Thirteen Translation Writing Tips

Tim Kaney reports:

"Most foreign languages will run 20-25% longer than written English. If a formatter has to add space to a translated document for it to fit, time lines will increase and so will costs...Most foreign languages will run 20-25% longer than written English. If a formatter has to add space to a translated document for it to fit, time lines will increase and so will costs...Remember to write short, simple sentences. Writing long, complicated sentences in English will only slow the translation process down, increasing time lines and costs [and creating]...a higher chance of a confusing translation...Using consistent terminology will not only result in cost-saving for you, but it will [also] result in much more clear and precise translations of your material...Avoid idioms. Idioms such as “Kick the bucket” may have a clear meaning in English, but most likely will not in other languages. In most cases, a phrase such as this would be translated literally...Avoid Acronyms. Also known as initialisms, these abbreviations will not always translate exactly as the phrases they represent will not always have the same letters in them. Beyond that, they may not always represent the same thing in the targeted foreign language audience. It is usually best to spell these phrases out completely...Try to use visuals wherever possible. Including visuals of what is being translated can greatly increase comprehension and understanding from your target audience...Make sure to explore the cultural differences between your source language and its culture and your target audience’s. Sometimes figures of speech and even non-localized graphics to depict the target audience can be offensive. Also make sure that your message means the same thing in your target language...Having a native-speaking reviewer with industry experience in the target language will greatly increase accuracy in highly technical translations laden with jargon...Make annotations in your project outline if there are terms that cannot be translated...If you decide to make these accessible to your target foreign language audience, make sure they are correct...Decide what will stay in English. This can include part numbers, legal information, product names, logos, and graphic call-outs (not recommended). If these need to stay in English, be sure to make a note of that and inform your translator or agency...Consistency in these selections are also extremely important...If you plan on translating your material into Asian languages, be sure that the document is already formatted to support that language. A typical English font is encoded differently and needs to be changed at the point of formatting in order to properly display an Asian font. Try to look for Unicode versions for Arial, Myriad Pro, and Times...Using thick Asian fonts is a good thing for legibility, plain and simple. If you can find one, use it...Check computer and language compatibility. You can check this on a PC...You can change the language and region settings in order to properly display foreign languages on your computer. Just give this a glance and make sure you are creating your document in the desired language compatibility mode."