As a hybrid language, English appears illogical in structure to the non-English speaker. In addition, international audiences are frequently confused by the imprecision and ambiguity of written English. If General Motors had relied on a good editor before launching its Chevy NOVA ad campaign in Mexico, sales might have been better: Spanish speakers interpreted the billboards as a warning because to them "Chevy NOVA" means "Chevy doesn't work (no go)." A Middle Eastern businessman, threatened with termination if he failed in an assignment, assumed that he was to be shot. A Chinese student sat by the phone for two days after receiving a letter from an American contact that said he would call him soon. Editing for an international audience requires particular care and precision.

The following suggestions may help when preparing material for the non-English speaking translator or reader.

Syntax and Style

• Keep sentences short and simple. Emphasize strong transitional words and phrases. Use key terms or phrases consistently.
  
  
• Convert passive to active voice whenever possible. Avoid the introductory subordinate clause.
  
  
• Use visual clues (indentation, bullets, symbols) to increase comprehension.

Language

Jargon, slang, euphemisms, and clichés cause particular difficulties for the international reader. Generally, the editor should substitute a single word or more explicit term for:

• Industry jargon such as "decision tree," "bubble chart," "preventive health care," "body language," and "fast track." It helps to visualize when making an editorial decision: if it would be difficult to paint a "learning curve, " for example, the term will probably not be interpreted as intended.



• Words that have acquired an accepted secondary usage in English but not in other languages. Examples are "tailored," "geared," "dedicated," and "submit." If in doubt, check for primary meanings in a conservative dictionary.



• Nouns (such as "task," "impact," "leverage," and "network") that have recently acquired limited acceptance as verbs.



• Compound words or terms generally. "Cost-effective," "labor intensive," "breakthrough," "multichain," and "market-driven" are terms or concepts that do not occur in other languages. A good rule of thumb to determine a term's appropriateness for an international audience is to look it up in the English-French or English-German section of a reliable dictionary. If it doesn't appear, make a substitution.

Conventions and Courtesies

• Money. Many nations use the "$" symbol. Distinguish $US from Can$, $A, and $Mex. "$Mex" is actually Mexican for pesos, not dollars.



• Geography. It's courteous to include the states as well as the city. "New York" has universal recognition; "Chicago" or "Houston" needs a more specific location.



• Telephone numbers/time zones. Include area codes with telephone numbers; add time zones if appropriate. Beware of "800" numbers.



• Decimal points. Europeans would express "100,000" as "100.000"



• Special offers. When editing material prepared primarily for a US audience, check that any prices or special offers (hot-lines, 24-hour service) are applicable internationally. Many companies have lost money by failing to state "US only."



• Tone. Generally, international communications observe a more formal and polite convention that is typical in the US. "Submit entries by December 2" could offend an international reader. More acceptable would be "Please send completed forms before December 2."

Production

• Foreign language adaptation or translation of material will result in text expansion (25% expansion for Romance languages, 30% for Germanic languages). Design and layout should account for the expansion with adequate white space.



• If you are working electronically, make sure your word processing software or desktop publishing system and printer support the foreign-language character sets you need.

 
Nan Fritz is Founder and President of nSight, the company behind Edit Express. She has more than 25 years of communications experience. Nan is an Associate Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication, and is also an active speaker and participant in many professional organizations for writers, editors, and publishers.

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