Language Localisation: Using standard, international English will delight your customers.

Platypus

Dear friends from Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, England and Canada,
Please consider delighting your customers by using your native language in your apps.


Dear friends from everywhere,

If you haven't been using standard international English as the default English language in your apps, you have been repelling potential customers all over the world who value their heritage (like me), by using American (largely Websterian) spelling.

I wouldn't use Japanese fonts in China, or Canadian French in France. Would you? If you want to maximise your success, please use normal English as your default language, and alter it only in the ONE country (the U.S.A.) that uses divergent spelling (if you must).

With many thanks (on behalf of many ostracised customers),
Platypus

=====================
STANDARD ENGLISH REFERENCE:
=====================

LOGICAL (CHRONOLOGICAL) DATE ORDER:

"Our company was founded at nine a.m. on Monday the twentieth of June, nineteen seventy-eight."
"Our company was founded at 9 a.m. on Monday the 20th of the sixth, 1978."
"Our company was founded on Monday the 20th of the 6th, 1978."
"Our company was founded on Monday 20/6/1978."

"Our company was founded on 20/6/1978." (pronounced: "Our company was founded on the 20th of the 6th, 1978.")

"Our company was founded in June."

Dates after the year 2000 can be expressed in two ways. For example: "2013" can be read "two thousand and thirteen" or "twenty thirteen".

=====================

NUMERICAL QUANTITIES:

278, 513 = "two hundred and seventy eight thousand, five hundred and thirteen"

(The word "and" is said after the word "hundred" unless that hundred is followed by two noughts.)

=====================

ORDINAL NUMBERS:

Other than “The Eleventh (11th)”, “The Twelfth (12th)” and “The Thirteenth (13th)”, ordinal numbers that end in (-)1st, (-)2nd or (-)3rd, are pronounced “The (…-)First”, “The (…-)Second” and “The (…-)Third”, respectively.

“The First (1st)”

“The Second (2nd)”

“The Third (3rd)”

“The Fourth (4th)”
.
. “The ...th”
. “The ...th”
. “The ...th”
.
“The Twentieth (20th)”

“The Twenty-First (21st)”

“The Twenty-Second (22nd)”

“The Twenty-Third (23rd)”

“The Twenty-Fourth (24th)”
.
. “The ...th”
. “The ...th”
. “The ...th”
.
“The Thirtieth (30th)”

“The Thirty-First (31st)”

“The Thirty-Second (32nd)”

“The Thirty-Third (33rd)”

“The Thirty-Fourth (34th)”
. . .

=====================

LANGUAGE:


a couple of ...

addictive

aeroplane
Aeroplane Mode
aeroplanes

aesthetic

align
aligned
aligning
alignment

aluminium

anaemia

analogue

anyway

apply FOR a job
apply to a company (FOR a job)

archaeology

ardour

armour

arrange
arrangement

artefact
artefacts

at primary school

at school

autumn

axe

bacterium (one bacterium)
bacteria (two or more [or zero] bacteria)

barbecue
barbecue sauce

behaviour
behavioural

benefit
benefitted
benefitting

biscuit
biscuits

blackboard

blastocoel

burn
burnt

bring
brought [Conan O'Brien would probably find "brang" & "brung" acceptable! - Just kidding.]

calibre

cancel
cancelled
cancelling
cancellation

can hardly wait

can't wait

carat
carats

careful

carrot
carrots

catalogue
catalogues

centimetre
centimetres

central
centralise
centre
centred
centres
centrifuge
centring

cheat - [verb] (e.g. “Don’t cheat.”)

cheat - [noun] = a person who cheats (e.g. “Don’t be a cheat.”) (e.g. “Cheats never prosper.”)

cheetah [Cheetahs often prosper.]

child’s play

chilli
chilli sauce

coeliac
coelom

colour
coloured
colourful
colouring
colours

control
controlled
controlling

could have [abbreviated: "could've"]

couldn't care less

country

courage
courageous

cricket

crotchet
crotchets

dad
daddy

deal
dealt

defence

definitely

demisemiquaver
demisemiquavers

demonstration
demonstrations
demonstrative

dependent - [adjective]
dependant - [noun] = a dependent person (e.g. "My dependants are dependent on me.")

destroy
destroyed
destroying
destructible

dialogue

differ from
differs from

different from
different to - [strongly preferred where I grew up]

disc

distil
distilled
distilling
distillation

do
does

door

doughnut
doughnuts

Dr [abbreviation of "Doctor"]

drag
dragged
dragging
drags

dream
dreamt

drive through

encode
encoded
encoding

encourage
encouragement

encyclopaedia

endeavour
endeavoured
endeavouring
endeavours

enrol
enrolled
enrolling
enrolment

every second day - (The expression “every second day” means “once every two days”, whereas the expression “every other day” means “every day except for the one I just mentioned”. For example: “I don’t go jogging on Mondays, but I go every other day” means “I go jogging daily from Tuesday to Sunday”.)

explain
explanation

famous

favour
favourite
favouritism

feel
felt

fewer people
fewer things

fibre
fibres
fibrous

flautist

flavour
flavours
flavoursome

food

four

from now on

fruit and vegetables

fulfil
fulfilled
fulfilling
fulfilment
fulfils

full stop

Game Centre

glamour

go
goes

go on a holiday
go on holiday
go on holidays

gran

grandad

grey

gynaecology

haemoglobin

harbour

have a bath
have a break
have a day off
have a holiday
have a rest
have a shower

hemidemisemiquaver
hemidemisemiquavers
.
.
.

