Writing for Global Audiences
With the rise of the Internet, the world is smaller than ever before. Whether you’re
designing websites for a global marketplace or managing translation of user
manuals, you need to make sure your content can reach a global audience.
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Used with permission.
Don’t worry; you won’t have to dust off your high school French. Translation is part
of a broader process called localization. Localization adapts a document for a
different target market. This goes beyond translation to include changing number
and date/time formats, currencies, symbols, graphics and more.
Although localization is a task best left to specialists, writers can make this process
easier by keeping global audiences in mind when they’re writing. This is called
internationalization - i18n for short.
Tips for Internationalizing Text
Following some standard guidance can help make your document easier to localize.
•
Avoid Idioms and Metaphors – Because idioms are not taken literally, it can
be difficult to translate them into other languages. Sports metaphors and
cultural references are also problematic. “We’re batting a thousand” will be
readily understood in America. In Russia? Not so much.
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•
Avoid Synonyms – Synonyms can confuse readers whose vocabularies are
limited. They can also cause translators to wonder if you’re referring to the
same thing in both cases.
•
Beware of Embarrassing Words – You can’t know all of the words that
might have embarrassing meanings in other languages, but avoid those you
do know.
•
Write Out Dates – 01/05/15: Is that January 5th or May 1st? It depends on
where you are. You can avoid ambiguity by always writing out month names.
•
Avoid Holiday-Specific References – References to holidays are culturespecific, and often include religious overtones. Saying that someone was "as
excited as a child on Christmas morning” will mean little in a culture where
they know as much about Christmas as you do about Diwali.
•
Avoid Discriminatory Language – Use multicultural names and examples,
and avoid stereotypes.
•
Be Clear and Concise – If something is hard to understand in English, it’s
going to be harder to translate. Complex syntax can confuse non-native
speakers.
•
Leave Space – Translated text will take up more or less space than its
English counterpart. Web pages and software applications are particularly
vulnerable to layout issues when the text is suddenly too big to fit in the size
allotted.
Tips for Internationalizing Images
When your document contains images, internationalization takes on a whole new
dimension. Following these tips can save you lots of headaches when you need to
localize your images.

Avoid Words – An image that contains text can be a nightmare to localize.
You can keep text and images separate using captions or HTML overlays.
Even better: use images that need no description.
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
Avoid Offensive Symbols – Even common symbols can be offensive in some
cultures. Facebook famously changed its "Like" button from a thumb to a
stylized "f" because the thumbs-up sign has different meanings in different
parts of the world.

Use Layers – Most image software allows you to separate text from the
underlying image using layers. Provide the original files to your localization
team so they can easily change the text.

Leave Space – Words often expand in length when translated, which can
mess up your carefully composed diagram. Make sure your image has
enough room to accommodate longer translations.

Save the Data – If your document contains charts or graphs, be sure to save
the original data or spreadsheet. That way you can simply re-generate the
chart with the translated text instead of having to perform costly and
complex image editing.
Bottom Line
Now, more than ever, professional writers need to be aware of their global
audiences. By taking the time to consider internationalization up front, writers can
save their organizations (and themselves!) a great deal of time, money and effort in
the localization process. You can be the one to help your company go global.
Further Reading
The Top 10 Ways to Cut Website Translation Costs
Designing for International Users: Practical Tips
Think Globally, Write Locally
Guidelines on the Use of Non-Discriminatory Language
Text Size in Translation
W3C Internationalization
Common Idioms and Metaphors