Februari 17, 2026 (or 17 Februari 2026)
• Month names: English borrowed (Januari, Februari) — no Kiswahili equivalents universally understood
• Day of week: Jumapili (Sunday), Jumatatu (Monday), Jumanne (Tuesday), etc.
• Numbers: Use spaces for thousands: 1 000 (not 1,000)
• Currency: Shilingi (Sh, KES for Kenya), or specified in design-tokens.md

Kiswahili Courtesy and Formality

Standard Openings (Business)

• Habari yako? (How are you? — formal)
• Tunataka kuwashukuru… (We want to thank you…)
• Tunakuomba… (We kindly request…)

Respectful Phrases (Kiswahili)

• Tafadhali (please — polite request)
• Asante sana (thank you very much)
• Karibu sana (welcome, you're welcome)
• Pole pole (take it easy, go slowly — suggests respect/patience)
• Haba na haba hujaza kibaba (little by little fills the measure — patience/humility)
• Tunataka kuwajua (We want to know / We would like to learn)
• Tutakurejea (We will respond to you)
• Tukikubali (If we may, with your permission)

Closings

• Kwa heshima (with respect)
• Wakati mwingine (another time / we hope to hear from you)
• Tunatumaini kuongea nayo upya (We hope to speak with you again)

Kiswahili Vocabulary Standards

Preferred Professional Terms

• Kusimamia (to manage, oversee)
• Kutekeleza (to implement, execute)
• Kushiriki (to participate, engage)
• Kusaada (to help, support)
• Kuboresha (to improve, enhance)
• Kupatiana (to agree, coordinate)
• Kuhakiki (to verify, confirm)
• Kuarifu (to inform, notify)
• Kujifunza (to learn)
• Muhimu (important, significant)
• Faida (benefit, advantage)
• Lengo (goal, objective)

Words to Avoid (Too Colloquial)

• Slang/sheng — use formal Kiswahili
• Hyperbolic marketing words
• English insertions without Kiswahili alternative available

Kiswahili CTAs and Button Text

English	Kiswahili (Formal)
Sign Up	Jisajili
Register	Andika Jina
Contact Us	Wasiliana Nasi
Learn More	Jua Zaidi
Submit	Tuma
Download	Pakua
Place Your Order	Agiza Bidhaa
Get Started	Anza Sasa

Kiswahili-Specific Considerations

In-Country Reviewer Required

All Kiswahili content must be reviewed by a native Kiswahili speaker from East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda). Regional variants exist; ensure reviewer is from target market.

Text Expansion

Kiswahili is typically 10–30% longer than English. Design for 1.2x expansion:

• Buttons must flex for longer labels
• Navigation items must wrap gracefully
• Form labels must have clear spacing

No Dialects

• Use standard East African Kiswahili
• Avoid Mombasa Swahili (maChinwali features)
• Avoid Zanzibari Swahili (historical variants)
• Avoid regional slang or sheng (Nairobi street language)

Relationships and Harmony

Kiswahili communication culture emphasizes relationships:

• Lead with greetings and acknowledgment
• Use plural forms to show respect (sisi = we, kuambia mtu = speak to a person)
• Avoid direct criticism or bluntness
• Always acknowledge the relationship before asking for action

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When This Skill Applies

This skill is cross-cutting — it applies throughout all content generation:

• All visible website text: headings, body copy, service descriptions, about pages, CTAs
• Meta descriptions and SEO text
• Alt text for images: clear, descriptive, respectful, in target language
• Error messages and form labels: polite, never terse
• Email templates and contact responses
• Microcopy: tooltips, helper text, notifications

Integration with Other Skills

• i18n: Determines which language versions are built
• page-builder: Applies language standards when creating content
• seo: Uses language standards for meta tags, titles, descriptions
• sector-strategies: Industry-specific tone within language standards
• design-system: Visualizes language standards in typography and layout

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Enforcement Checkpoints

Before publishing any page, verify:

• English pages: British spelling, East African tone, no marketing hype
• French pages: Formal French, vous throughout, francophone African vocabulary, reviewed by francophone
• Kiswahili pages: Standard Kiswahili, formal register, no slang, reviewed by East African native speaker
• All pages: No truncation or text overflow in any language
• All pages: Grammatically correct, properly punctuated, culturally appropriate
• All pages: CTAs use respectful, inviting language (not aggressive)

Language-Specific Reviewers

Before publishing in any language, assign review:

• English: East African professional (optional native review; standards in this guide)
• French: Native francophone speaker from Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Senegal, DRC, or Gabon
• Kiswahili: Native Kiswahili speaker from Kenya, Tanzania, or Uganda

All translations reviewed by in-country professionals before publishing.