Writing for the World: A Guide to Globalization   (Back to Table of Contents)

• Keep sentences short. Long sentences are often grammatically complicated, so they’re prone to mistranslation. To be sure the message remains clear, keep sentences simple.
  
  
• Avoid words with multiple meanings. For instance, instead of it is hard, write it is difficult. If you must use a term that’s potentially confusing, put it in quotation marks when it’s first used to indicate that it carries a special meaning: Set it to control “widows” and “orphans.”
  
  
• Include all articles and verbs. To save time and space, people occasionally write in an abbreviated style—called telegraphic—that omits articles and verbs: Managers to meet following presentation. For a global audience, to avoid misunderstanding, flesh out the sentence completely: The managers are to meet following the presentation.
  
  
• Keep that. In English, especially in speech, we routinely drop the word that from our sentences. We often say “It is a process developed to improve quality,” rather than “It is a process that was developed to improve quality.” For nonnative speakers of English, the omission of that can cause confusion, so take care to use it, even though it makes for a longer sentence in English.
  
  
• Limit acronyms. Acronyms don’t change in translation, so even if you spell out the words that form an acronym, those words, when translated, might start with different letters or appear in a different order, making the acronym itself confusing for someone who doesn’t speak English.
  
  
• Avoid humor. What’s funny in Chicago might be offensive in Kabul and fall flat in Nairobi. It’s risky to presume you know what entertains those who live in another culture. When writing or editing for an international audience, it’s safest to use simple and respectful language and avoid humorous phrasing.
  
  
• Watch for United States–centered wording. When editing for a global audience, stay alert to the perspective—words like foreign and non-U.S. can appear ethnocentric and give offense. Similarly, be specific when referring to U.S. or state government agencies. Rather than the federal government, write the U.S. federal government. Other countries have federal governments, too.
  
  
• Include state and country (if necessary) with city names. An international audience will need to know whether you mean Cairo, Illinois, or Cairo, Egypt.
  
  
• Specify time by date, not season. Keep in mind that when it’s springtime in Paris, it’s fall in Sydney. Indicate time by date, month, or quarter, not by a season.
  
  
• Avoid apostrophes. Apostrophes aren’t used in all languages, so some readers might not be familiar with them or what, in a contraction, they’re intended to replace. To ensure clarity, spell out both words of a contraction. Use it is and we will instead of it’s and we’ll. For the same reason, avoid making words possessive by adding an apostrophe and an s. Instead of the company’s goals, write company goals or the goals of the company.
  
  
• Avoid exclamation points and ampersands. Like apostrophes, these marks are not used in all written languages. To avoid puzzling some audiences, omit them in favor of other punctuation.
  
  
• Avoid slashes. A slash between two words can also be confusing. Instead of and/or, use simply and or or, or else write either this or that or both.
  
  
• Be careful with graphics. Symbols and icons that are widely understood in the United States may not be understood, or understood in the same way, in other countries. For instance, an octagonal red sign is not universally used to signal “stop”; use the word itself instead. Not everyone receives mail in a mailbox, and check marks don’t communicate “verify” to people who don’t use the word check in that sense.
        Be especially sensitive to graphics that could be offensive or even obscene in certain cultures—particularly those showing interactions between the sexes, women in short skirts, hands (especially the left hand), and alcoholic beverages.
  
  
• Avoid jargon and idioms. By definition, jargon and idioms are words and phrases understood by a limited group. So naturally, when writing for a worldwide audience, it’s vital to avoid such terms. Some idioms may seem like standard English, but if taken literally by a nonnative English speaker, they could be confusing. The following list offers examples of American-English idioms and suggests words and phrases to use instead.