Preparing Text for Translation

• Use short sentences. Try for an average of no more than 20 words per sentence.
• Use the active voice. The active voice (“You should do this procedure after the engine has run for 100 hours”) is easier to translate than the passive voice (“This procedure should be done after the engine has run for 100 hours”).
• Use simple words. Translators will find do easier to translate than perform.

• Include a glossary. If you need to use technical terms, define them in a glossary.
• Use words that have only one meaning. Write “This is the correct valve,” not “This is the right valve,” because right could also mean “the one on the right side.”
• Use pronouns carefully. Don’t write “Matthews phoned Hawkins to ask if he was scheduled to speak at the meeting.” The translator might not know which person he refers to. Instead, write “Matthews phoned Hawkins to ask if Hawkins was scheduled to speak at the meeting.”
• Avoid jokes, puns, and culture-bound references. Humor doesn’t translate well. If you refer to a box of computer pointing devices as “a box of mice,” the translator might translate the words literally because the device (a mouse) is not known by that name everywhere. Also avoid other culture-bound references, such as sports metaphors (hat trick or grand slam) or references to national heroes or holidays (George Washington or Fourth of July).