When you write for international audiences, mainly directly in English, you will need to develop an audience profile. In particular, you will have to show consistency and clarity in style/expression and you will have to be culturally sensitive. Both choices will make your documents easier to understand and translate and therefore, will decrease the cost of the localization project.
Some of my recommendations will be:
a. Use plain English and be clear in style
1. Use short and complete sentences in correct English 2. Use questions and statements in positive terms 3. Use relative pronouns 4. Definite abbreviations and acronyms 5. Use punctuation 6. Do not overuse advanced terminology
English allows writers to omit relative pronouns in some cases. For example: "The book you showed me is very interesting". Because the relative pronoun "that" is not strictly necessary, some writing divisions (of companies/organizations) routinely omit it in the interest of being concise. However, many other languages do not allow the same omission and the lack of the pronoun can cause problems for translators. Acronyms and abbreviations are heavily used in certain industries and sectors, such as telecommunications.
As a general writing principle, you should always write out completely the meaning of the abbreviation or acronym when you first use it, including the abbreviation or acronym in parentheses directly after it. For example: "They must open up, document and actively support their application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow third-party suppliers to plug into the core content management system (CMS).
b. Be culturally neutral
1. Avoid metaphors, analogies and similes 2. Use globally accepted icons and symbols 3. Avoid idioms and slang 4. Do not use neologisms 5. Avoid humor 6. Be cautious with descriptions of people, cultures and civilizations
Slang consists of vocabulary that is casual or playful. Slang is part of one's culture and often originates from television, movies and political events. Slang should be avoided as much as possible when writing for translation. Not only does slang almost certainly cause translation problems, but it can also cause your writing to become quickly obsolete. Just as with slang, the effective life of humor can be very short. Much humor is extremely topical. One year later it may no longer seem so funny. Humor is very dangerous to use in formal writing as people who share the same language fail to find the same things funny or very often, find them offensive.
While today's society can be obsessed with political correctness, it cannot be denied that humor is culturally based and should be used sparingly, if at all. Finally, symbols and icons should be globally accepted. For example, using a graphic design of a musical note for notes within documents, or an icon of an insect for the debug command are problems for translation. They rarely translate well and may introduce taboos as well. Graphics of human figures should also be avoided, unless they are generic. Some cultures have a more developed "gestural" vocabulary than English and a seemingly innocent graphic may be offensive.
No animal should be used to represent anything other than the actual animal. A cow, for example, might be fine for the USA but what about India? Animals are powerful symbols in many cultures, and there is no universal animal symbol template. A German ad for a bank shows mice sitting on some coins. Because mice is a slang word for money in German. Have you ever thought of that? Bottom line: don't use them unless you are representing the actual animal.
c. The plain English network (www.plainlanguage.gov)
The Plain English Network is a government-wide group of volunteers working to improve communications from the federal government to public. Their web site contains lots of resources to help writers achieve the goal of clear communication. Their main three principles are:
1. Use reader-oriented writing
2. Use natural expression
3. Make your document visual appealing.
Visit http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/ if you live in the UK for a similar campaign.
Thei Zervaki is a career and business coach and founder of the Ditch your Resume? portal (http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/). She coaches individuals who don't like to edit resumes and don't know what to do when they grow up. She also delivers fun workshops. Email her at http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/
Ashley limo service .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareIf you're getting rejections from your submissions, please don't quit... Read More
Freelance editing opportunities are out there, you just need to... Read More
The journey to having my first novel for children published... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?How we usually begin the preparation stage... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
And a dreadful thing from the cliff did spring, and... Read More
A few days ago, I critiqued a chapter for a... Read More
So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy... Read More
Many of us have always wanted to write. We have... Read More
Chances are, you'll be busy over the next several weeks.... Read More
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father... Read More
More Tips For New Writers (Part I)Explain in your own... Read More
You send me an e-mail. You tell me you've written... Read More
ELICIT, ILLICITElicit means to extract or draw out; illicit means... Read More
Effective screenwriting relies on the good understanding and use of... Read More
Have you ever started a creative writing project with great... Read More
This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More
When you read a letter from someone, we are immediately... Read More
As you set out to create your first niche non-fiction... Read More
The dash--that curious mark of punctuation people use in their... Read More
"You should write a book." For years, I had been... Read More
Good writing requires self-examination. Why is one writing? What part... Read More
It turns out that "tips and templates on how to... Read More
Why would anyone want to write for trade journals? Aren't... Read More
We all need a cheer squad.We all need people to... Read More
car service from Midway Arena ..If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
You've finished your story, and you're pretty happy with it.... Read More
You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work... Read More
Anyone who has read any of my articles on the... Read More
Q. My writing sounds stiff and stilted. Help!A. Memories of... Read More
When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More
Picture this scene.Your hero is sitting in a bar. He's... Read More
I started writing as a way of keeping safe memories... Read More
It's a good idea to use TextPad because all opt-in... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?I have said above that if a... Read More
When I was young, I used to talk to myself.... Read More
If you are a serious writer who wants to publish... Read More
List-making is a favorite journaling technique and is often used... Read More
I do on occasion run out of ideas for my... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
There are so many ways for writers to make good... Read More
Whether you keep a separate spiritual journal or just want... Read More
Someone once commented that there were no new ideas to... Read More
Has the thought run across you mind that you might... Read More
Regardless of what sort of writer you are and how... Read More
A certified proofreader is one that has taken a few... Read More
Simply put, it is the art of writing scripts for... Read More
This article contains a short guide on how to edit... Read More
Peter Mayle was born in England in 1939.His fascination with... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?By now you should have an idea... Read More
Writing |