Türkçe çeviri rehberi

Translation Guidance for Turkish (Türkçe)

This document combines the glossary of standardized terms and language-specific translation notes for Turkish translations of Onetime Secret. It serves as a comprehensive reference for translators working on the Turkish locale to ensure consistency, accuracy, and natural phrasing.

Overview

The Turkish translation aims to:

• Maintain consistency across all application interfaces
• Use clear, natural phrasing for Turkish-speaking audiences
• Follow technical accuracy for security-related terminology
• Apply appropriate voice and tone for different contexts
• Use formal “siz” form to maintain professional tone

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Core Terminology

Basic Terms

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context	Notes
secret (noun)	gizli mesaj	Central application concept	Use “gizli mesaj” instead of “sır” to avoid personal/intimate connotations
secret (adj)	gizli	Descriptive use
passphrase	güvenlik ifadesi	Authentication method for secrets	Distinct term for secret protection
password	parola / şifre	Account login credential	Standard term for account passwords only
burn	yakmak	Action to delete a secret before viewing	Strong metaphor for permanent deletion
view/reveal	görüntüle/göster	Action to access a secret	Display/show content
link	bağlantı	URL providing access to a secret
encrypt/encrypted	şifrele/şifrelenmiş	Security method
secure	güvenli	Protection state

User Interface Elements

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context	Notes
Share a secret	Gizli mesaj paylaş	Primary action
Create Account	Hesap oluştur	Registration
Sign In	Giriş yap	Authentication
Dashboard	Kontrol paneli	User’s main page
Settings	Ayarlar	Configuration page
Privacy Options	Gizlilik seçenekleri	Secret configuration
Feedback	Geri bildirim	User feedback

Status Terms

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context	Notes
received	alındı	Secret has been viewed	Past tense passive
burned	yakıldı	Secret was deleted before viewing	Past tense passive
expired	süresi doldu	Secret no longer available due to time	Past tense passive
created	oluşturuldu	Secret has been generated	Past tense passive
active	aktif	Secret is available
inactive	pasif	Secret is not available
expiring soon	yakında sona erecek	Approaching expiration
orphaned	sahipsiz	Without an owner
securing	güvenli hale getiriliyor	Being made secure	Present continuous passive

Time-Related Terms

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context
expires in	… içinde sona erer	Time until secret becomes unavailable
day/days	gün	Time unit
hour/hours	saat	Time unit
minute/minutes	dakika	Time unit
second/seconds	saniye	Time unit

Security Features

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context
one-time access	tek kullanımlık erişim	Core security feature
passphrase protection	güvenlik ifadesi koruması	Additional security
encrypted in transit	aktarım sırasında şifrelenmiş	Data protection method
encrypted at rest	beklemede şifrelenmiş	Storage protection

Account-Related Terms

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context
email	e-posta	User identifier
password	parola / şifre	Account authentication
account	hesap	User profile
subscription	abonelik	Paid service
customer	müşteri	Paying user
plan	plan	Service tier
colonel	yönetici	Administrator role (highest privileges)

Domain-Related Terms

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context
custom domain	özel alan adı	Premium feature
domain verification	alan adı doğrulaması	Setup process
DNS record	DNS kaydı	Configuration
CNAME record	CNAME kaydı	DNS configuration

Error Messages

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context
error	hata	Problem notification
warning	uyarı	Caution notification
oops	Hata!	Friendly error introduction

Buttons and Actions

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context	Notes
submit	gönder	Form action	Imperative form
cancel	iptal et	Negative action	Imperative form
confirm	onayla	Positive action	Imperative form
copy to clipboard	panoya kopyala	Utility action	Imperative form
continue	devam et	Navigation	Imperative form
back	geri	Navigation
create	oluştur	Imperative form for buttons
save	kaydet	Imperative form for buttons
delete	sil	Remove item	Imperative form
share	paylaş	Share/distribute	Imperative form

Marketing Terms

English	Türkçe (TR)	Context
secure links	güvenli bağlantılar	Product feature
privacy-first design	gizlilik odaklı tasarım	Design philosophy
custom branding	özel markalama	Premium feature

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Translation Guidelines

1. Consistency

• Use the same translation for a term throughout the application
• Maintain standardized terminology from the glossary above
• Key distinctions to preserve:
  • parola/şifre for account passwords
  • güvenlik ifadesi for secret protection
  • gizli mesaj as the core concept (not “sır”)

2. 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

3. Cultural Adaptation

• Adapt terms to local conventions when necessary
• Use standard Turkish that works across regions
• Use standard technical terms familiar to Turkish-speaking users

4. Technical Accuracy

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

5. Voice and Tone

Active, Imperative Voice (for Actions)

