1. Purpose
These guidelines establish the principles for translating the Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur (EOP) into the languages of IARU Region 1 Member Societies. Their purpose is to ensure that all translations accurately convey the intent of the original English edition while maintaining consistency, clarity, and technical correctness.
2. Scope
These guidelines apply to all official translations of the EOP prepared or endorsed by IARU Region 1 Member Societies or by individuals acting on their behalf.
3. Copyright and Licence
Ethics and Operating Procedures for the Radio Amateur is Copyright by IARU Region 1. Starting with the fourth edition, which is Copyright 2026, the document is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). Amongst other rights, this licence allows the document to be translated and adapted freely, although under several conditions.
One of those conditions requires that the translations and adaptations must be also licensed under the same, CC BY-SA 4.0 or a compatible licence, even if the copyright in the translation would belong to the translator or their organisation. Another condition of this licence requires that the original authors, including the author of the front page image, and the title of the original document itself, are fully acknowledged in the translation.
An easy way to comply with these requirements is to provide two pages, similar to those in the original. The first is the title page, which lists the authors. The second, is the copyright page, which should list the copyright of the translator, and the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. This page can be found in the original just after the title page and before the Table of Contents. The author of the front page image can be acknowledged anywhere in the document, including the copyright page or the title page.
To view a copy of the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
4. ISBN Number
The ISBN number issued to the original cannot be used for the translations, or, indeed, for any further editions of this book. A new number must be obtained, if one is desired. It is not necessary to have an ISBN number for the translations, unless planning to publish it through a national or an international library system. Printing would require an additional, separate ISBN number from an eBook edition.
5. Translation Principles
- Faithfulness to the original. Even if something seems incorrect in the original, it should be translated exactly as it appears in the original. Any material deviations from the original need to be explained, in line with the terms of the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Alternatively, contact the IARU Region 1 EOP editorial team for further guidance.
- Technical accuracy using established amateur radio terminology.
- Consistency of terminology and style.
- Clear, natural language suitable for all radio amateurs.
- Preserve the educational and professional tone and maintain the editorial style of the original.
6. Document Structure
Preserve chapter numbering, headings, tables, lists, notes, illustrations, references, and overall layout. Ideally, do not add, remove, or modify content without the approval of the IARU Region 1 EOP editorial team, or, ensure that any modifications are explained, as required by the CC SA-BY 4.0 licence.
For edition consistency, it is recommended to use the same front page image as in the original edition.
7. Source Formatting and Fonts
The original of the fourth edition was created in Microsoft Word, using an extensive set of custom styles and formats, which may be of use to the translator. The main font family used by the document is Minion 3, with some texts using Scala Sans. Unless using the PDF, those fonts must be installed in order to properly open the document using Word or a similar text editor. They are not free. They are available from font retailers, and they are also part of the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription service. If the document is opened in an editor that does not have those fonts, text will not appear correct in many places. Notably, all abbreviations will appear in lower case.
Alternatively, translation can be done using the published PDF, which does not require those fonts to correctly display the document.
8. PDF/UA Accessibility and Screen Readers
Starting with the fourth edition, the published PDF has basic compliance with PDF/UA standard, enabling its use by screen readers and other accessibility tools. In particular, document structure is tagged, images have alternative text, and the reading order is logical. There is also an embedded index, which speeds up searching the document. The accessibility structure has been generated from the Microsoft Word original using Adobe Acrobat Pro tools. If using a different set of editors, the resulting document may require accessibility remediation in order to remain screen reader friendly.
However, the original Word document itself does not have sufficient accessibility compliance, nor does it open correctly without the proprietary fonts. For those reasons, the editorial team respectfully asks that the original Word document is never shared or published outside your translation team.
9. Review and Quality Assurance
Each translation should be reviewed by a native speaker, an experienced amateur radio operator, and the relevant Member Society or its designated representative.
10. Publication
Include the language, translation version, publication date, translator or Member Society, and the corresponding English EOP edition. Ensure compliance with the requirements of the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
11. Version Control
Translations should be reviewed whenever a new English edition is published. Editorial corrections may be issued as revisions; changes affecting meaning require a new translation version.
12. Disclaimer
The English edition is the official reference. In the event of discrepancies, the English edition shall prevail.