To avoid common pitfalls, there are some general guidelines you should keep in mind when writing for translation. Keep your sentences simple and direct to increase understanding—and use a style guide for consistency. Because clear, concise, well-constructed sentences improve translation quality, reduce turnaround time, and cut costs—which speeds time-to-market and accelerates revenue streams. Here are some tips:
1. Keep sentences brief.
For increased comprehension and simpler translations, aim for about 20 words or less. And boost readability. I often ask myself, what’s truly important? How can I simplify what I want to say? Reading sentences aloud helps to keep them short and sweet.
2. Use Standard English word order whenever possible.
This generally means a subject, verb, an object with associated modifiers. Ensure correct grammatical structure and proper punctuation. This is also a useful tips for every translators.
3. Avoid long noun strings.
When connecting elements are omitted from noun strings, readers must infer the relationship between the words. If you have to read a sentence several times to understand it, chances are that there will be further complications when it’s translated into a different language. When this happens, we tend to see misinterpretations of the original meaning—or a translation that appears too literal.
