Hungarian Translation Notes

Hungarian (hu) Translation Notes

Core Terminology

Secret: titok - Appropriate for professional contexts

Password vs Passphrase:

• Password: jelszó - for account authentication
• Passphrase: hozzáférési mondat - for secret protection

Burn: végleges törlés (permanent deletion)

Key Points

• Agglutinative language with 18+ cases
• Vowel harmony essential for suffixes
• No grammatical gender (simplification)
• Diacritics essential: á, é, í, ó, ö, ő, ú, ü, ű
• Formal address (maga/ön forms) for professional tone
• Definite vs indefinite verb conjugation

Translation Guidelines

Consistency

• Use the same translation for a term throughout the application
• Maintain standardized terminology from the glossary
• Key distinctions to preserve:
  • jelszó for account passwords
  • hozzáférési mondat for secret protection
  • titok as the core concept

Context Awareness

• Consider how the term is used in the application
• Account for surrounding UI elements and user flow
• Ensure translations make sense in their specific context

Technical Accuracy

• Security-related terms must be translated accurately
• Prioritize precision over localization for technical terminology
• Use established Hungarian technical vocabulary

Voice and Tone

• Use formal address (maga/ön forms) for professional tone
• Maintain professional but approachable language
• Ensure consistency in formality level across all interfaces

Hungarian Language Specifics

Agglutinative Grammar

• Hungarian uses 18+ grammatical cases expressed through suffixes
• Cases are formed by adding suffixes to word stems
• Each suffix must follow vowel harmony rules

Vowel Harmony

• Essential for correct suffix attachment
• Front vowels (e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű) take front-vowel suffixes
• Back vowels (a, á, o, ó, u, ú) take back-vowel suffixes
• Examples:
  • házban (in the house - back vowel)
  • kertben (in the garden - front vowel)
  • NOT “házben” (incorrect)
• Never violate vowel harmony rules
• Incorrect vowel harmony sounds very unnatural to native speakers

Diacritics (Ékezetek)

• Essential and change meaning completely
• Must be used correctly: á, é, í, ó, ö, ő, ú, ü, ű
• Never omit or substitute
• Examples where diacritics change meaning:
  • kor (age) vs kór (disease)
  • tuz (imperative: endure) vs tűz (fire)
• Hungarian diacritics are not optional decorations
• They represent entirely different sounds

No Grammatical Gender

• Unlike many European languages, Hungarian has no grammatical gender
• This simplifies some aspects of translation
• No need to worry about masculine/feminine agreement
• Same adjective/verb form regardless of noun
• Focus on case suffixes and vowel harmony instead

Definite vs Indefinite Conjugation

• Verbs have two different conjugation patterns
• Definite conjugation used when object is definite
• Indefinite conjugation used when object is indefinite
• Examples:
  • látom a titkot (I see the secret - definite)
  • látok egy titkot (I see a secret - indefinite)
• Pay attention to whether objects are definite or indefinite
• Use correct verb conjugation pattern
• This affects how natural the translation sounds

Articles

• Definite articles: a (before consonants), az (before vowels)
• Indefinite article: egy
• Examples:
  • a titok (the secret)
  • az e-mail (the email)
  • egy hivatkozás (a link)

Common Translation Patterns

User Instructions

Use imperative forms or infinitives for instructions

Status Descriptions

Use passive voice or past participles appropriately

Help Text and Descriptions

Use declarative sentences with formal address (maga/ön)

Error Messages

Use clear, direct language with professional tone

Special Considerations

The Term “Secret”

• Fundamental to the application - translate consistently as titok
• Appropriate for professional contexts
• Emphasizes the confidential nature of the shared item

Password vs. Passphrase

Critical distinction:

• jelszó - for user account login credentials
• hozzáférési mondat - for protecting individual secrets

This distinction must be maintained throughout the application to avoid confusion.

The Term “Burn”

• Translated as végleges törlés (permanent deletion)
• More natural in digital Hungarian context than literal translation
• Clearly conveys permanent deletion concept

UI Element Conventions

• Follow platform conventions for Hungarian interfaces
• Use standard Hungarian terminology for common UI elements
• Maintain consistency with other Hungarian applications

Technical Security Terms

• Prioritize accuracy over casual localization
• Use established Hungarian technical vocabulary
• Examples:
  • titkosítás (encryption)
  • titkosított (encrypted)
  • ellenőrzés (verification)
  • hitelesítés (authentication)