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Writing for Easy Translation

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Catchaotica  #468046  Wed, 23 Jan 08 06:04 PM
I recently heard of this concept, writing for easy translation, but I haven't been able to find any information on the subject. Is anyone aware of resources for native English speakers writing for a diverse audience of non-native English speakers?

Background Information: I am a marketing writer for a small company that sells lightning protection devices internationally. Our company sells a lot to South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, and Europe. Given the wide variety of languages spoken in these areas, and our limited resources, it is not feasible for us to translate our documentation into several languages. In general, all of our clients speak English, however we would like to write in a way that accommodates varying degrees of English fluency.

Thanks!
  
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Grammar Geek  #468074  Wed, 23 Jan 08 07:34 PM

Hi Catchaotica, and welcome to the forums. We have business offices in India and the Middle East, and are facing similar issues. If you learn more about it, please post here again. I know my native style is to use complex sentences but I worry that too many simple sentences won't sound sophisticated enough - or at the very least, sound boring!

  
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Anonymous  #469545  Mon, 28 Jan 08 01:24 AM

I once had to write a manual for the government and was told not to make any sentence more than 10 words! It was for a women's health related criminal  procedure (rape booklet).

  
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