clear and simple: lower your content costs with global english with matthew kaul and greg adams of...
DESCRIPTION
In this webinar, Matt and Greg explain what Global English is and who it benefits, introduce you to some Global English techniques that you can implement immediately, and they examine a couple of case studies of companies who have implemented Global English—and have experienced dramatic results. This session is part of The Content Wrangler Virtual Summit on Advanced Technical Communication Practices, December 4-5, 2014. Hosted by BrightTALK. Sponsored by SDL, Astoria Software, Acrolinx, oXygen XML Editor, Logos, Scriptorium, and Oberon Technologies.TRANSCRIPT
Clear and Simple: Lower Your Content Costs
with Global English
Greg Adams Matthew Kaul December 5, 2014 AdamsKaul.com
What you’ll learn
AdamsKaul.com
What you’ll learn
I. What Global English is (and isn’t)
AdamsKaul.com
What you’ll learn
I. What Global English is (and isn’t) II. Who Global English benefits
AdamsKaul.com
What you’ll learn
I. What Global English is (and isn’t) II. Who Global English benefits III. How Global English works
AdamsKaul.com
What you’ll learn
I. What Global English is (and isn’t) II. Who Global English benefits III. How Global English works IV. How to apply some of the basic Global
English techniques
AdamsKaul.com
What you’ll learn
I. What Global English is (and isn’t) II. Who Global English benefits III. How Global English works IV. How to apply some of the basic Global
English techniques V. Where to find more information on
Global English
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English is
A form of written English that is optimized for translation.
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English is
• It’s evidence-based
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English is
• It’s evidence-based • It eliminates ambiguity
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English is
• It’s evidence-based • It eliminates ambiguity • It eases translation
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English is
• It’s evidence-based • It eliminates ambiguity • It eases translation • It benefits English-speaking audiences, too
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English isn’t
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English isn’t
• It isn’t prescriptive grammar, which is based on custom rather than evidence
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English isn’t
• It isn’t prescriptive grammar, which is based on custom rather than evidence
• It isn’t dumbed-down English
AdamsKaul.com
I. What Global English isn’t
• It isn’t prescriptive grammar, which is based on custom rather than evidence
• It isn’t dumbed-down English • It isn’t an unnatural form of English
AdamsKaul.com
II. Who Global English benefits
• Translators
AdamsKaul.com
II. Who Global English benefits
• Non-native English readers
AdamsKaul.com
II. Who Global English benefits
• Non-English readers
AdamsKaul.com
II. Who Global English benefits
• Native English readers
AdamsKaul.com
II. Who Global English benefits
• Subject-matter experts (SMEs)
AdamsKaul.com
II. Who Global English benefits
• Visually impaired readers
AdamsKaul.com
II. Who Global English benefits
• Patients
AdamsKaul.com
II. The bottom line:
• Translation costs go down • Translation efficiency increases • Translation usability increases • Risk decreases And the improved source English yields benefits, too:
AdamsKaul.com
II. The bottom line:
The FDA:
“Poorly written documents, for any reason, can impact or slow down the review process, and may necessitate multiple requests for information and clarification.”
– Quoted in: Wessling M, Seaman L. Strategies for working successfully with ESL authors. Presented at: American Medical Writers Association 72nd Annual Conference; October 6, 2012; Sacramento, CA.
AdamsKaul.com
III. How Global English works
Global English techniques fall into one of two categories:
AdamsKaul.com
III. How Global English works
Global English techniques fall into one of two categories: 1. Techniques that reduce ambiguity
AdamsKaul.com
III. How Global English works
Global English techniques fall into one of two categories: 1. Techniques that reduce ambiguity
2. Techniques that make the translator’s job easier
AdamsKaul.com
IV. Some Global English techniques
1. Write short sentences?
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
Try to limit your sentences to a length of 20-30 words, but… • Don’t omit syntactic cues
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
Don’t omit syntactic cues: a, an, the, that. • Block open port on catheter fitting.
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
Don’t omit syntactic cues: a, an, the, that. • Block [the] open port on [the] catheter
fitting. • Block open [the] port on [the] catheter
fitting.
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
Don’t omit important information. • Store in a loose coil.
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
Don’t omit important information. • Store in a loose coil.
• Roll the cord into a loose coil for storage.
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
Don’t omit important information. • Verify graft position.
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
Don’t omit important information. • Verify graft position.
• Verify that the graft is in the correct position.
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
Reusability of device depends in large part on care of device by user. Factors involved in prolonging life of this device include, but are not limited to: advancing through endoscope accessory channel in short increments, gently withdrawing device from channel, avoiding loops and/or kinks in catheter, coiling device in a minimum 8-inch (20 cm) diameter, thorough cleaning following instructions included in this booklet.
