In the Croatian localization I’ve always referred to the user with the formal version of you, capitalized.
However, I’ve seen meta’s apps use the formal you, but uncapitalized, giving a feel that’s in between completely formal and completely informal.
So, how formal should the localization be: informal, kinda-formal or fully formal? Looking at the apps on my phone, I actually didn’t find any that are fully formal, only kinda-formal and informal
Respect from the software developer = respect from the user. So it’s already clear what this should be. But there are systems where you can choose your own translation, so there are options 
With Anki, you choose whatever you want for your language in the translation group, and no one will check its accuracy.
If there already are translations available then you should probably adopt whatever previous translators used, for consistency reasons.
In german the fully formal “Sie” is used (kinda-formal would be “Du” and informal would be “du”). Maybe you could use the fully formal as well if no other similar translations exist already in croatian.
It seems like big companies tend to switch from formal to informal (or at least kinda-formal) to make it more personal. I personally always thought it’s weird to use something different than formal, though I did get used to the other two options.
That’s not true. The german translaters do a great job. But I still sometimes double check existing translations for accuracy. And others likely do, too. Besides: what’s the point of translating something without staying true to the original meaning?
I often look at the German translation, but yours also has some specifics. So I check it against Ukrainian and Belarusian, since my Russian is closer to them.
Unfortunately, I’m not a translator; we don’t have anyone anymore. I translate here myself and have had the courage to change some terms myself, since everyone has been abandoned for a while. And since I’m trying to create a help page, I’m already comparing translations there and there and choosing something unified.
I hope to finish this reference someday. At least the translation has reached 100% over the past year.
That’s how we live, almost no one needs it in Russian; many use it in English and are accustomed to it.
“Formal” can mean different things in different languages – respectful, cold and distant, official, plural, etc. So the answer often depends on the language – how the formal/informal registers are used – in addition to depending on who “we” are as an app.
To answer the first part, it can be valuable to look at a language-specific localization guide. I’ve found the publicly available ones from Microsoft useful – Microsoft Localization Style Guides - Globalization | Microsoft Learn . [Setting aside any other feelings I might have about following a Microsoft model for something 
– they’ve got a lot of experience in software localization!]
For Anki, the documentation and in-app localization should be approachable and not-overly-technical, but it should also be respectful. I can’t tell you whether that lands on fully-formal or kinda-formal language for Croatian.
Thank you, this guide by Microsoft was actually quite useful in clarifying some other issues I was uncertain about! Could we maybe link to this inside the localization instructions for new localizers, if there exist such instructions?
Microsoft suggests the formal-but-not-completely-formal way of addressing the user and I would have to agree, the full formality just seems cold, whereas the semi-formal address definitely still reads as respectful.
All new localization contributors are given the link to this forum, so I think will be a good thread to catch their eye. It’s unlikely we’ll ever fully adopt the MS guides as our own, so we probably won’t add them to our docs.
Hmm, but I imagine most users only visit this forum once they hit a particular snag. The localizer has to be aware that there even is an issue for them to go look it up in this forum. Having some sort of introductory text that talks about good general tips for localization (tips that are applicable to any language) would set future localizers up for success. When I started, I just jumped into it and did it by feel, but now that I’ve seen some tips in that document I have to go back and make some adjustments. Reading about best practices upfront would help some folks avoid mistakes before they happen.
Doesn’t have to be some sort of in-house guide, could also be a link to a good external article. Can’t hurt, right?
That’s exactly what they are linked to – I know, because I’m the one who wrote the response:
Translating Guide: https://translating.ankiweb.net/
Translating Forum: Translating - Anki Forums
If we can’t get folks to read those links, one might wonder how we would get them to read what you’re suggesting. 
But really, we rely on our volunteer translators to approach the job as professionals, and that means knowing what they are doing. For now, I think this is the best place for this information.
Yep, I saw the translating guide and it is indeed useful! However, it focuses on the technical side and doesn’t really talk about style, whereas the microsoft guide does. I know we can hope that volunteers approach this task as professionals, but for those who are new to translation, a little nudge in the right direction could only help, right?
I understand the reluctance to point people to a document that promotes using the Microsoft voice, as we might not want to adopt that voice for Anki. But surely a few links to some resources would be beneficial rather than detrimental, because I imagine most volunteers here don’t have a background of professional localization, but maybe I’m mistaken
Personally, I’d follow the Microsoft guide loosely. Microsoft thought it was applying a trendy approach in some countries (e.g. France), where they happily recommended that the informal address be used, even when dealing with esteemed clients. This approach was confronting for many, especially as the change came not from within the local culture but imposed from without by the US. Write your instructions like other software instructions, or instructions that you read in the bus or train. Those are instructions that your users will read every day, and thus your usage will not sound strange to the native ear.