We would be wrong to claim to provide 100% US English texts given that the linguists involved in a job requiring this variant of English are generally not native speakers of US English. Although we can adapt the spelling, vocabulary and use of commas, we are unlikely to be able to reproduce the different use of verbs and adverbs often found in US English, particularly in the spoken language. However, by bearing the following factors in mind, we can endeavour to make the text as American as possible. Our clients are always made aware of this when such jobs come in.

Remember to use US spelling (and change the file language to US English if necessary) and run a US spell check to make sure. This generally involves removing the “u” from words ending in “-our”, deleting an “l” in participles ending with “-ling”, swapping the position of “e” and “r” in words originally ending with “-re” and replacing “s” with “z” in words such as “organisation” and “utilise”.

STP’s glossary of spelling differences and word differences is kept in this SharePoint folder. This does not provide an exhaustive guide, so please make use of online dictionaries etc. where appropriate. This folder also contains a more detailed document listing ideas and concepts that are different in the UK and the USA.

Remember to change the date format if the text contains dates. We recommend “dd/mm/yyyy” and “day month year” in UK English. For US English we recommend “mm/dd/yyyy” and “month day, year”, e.g. “13/05/1984” becomes “05/13/1984” and “13 May 1984” becomes “May 13, 1984”. Also remember that “as of” is more common in US English and “at” or “as at” is more common in UK English, although “as of” is becoming more prevalent in UK English too.

Remember to add a comma before “and” in lists. This is also known as an Oxford comma so on occasion it may be found in British English.

If the text contains weights and measures, please check with the PM whether the client wants these to be converted or would like to have the conversion in brackets after the metric units. In most cases it is fine to leave metric measurements as they are.

Don’t forget to make the same adjustments to your translation, but in reverse, when adapting US English to UK English!