Case 10: Revising a Document for Nonnative Speakers and for Translation

Background

You are an assistant to Lucinda Emeretto, Division Manager for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Office of Traveler Information. Ms. Emeretto is in charge of communicating TSA policy to the public. She has an assignment for you.

“Now that we’ve revised the policy for screening people with special religious and cultural needs at airports, we need to turn the policy into clear information for people abroad, as well as the millions of U.S. residents and citizens who are nonnative speakers of English.”

“So we’re going to translate it?” you ask.

“Yes, we’re going to do about a dozen languages, but first we want to make it as simple and easy to understand as possible. Translation is very expensive, and we want to make sure we present the information as concisely as we can.

“It sounds as if we need to rethink the document in terms of who will be reading it and how they’ll be using it.”

“Yes, that’s a good point. The original is a mix of policy statement and traveler information. What I want you to do is make it a consumer guide. We’re talking to people with special religious and cultural needs—and those who travel with them. We’re going to put the information on our site for them to study before they travel, and we’re going to have brochures at security checkpoints in the airports.”

Download the document below, and then begin your assignment.

Download a copy of Document 10.1.

Your Assignment

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the case background and document, complete the assignment below. Your instructor will tell you how he or she would like you to submit your work.

1. Go to Chapter 10 and read the original statement Document 10.1. Then write a memo to Ms. Emeretto explaining how you plan to approach the project and asking for her approval. In light of the new audience and purpose for the information, should you delete any of the information in the document? Do you need to add information? Is voice handled appropriately in the information that you think should be retained? Which aspects of sentence structure and word choice should you address?

2. Revise Document 10.1 according to the ideas you presented in your memo to Ms. Emeretto.

Reflecting on Your Work

Once you’ve completed your assignment, write a reflection about your work using the prompt below.

Question