Translation - art & business » Translation Theory and Practice »
full stops after websites and email addresses
Thread poster: Richard Purdom
Richard Purdom
Richard Purdom  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 03:47
Dutch to English
+ ...
Nov 7, 2014

Hi, I was wondering what others do when a sentence ends with a website or email.
For instance, Visit www.abcde.com

It should have a full stop, but it then looks like part of the website (or email). I know these never end with dots, but I think it looks messy. Maybe they should (be able to be) left out? Any thoughts?
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 04:47
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Do you know any... Nov 7, 2014

Richard Purdom wrote:
It should have a full stop, but it then looks like part of the website (or email).


Can you give an example of a web site address that ends on a fullstop? No e-mail address ends on a fullstop. Therefore the fullstop can't be part of the address. Therefore it can't be misunderstood, except by people who copy the address in a program that automatically selects the fullstop also.
 
Thomas T. Frost
Thomas T. Frost  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 03:47
Danish to English
+ ...
Depends on context Nov 7, 2014

In informal correspondence, I add a blank before the dot to avoid the dot becoming part of the URL by accident, but in a formal context, I would do it correctly by adding the dot right after the URL. If there is a link 'behind' the text, you just need to be sure that link is correct and does not contain the dot (e.g. in html or a Word link).
 
Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 20:47
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
< > Nov 7, 2014

I often see these set out thus: . Then you can end with a period like I have done here. But Samuel is right, there should be no confusion even when < > are not used.
 
philgoddard
philgoddard
United States
German to English
+ ...
Nov 7, 2014



[Edited at 2014-11-07 18:58 GMT]
 
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 04:47
English to Polish
+ ...
.... Nov 7, 2014

Polish rule is to omit full stops after URLs/mail addresses, and Polish rules are quite on the prescriptive side. They still aren't English, of course, but anyway.
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Maria Castro[Call to this topic]
Nawal Kramer[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

full stops after websites and email addresses







Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »