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Subject:Manuals Written in Non-American English -Reply From:Bill Sullivan <bsullivan -at- SMTPLINK -dot- DELTECPOWER -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 20 Aug 1996 16:36:23 -0700
>>What things are generally done in manuals written for the USA that
don't work well for non-American English speakers? (Aside from the
normal, generally-accepted conventions for user documentation, if
such things exist.)
In general, stick to short, simple words in short, simple sentences.
Avoid pronouns. I got this from a lady from Belgium I met at the STC
conference in Seattle. She pointed out that pronouns are hard to
follow, and I see her point.
Avoid anything that might translate funny, no matter how brilliant
the English. This is akin to Quiller-Couch's "murder your darlings."
See International Technical Communication by Nancy L. Hoft (Wiley).
It's full of details and has a nice appendix on resources.
I would like to see the thoughts of others on this list.
Bill Sullivan
bsullivan -at- deltecpower -dot- com
San Diego, California
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