Use imperative voice for buttons, links, and user actions:

• Gizli mesaj oluştur (Create secret)
• Panoya kopyala (Copy to clipboard)
• Hesap oluştur (Create account)
• Kaydet (Save)
• Paylaş (Share)

Passive or Declarative Voice (for Information)

Use passive voice or past tense for informational text, status messages, and descriptions:

• Gizli mesaj oluşturuldu (Secret created - status)
• Güvenli mesajınız aşağıda gösterilmektedir. (Your secure message is shown below.)
• Gizli mesaj manuel olarak yakıldı... (The secret was manually burned…)
• Kaydedildi (Saved - status message)

6. Formal Address

• Use formal “siz” form consistently when addressing users (not informal “sen”)
• Examples:
  • Parolanızı girin (Enter your password)
  • Güvenli mesajınız (Your secure message)
• Turkish professional context requires respectful “siz” form

7. Clarity and Natural Phrasing

• Prioritize natural Turkish expressions over literal translations
• Use standard phrases familiar to Turkish speakers
• Avoid verbose sentences - Turkish can become wordy; resist this tendency
• Use clear, direct language that respects users’ time

8. Completeness

• Ensure all user-facing strings are translated
• Avoid leaving English text in the interface
• Translate help text, descriptions, and metadata

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Common Translation Patterns

User Instructions

Use imperative forms:

• Parolanızı girin (Enter your password)
• Panoya kopyala (Copy to clipboard)
• Güvenlik ifadesini buraya girin (Enter the passphrase here)

Status Descriptions

Use passive voice or past tense:

• Panoya kopyalandı (Copied to clipboard)
• Gizli mesaj oluşturuldu (Secret created)
• Kaydedildi (Saved)
• Oluşturuldu (Created)

Help Text and Descriptions

Use declarative sentences in formal address:

• Gizli içeriği görüntülüyorsunuz (You are viewing the secret content)
• Bu içerik yalnızca bir kez gösterilir (This content is shown only once)

Error Messages

Use clear, direct language:

• Yanlış güvenlik ifadesi (Incorrect passphrase)
• Bir hata oluştu (An error occurred)

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Special Considerations

The Term “Secret” - Critical Choice

ALWAYS use “gizli mesaj” (secret/confidential message), NOT “sır” (personal secret)

The Turkish word “sır” carries inappropriate connotations:

• Personal, intimate secrets
• Private or hidden information
• Connotations too personal for business/security context

This parallels the Danish translation decision documented in the English style guide, where “hemmeligheder” was rejected in favor of “beskeder” (messages) for the same reasons.

Precedent from Translation Guide: The English translation guide provides this Danish example that directly applies to Turkish:

Danish Translation:

• CORRECT: “Beskeder” (messages)
• INCORRECT: “Hemmeligheder” (secrets)

Reasoning: While “Hemmeligheder” is a literal translation, it carries connotations of personal or hidden information in everyday Danish usage that don’t match the intended meaning.

Turkish follows the same pattern:

• ✓ CORRECT: gizli mesaj (secret/confidential message) - neutral, technical
• ✗ INCORRECT: sır (personal secret) - too personal/intimate

Examples:

• ✓ 3 yeni gizli mesajınız var (You have 3 new secret messages)
• ✗ 3 yeni sırrınız var (You have 3 new secrets)
• ✓ Gizli mesaj oluştur (Create a secret)
• ✗ Sır oluştur (Create a secret)

Password vs. Passphrase - CRITICAL DISTINCTION

This distinction is critical for security clarity and must be maintained throughout:

• parola or şifre - for user account login credentials ONLY
• güvenlik ifadesi - for protecting individual secrets (NOT account login)

Users must understand that:

1. Password (parola/şifre) = credentials to access their Onetime Secret account
2. Passphrase (güvenlik ifadesi) = optional extra layer of protection for individual secrets

Precedent from Other Languages:

• Bulgarian: “парола” (password) vs “ключова фраза” (key phrase)
• Danish: “adgangskode” vs “adgangssætning”
• Spanish: “contraseña” vs “frase de seguridad”

Examples:

• ✓ Giriş yapmak için parolanızı girin (Enter your password - account login)
• ✗ Giriş yapmak için güvenlik ifadenizi girin (Enter your passphrase - account login)
• ✓ Bu gizli mesaj bir güvenlik ifadesi ile korunmaktadır (This secret is protected with a passphrase)
• ✗ Bu gizli mesaj bir parola ile korunmaktadır (This secret is protected with a password)

The Term “Burn”

Consistently translated as yakmak (to burn):

