Quotation Marks Around Foreign Words
The Quotation Mark
Rulebase Summary
Use quotation marks to surround foreign words (or consider changing to italics). When the foreign word is in a language that does not share our alphabet, consider using all caps and/or quotation marks and/or a blurb (phonetic notation) to indicate the words.
Examples
A. He said merci beaucoup and walked out the door.
A. He said "merci beaucoup" and walked out the door.
Foreign words set off with quotation marks.
A. She kept repeating a word that sounded like shukran.
A. She kept repeating a word that sounded like "shukran" (phonetic).
Non-alphabet languages may need quotes and a phonetic note.
Transcript Notes
Research foreign words and include them as said when possible. Use an English dictionary first: if the word appears in it, it has been adopted into English and needs no special treatment. If it does not appear, it is foreign and should be quoted or italicized. Do not assume that because you understand a foreign phrase, it is automatically English.
When the language does not share our alphabet and you cannot write the words phonetically, you may need a parenthetical note indicating the language spoken. If possible, italicize rather than quote foreign expressions infrequently used and unfamiliar to the reader. Many foreign words/phrases find their way into legal documents, and it is often difficult to determine which are familiar — when in doubt, italicize (or quote if italics are not available).
Use quotation marks around the translation of a foreign word or expression, or around the dictionary definition of an English word.
Style Guide References (4)
BGGP
BGGP
Morson's
Morson's