Did you know that Malay’s official name is Bahasa Malaysia? Did you know that it is basically a parent language of Bahasa Indonesia? Pretty neat, huh? When it comes to multilingual translation services, translators are very particular about what they translate and which language they translate, especially when it comes to website translation. As Malay is a widely spoken language with many dialects, the translators have to work extra hard to make sure that the website translation is perfect and has no flaw.

Localization is a big issue, but if the translation is done right, there is no way your translation will have any flaws. While translating a Malay website, the translator will need to determine which script the client wants you to use. There are two styles of Malay scripts Jawi and Rumi.

Although, at one time, Malay was written in the Jawi Script, but today it is written in the Rumi Script which is Latin based. There are movements to revive the Jawi Script, but Rumi Script is largely used throughout the country.

Using the Rumi script is very easy (and most preferred) for website translation because it uses the English alphabets. As most online translation services know, English is the second language of Malaysia, both of these languages have a lot of similarities. However, there are a few consonants that are used differently in Malay language. Some alphabets are always present at the end of certain words. For example, if you are using an Arabic loan word in Malay language, you will need to write a “q” at the end of the word. For all the other loan words, the Malay language principles require you to use “x” or “v” in the words.

Global translation services allow the clients to choose which version of Malay they want to use because both Rumi and Jawi are spoken widely. Malaysians, Indonesians and many other nationalities, including Singapore use this language. Usually, both of them are used simultaneously, however, if the client wants to use only one of them, it is better to allow the client to make an informed decision.