Mayusculas en titulos y nombres

Spanish translation: Explanation:

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	¿Mayusculas en titulos y nombres?
Spanish translation:	Explanation:
Entered by:	Parrot

12:16 May 15, 2001

English to Spanish translations [Non-PRO]

English term or phrase: Mayusculas en titulos y nombres

Please, I desperately need an expert. I am proofreading some appliance manuals translated into Spanish. I need to know what the rule(s) are/is (if any) for the following situations regarding capitalization of names and titles:

- the title of a section (ex. Cleaning the Lint Filter) Should just the first word be capitalized or all of the words as in English?

- the name of a feature/knob/setting on a machine: (End of Cycle Signal, Damp Dry, Heavy Duty)

I always thought Spanish only capitalized the first word of a title or name (unless a proper name) but the translation switches between the 2 forms and the client is asking me what is the `rule`in Spanish. Any editors or manual writers out there?

By the way, this is for viewing in Mexico, if that makes a difference.

As a rule, it's good criteria to capitalize the first letter of

Explanation:
a title, unless there is a proper name in it, as you observed (this also goes for French).
Feature names are nothing special in Spanish unless they involve trademarks (considered proper names), and are generally translated in small letters. All the features you named would be in small letters.
Note: It is possible that a translator might have foreign language interferences with regards to capitalization and punctuation, since he is usually more after semantic accuracy (especially if it involves a rush job).

Selected response from:

Parrot
Spain
Local time: 20:10

Grading comment

Thank you.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

As a rule, it's good criteria to capitalize the first letter of

Parrot

Answers

1 hr

As a rule, it's good criteria to capitalize the first letter of

Parrot
Spain
Local time: 20:10
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 330

Grading comment

Thank you.

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