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences? [The r]eusability of [the] device depends in large part on [the] care of [the] device [that is provided] by [the] user. Factors [that are, and factors isn't the right word here] involved in prolonging [the] life of this device include, but are not limited to: advancing [the device] through [the] endoscope accessory channel in short increments, gently withdrawing [the] device from [the] channel [gently should go here], avoiding loops and/or kinks in [the] catheter, [rolling the] coiling device [into a coil that has] in a minimum 8-inch (20 cm) diameter, thorough[ly] cleaning [the device] following [the] instructions [that are] included in this booklet. (The translators had to fill in this missing information and correct the usage errors.)
AdamsKaul.com
1. Write short sentences?
The reusability of the device largely depends on the user’s care of the device. The following practices can prolong the life of the device:
• Advance the device through the accessory channel in short increments.
• Withdraw the device from the channel gently. • Avoid looping and kinking the catheter. • Roll the device into a coil that has a diameter of 8
inches or greater. • Clean the device thoroughly according to the
instructions that are included in this booklet.
AdamsKaul.com
2. Avoid slashes.
Advance the guide catheter/sheath. • The catheter and the sheath
simultaneously? • Either the catheter or the sheath? • The catheter and sheath are the same
thing?
AdamsKaul.com
3. Use the active voice.
• The dog chases the cat.
• The cat is chased by the dog.
• The cat is chased.
AdamsKaul.com
4. Use active verbs.
The combination of the passive voice and nominalizations (nouns made from verbs or adjectives) creates ambiguity. • “The operation of the system increases
efficiency.” • Your operation? My operation? Its
operation of itself?
AdamsKaul.com
4. Use active verbs.
• Utilization, facilitation, activation, completion, movement, reaction, discovery, difficulty
AdamsKaul.com
5. Write translatable bulleted lists.
This bulleted list: • uses the bulleted points to complete the
sentence. • follows from the introductory element. • is a hassle to translate.
AdamsKaul.com
5. Write translatable bulleted lists.
This bulleted list has the following attributes: • It doesn’t require the bulleted points to
complete the sentence. • It isn’t a hassle to translate. • It doesn’t force the translator to reorganize
and rewrite the entire list to accommodate languages that have a different word order.
AdamsKaul.com
6. Avoid broad-reference pronouns.
• Our new monitor has virtually no background noise, which should substantially reduce the number of false positives.
AdamsKaul.com
6. Avoid broad-reference pronouns.
• Our new monitor has virtually no background noise, which should substantially reduce the number of false positives.
• Our new monitor has virtually no background noise. That’s why it should substantially reduce the number of false positives.
AdamsKaul.com
7. Avoid ambiguous pronouns.
• In order to sterilize a reusable product using an autoclave, it must first be properly cleaned and disinfected.
AdamsKaul.com
7. Avoid ambiguous pronouns. • All • Another • Any • Each • Either • Few • Following • Many • Neither • None • One • Other • Rest, the
• Same • Several • Some • Such • That • Them • These • Those
(Of what? Of which? As what?)
AdamsKaul.com
Case Study 1: SAS Institute
• Sentences translated via machine translation
• Increase from 27% to 68% in sentences that were rated “good” or “excellent”
• Reduction from 63% to 32% in sentences that were rated “medium” or “poor”
AdamsKaul.com
Case Study 2: Cook Medical
Before: “As part of Cook's ongoing support for our distributor partners in remaining compliant with company policies, and those of your respective governments, respecting the laws and trade association requirements that must be followed, Cook has focused on providing both face to face training and e-learning modules to increase compliance knowledge.”
AdamsKaul.com
Case Study 2: Cook Medical Before:
“As part of Cook's ongoing support for our distributor partners in remaining compliant with company policies, and those of your respective governments, respecting the laws and trade association requirements that must be followed, Cook has focused on providing both face to face training and e-learning modules to increase compliance knowledge.”
After: “Cook provides face-to-face training and e-learning modules to help our distribution partners comply with laws, company policies, and trade association requirements.”
AdamsKaul.com
“The Global English guidelines help illustrate the fact that the quality and consistency of the source text, not the skill or competence of the translator, are often the biggest factors that affect translation quality.”
– Kohl JR. The Global English Style Guide. Cary, NC; SAS Institute Inc.; 2008:xiii.
AdamsKaul.com
V. For more information
• AdamsKaul.com • Kohl JR. The Global English Style Guide.
Cary, NC: SAS Publishing; 2008. • Microsoft. Microsoft Manual of Style. 4th
edition. Redmond, WA; Microsoft Press; 2012.
• Sun Technical Publications. Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry. Upper Saddle River, NJ; Prentice Hall; 2003.
AdamsKaul.com