Platypus

.
.
.

hero
heroes

honour
honourable

“How do you change the font?” - [a question]

“How to Change the Font” - [a title or a heading preceding an explanation of how to change the font; not a question or a sentence]

humour

“I don't know how to change the font.” - [a sentence (and a statement); not a question]

"If it was true, ..." - [I prefer this.]*
"If it were true, ..."
"If I was you, ..." - [I prefer this.]*
"If I were you, ..."
* [I prefer to use normal grammar in all contexts (hypothetical or not).]

I forgot my keys.
I left my keys at home.

inside

(instal or) install
installation
installing
installed

instalment
instalments

invitation - [noun]
invite - [verb]

"I wish I was ..." - [I prefer this.]*
"I wish I were ..."
"I wish you were ..."
* [I prefer to use normal grammar in all contexts (hypothetical or not).]

jam

jelly

jewel
jeweller
jewellery

judge
judgement

kids’ stuff

kilometre
kilometres

kudos (pronounced "queue doss")

label
labelled
labelling

labour

learn
learnt

less space
less water

level
levelled
levelling

licence
licences

litre
litres

lolly
lollies

looking forward to it
looking forward to meeting you
looking forward to our meeting
looking forward to seeing you
looking forward to that
looking forward to trying it

look forward to it
look forward to meeting you
look forward to our meeting
look forward to seeing you
look forward to that
look forward to trying it

manage
management

marvellous

mathematics
maths

metre
metres
metric

millilitre
millilitres

minim
minims

misspell
misspelt

mobile telephone (abbreviations: "mobile phone"; "mobile")

model
modelled
modelling

mosquito
mosquitoes

mould
moulds
mouldy

Mr [abbreviation of "Mister"]
Mrs [abbreviation of "Mistress" -> "Mis'ress" -> "Mis'ess"]

mum
mummy

named after _____

nan
nanna

nappy
nappies

neighbour
neighbourhood
neighbours

never used to

nil

no idea

nought

object-orientated programming

oedema

oestrogen

off
on

orientate
orientated
orientating
orientation

outside

"paed" = "of children"

paediatrician

parlour

"ped" = "of feet"

pedestrian

petrol
petrol station

photograph
photographs

pieces of advice
pieces of art
pieces of equipment
pieces of fruit
pieces of information
pieces of music - [can incorporate both songs and instrumental pieces]
pieces of software

"pod" = "of feet" (e.g. "tripod")

potato
potatoes

pour

practice - [noun] (e.g. "Do some practice!")

practise - [verb] (e.g. "Please practise.")

prawn
prawns

prod
prodded
prodding

Prof. [abbreviation of "Professor"]

programme
programmes

pronounce
pronunciation

quaver
quavers

queue

rebel
rebelled
rebelling

release - [TRANSITIVE verb (NOT an intransitive verb)] (e.g. “Our best software was released yesterday. Our next piece of software will be released tomorrow.”)

repel
repelled
repelling

revel
revelled
revelling

route (pronounced "root")
router (pronounced "rooter")

rugby

rumour
rumours

run
runner
running

sabre

sandpit

save
saviour

savour
savoury

septic

sceptic
sceptical
scepticism

sceptre

semibreve
semibreves

semiquaver
semiquavers

She was born in the 1960s.
She was born in the nineteen sixties.

shop [noun]
shop [verb]
shopped
shopper
shopping
shops

should have [abbreviated: "should've"]

signal
signalled
signalling

similar to

skilful
skill
skills

smell
smelt

sneak
sneaked [Jennifer Garner must have gone to a good school.]

Spain
Spanish

speak about (something)
speak of (something)
speak to (someone)

spell
spelt

spoil
spoilt

sport

staff - [group of employees/workers]
staff member - [one member of the above]

staff - [five horizontal lines upon which music is written]
staves - [plural of the above]

swim
swimmer
swimming

sweets

Sydney Harbour

tame
tamed
taming

tap [a water source]

tap
tapped
tapping

tape
taped
taping

than

theatre
theatres
theatrical

then

There are - [abbreviated: "There're" (if at all); not "There's"]
There is - [abbreviated: "There's"]

the same
the same as ...

thinking of doing ...
thinking of going ...
thinking of trying ...
thinking of using ...

time
timed
timing

tomato [pronounced "tomarto"]
tomatoes

tomato sauce

travel
travelled
traveller
travelling

trim
trimmed
trimming

trousers

tumour

underpants

used to

useful

vapour
“vapourware”

vertebra (one vertebra)
vertebrae (two or more [or zero] vertebrae)

virus (one virus)
viruses (two or more [or zero] viruses)

Who are we? - [a question]

Who We Are - [a title or a heading; not a question or a sentence]

wilful

would have [abbreviated: "would've"]

You are welcome.
You're welcome.

your
yours
yourself

z [the letter named "zed"]