LAERTE J.

SILVA
TRADUTOR JURAMENTADO E INTERPRETE COMERCIAL
ht tp :/ / www. l j s tr ad uc oe s .c om

WRITING ENGLISH FOR THE WORLD

Preparing a document in English for translation to other languages.

A superior translation mirrors not only the content, but also the style, of the source document. When you are writing English
copy that will be translated for a global audience, it is important to communicate your message in a clear, succinct manner.

Write in an active, not passive voice. Use short, clear sentences, and eliminate ambiguity. If you use acronyms, spell
out the full phrase the first time you use it. What is obvious to you may baffle a customer in Madrid or a sales
associate in Beijing.
When is an NFL football pun not effective? When you use it in every other country outside of the United States.
Examine your English documentation from the perspective of an international reader, and eliminate regional
colloquialisms and other informal vocabulary that may not translate well.
English is clearly the lingua franca of international business. Around the world, people of all cultures are peppering
their native languages with English terms and phrases. This does not lessen the value of translation-it is simply a
reflection of doing business in a multilingual marketplace. Give some thought to your key English marketing terms
and product names-which would you prefer to remain in English, and which should be translated? Discuss the topic
with your translation company's project manager. He or she can offer you some general guidelines, but it is your
product or service that will be exported. Ask your international salespeople for their opinions-they will be using the
translations in the field, so they should feel comfortable with the terminology.
If you do not know the difference between a centimeter and a milliliter, you might think it safer to stick with your
"English" measurements in your technical sales literature. That wouldn't be true. Even the British no longer use
English measurements. Your inches, feet and quarts should be converted to metric equivalents for overseas
markets. Some countries or trading zones have specific requirements regarding measurements-for example, a
recent European Union directive mandates that all packages imported into the EU have metric-only labeling and
support documentation by 2009.
Electricity outputs vary around the world. The most common are 110V and 220V. Similarly, video formats are often
country-specific, and most DVDs are artificially restricted to play only in a few countries. Read your copy from the
perspective of an outsider trying to look in--potential customers won't buy your product unless they are sure it will
work properly in their part of the world.
Did your office in London send you a sales brochure with a request to have it translated into Russian? Date formats
vary around the world; make sure everyone is on the same calendar page. Using a notation like 7/5 can be confusing
-- is that July 5, or May 7? The safest choice is to spell out the name of the month-if space is tight, an abbreviation is
fine.
Toll-free 800 numbers do not work outside of North America. Provide alternative telephone numbers or other
customer service options for your overseas customers.

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