Foreign words

My husband and I would like to talk to you for a moment about foreign words and phrases appearing in your correspondence, documents and guides.

Foreign words, like foreign-born nationals, usually become indistinguishable from native ones over time, just like Philip. Who thinks of Prince Philip as "that Greek boy from Corfu" any more?

In the same way, nobody thinks of bungalow, canyon, potato or pajamas as foreign. They have become naturalized English words and no longer require italicization. Ad hoc has become naturalized while a priori probably has not and should be italicized (better yet, don't use pretentious phrases like a priori at all!)

• Please note that ad hoc is composed of two separate, unhypehenated words.A single mistake like ad-hoc can ruin the professional appearance of any written communication.

Please refer to an authoritative dictionary such as Oxford (not the sad little online dictionary that comes with Word) to ensure correct spelling of foreign words.

Set unfamiliar foreign words and phrases in italic for emphasis. Using italic doesn't mean your readers will understand them any better, but it does alert them to their presence.

In the financial services industry, you are advised to err on the side of caution: assume your readers are unfamiliar with ALL foreign words and phrases, except perhaps percent and ad hoc.
Rules of thumb:

• Italicize most foreign words and phrases.
• Don't italicize familiar or 'naturalized' foreign words and phrases.
• Don't italicize proper nouns designating:
  * foreign persons (such as il Papa and la Contessa),
  * foreign places (such as Gare du Nord and Firenze), and
  * foreign institutions (such as Surete and Interpol).
• Use a dictionary to confirm the spelling of foreign words and phrases.

Thank you for your time and attention.

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