• Creates strong mental image of permanent deletion
• More impactful than generic sil (delete)
• Examples:
  • Bu gizli mesajı yak (Burn this secret - button)
  • Gizli mesaj yakıldı (The secret was burned - status)

The Term “Colonel”

Translated as yönetici (administrator):

• Project-specific term that rhymes with “kernel” in English
• No direct Turkish equivalent for this playful technical term
• Use common term for “administrator” - the account with highest privileges
• Example: Yalnızca yöneticiler bu özelliğe erişebilir (Only admins can access this feature)

UI Element Conventions

• Follow platform conventions for the target language
• Use standard Turkish terminology for common UI elements
• Maintain consistency with other Turkish applications

Technical Security Terms

• Prioritize accuracy over casual localization
• Use established Turkish technical vocabulary
• Examples:
  • şifrelenmiş (encrypted)
  • şifrele (to encrypt)
  • doğrulama (verification)
  • kimlik doğrulama (authentication)

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Brand Voice in Turkish

Core Values

• Özgün ve şeffaf (Authentic and transparent) - Use clear, honest language
• Sabırlı ve odaklı (Patient and focused) - Provide helpful explanations
• Kaliteden ödün vermeden verimli (Efficient without sacrificing quality) - Be concise but complete
• Profesyonel ama ulaşılabilir (Professional yet approachable) - Balance formality with warmth

Communication Principles

• Adapt technical detail based on user context
• Balance friendliness with reliability
• Prioritize clarity over casual language
• Use patient, helpful tone even when explaining complex concepts

Turkish-Specific Considerations

• Avoid overly bureaucratic language while maintaining professionalism
• Use clear, direct sentences (Turkish can become verbose - resist this)
• Technical terms should remain consistent and clear
• Maintain warmth through respectful language, not informality

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UI Text: Active vs Passive Voice in Turkish

Active, Imperative Voice (“Bir şey yap” - Do something)

Buttons:

• ✓ Değişiklikleri kaydet (Save changes)
• ✓ Dosyayı sil (Delete file)
• ✓ Mesajı gönder (Send message)
• ✓ Gizli mesaj oluştur (Create secret)

Menu items:

• ✓ Ayarları görüntüle (View settings)
• ✓ Yeni klasör oluştur (Create new folder)

Passive or Declarative Voice (“Bir şey oldu” - Something happened)

Status messages:

• ✓ Değişiklikler kaydedildi (Changes saved)
• ✓ Dosya silindi (File deleted)
• ✓ Ödeme reddedildi (Payment declined)
• ✓ Gizli mesaj yakıldı (Secret burned)

Notifications:

• ✓ 3 yeni mesaj (3 new messages)
• ✓ İndirme tamamlandı (Download complete)
• ✓ Sunucu kullanılamıyor (Server unavailable)

System states:

• ✓ Yükleme devam ediyor (Upload in progress)
• ✓ Bağlantı kesildi (Connection lost)
• ✓ E-posta adresi bulunamadı (Email address not found)

Examples in Context

Form submission:

• Button (active): Değişiklikleri kaydet
• Status (passive): Değişiklikler başarıyla kaydedildi

File upload:

• Button: Dosya yükle
• Status: Yükleme tamamlandı

Secret creation:

• Button: Gizli mesaj oluştur
• Status: Gizli mesaj oluşturuldu

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Encoding Considerations

Turkish Character Encoding

Ensure proper UTF-8 encoding for Turkish-specific characters:

• ı (dotless i)
• ğ (g with breve)
• ü (u with diaeresis)
• ş (s with cedilla)
• ç (c with cedilla)
• ö (o with diaeresis)
• İ (capital I with dot)

Avoid Unicode escape sequences (\u0131, etc.) - use proper UTF-8 encoding for better readability and maintenance.

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Summary of Translation Principles

The Turkish translation maintains:

1. Terminology Consistency - Standardized key terms throughout the application
2. Appropriate Voice - Imperative for actions, passive/past tense for information
3. Natural Phrasing - Standard Turkish expressions avoiding verbosity
4. Formal Address - Respectful “siz” form throughout
5. Complete Coverage - All user-facing strings translated
6. Technical Accuracy - Precise terminology for security concepts
7. Clear Distinctions - Especially:
   • Account passwords (parola/şifre) and secret passphrases (güvenlik ifadesi)
   • Using gizli mesaj (secret message) instead of sır (personal secret)
   • Action verbs (imperative) and status messages (passive/past tense)
8. Professional Tone - Balancing formality with approachability

By following these guidelines, translators can ensure that the Turkish version of Onetime Secret is accurate, consistent, professional, and provides a natural user experience for Turkish-speaking audiences.