Re: Rule about not using possessive?
Sorry...I didn't mean for my reply to Lisa/all to sound so sweeping; of course, if the proper context is conveyed in the translation, then there shouldn't be a problem, even though some technical writing handbooks state that possessives do create problems for translations.
No reason to apologize, Lurker. (Can I call you Lurk?) Anyway, it's not the only myth that abounds about writing for international audiences. The other most common one I hear is not to use gerunds. The rationale is that some languages don't have that particular part of speech. While some languages might not have gerunds, applying such a rule would be like suggesting that Russian writers shouldn't use the locative case for text translated into English because English doesn't have that case. Gerunds are perfectly fine, as long as the syntax is clear in context. If it's unclear whether something is a gerund or a participle, then there's a problem.
I'm also not disputing that other reasons might exist to avoid using contractions or possessive forms. Translation simply isn't one of them.
In terms of language, write using the accepted standards for your primary audience, and let translators determine how best to render the content for their target audience.
Bill Burns, Director - Northwest Office, Scriptorium Publishing
The WebWorks Publisher Cookbook now available
http://www.scriptorium.com/books/wwpcookbook.html
bburns -at- scriptorium -dot- com - 208-484-4459
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