More Related Content Similar to Introduction to Global English (20) Introduction to Global English1. Introduction to Global
English
John R. Kohl
Linguistic Engineer
SAS Institute, Inc.
Cary, North Carolina
john.kohl@sas.com
Copyright © 2012 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.
2. Agenda
Important Concepts
Selected Guidelines
Benefits of Developing Global English Skills
How Will You Implement Global English?
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3. Important Concepts
non-native speaker
translation-memory software
• SDL Trados, Multicorpora, Wordfast, Déjà Vu, Transit
machine-translation software
• Google Translate, Bing Translator, Asia Online,
SYSTRAN, PROMT, Moses
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4. Important Concepts (cont.)
Considerations:
• For non-native speakers, we need to simplify our
language somewhat and avoid unusual terms and
constructions.
• Native speakers typically still outnumber non-natives.
We don‟t want to alienate native speakers by going to
extremes.
• The use of translation memory underscores the
importance of consistency. (Global English targets
sources of unnecessary inconsistency, not just errors.)
• For translation—especially machine translation—
simplification, consistency, and clarity are important.
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5. Agenda
Important Concepts
Selected Guidelines
Benefits of Developing Global English Skills
How Will You Implement Global English?
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6. Selected Guidelines
1. Conforming to Standard English
2. Simplifying Your Writing Style
3. Using Modifiers Clearly and Carefully
4. Making Pronouns Clear and Easy to Translate
5. Eliminating Undesirable Terms and Phrases
6. Punctuation and Capitalization Guidelines
7. Using Syntactic Cues
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7. 1. Conforming to Standard English
Use standard verb complements
By default, a command bar is displayed at the top of
the window. Alternatively, you can select to display a
floating command dialog box instead.
By default, a command bar is displayed at the top of
the window. Alternatively, you can choose to display
a floating command dialog box instead.
But don‟t just use the first revision that comes to mind
By default, a command bar is displayed at the top of
the window. To enter commands in a floating dialog
box instead, select Command box from the
Preferences dialog box. (5 words longer, but tells them how to
do it.)
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8. 1. Conforming to Standard English
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9. 1. Conforming to Standard English
Don‟t use intransitive verbs transitively, or vice
versa
If you are not sure what an icon represents, pause
your cursor on the icon.
If you are not sure what an icon represents, position
your cursor over the icon.
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10. 1. Conforming to Standard English
Don‟t use non-standard comparative and
superlative adjectives
Ants are likelier to take bait when the temperature is
between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ants are more likely to take bait when the
temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees
Fahrenheit.
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11. 2. Simplifying Your Writing Style
Some familiar guidelines:
• Use shorter sentences
• Avoid unnecessary use of passive voice
• Avoid unnecessary use of future tense
• Consider revising or defining noun phrases
• etc.
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12. 2. Simplifying Your Writing Style
Avoid unusual constructions
• The “get” passive
When you press F6, your program gets submitted
for execution.
When you press F6, your program is submitted for
execution.
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13. 2. Simplifying Your Writing Style
Avoid unusual constructions
• Causative “have”
All variables that are shorter than 8 bytes will have
their lengths increased by 1 byte.
If a variable is shorter than 8 bytes, its length will be
increased by 1 byte. [same word count, but two
short clauses instead of one long one]
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14. 2. Simplifying Your Writing Style
Avoid ambiguous verb constructions
• “appear” plus an infinitive:
The Message Display window appears to indicate
how many records were inserted into the new table.
? The Message Display window seems to indicate how
many records were inserted into the new table.
The Message Display window appears. This window
indicates how many records were inserted into the
new table.
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15. 3. Using Modifiers Clearly and Carefully
Place “only” immediately before whatever it is
modifying
Treatment for the most common type of stroke is
generally only effective within three hours of the first
symptom.
Treatment for the most common type of stroke is
generally effective only within three hours of the first
symptom.
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16. 3. Using Modifiers Clearly and Carefully
Clarify what each prepositional phrase is
modifying:
Only 17 characters are available for the table name
on a standard tape label.
? Only 17 characters are available for the table name
that is on a standard tape label.
On a standard tape label, only 17 characters are
available for the table name.
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17. 4. Making Pronouns Clear and Easy to Translate
“it”
You must correct the error in your program before
submitting it again.
? Vous devez corriger l’erreur dans votre programme
avant de la soumettre encore.
? Vous devez corriger l‟erreur dans votre programme
avant de le soumettre encore.
You must correct the error in your program before
resubmitting the program.
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18. 5. Eliminating Undesirable Terms and Phrases
Eliminate unnecessary unusual non-technical
terms
If the MEND statement is extraneous, then delete it.
If the MEND statement is unnecessary, then delete it.
This book includes many of the same procedures as
the User's Guide, albeit at a more advanced level.
This book includes many of the same procedures as
the User's Guide, but at a more advanced level.
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19. 5. Eliminating Undesirable Terms and Phrases
Eliminate unnecessary unusual non-technical
terms
Abbreviations
• a.k.a.
• n.a., n/a, N.A., N/A
• i.e., e.g., etc. (common, but they lead to inconsistency)
Truncated spellings
• dupe
• hi, lo
• But what about app?
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20. 6. Punctuation and Capitalization
Don‟t use an em dash to introduce an -ING
phrase
ActiveX draws each part of the step—resulting in a
somewhat different graph.
ActiveX draws each part of the step, resulting in a
somewhat different graph
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21. 6. Punctuation and Capitalization
Use a period instead of a semicolon before
certain transitional words and phrases
Because the shares add up to one, the system is
singular; therefore, one equation is omitted from the
estimation process.
Because the shares add up to one, the system is
singular. Therefore, one equation is omitted from the
estimation process.
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22. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
A linguist‟s definition of syntactic cue:
any element or aspect of language that helps
readers identify parts of speech and analyze
sentence structure.
Syntactic cues help readers make sense even out
of nonsense:
„Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky
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23. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
The Global English definition of syntactic
cue:
any optional element or aspect of language
that helps readers identify parts of speech and
analyze sentence structure.
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24. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
The Global English definition of syntactic
cue:
any optional element or aspect of language
that helps readers identify parts of speech and
analyze sentence structure.
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25. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
Examples:
• Ensure the client computer is still connected.
• Ensure that the client computer is still connected.
• A label assigns a variable a more informative name.
• A label assigns a more informative name to a variable.
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26. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
Research (summarized in Appendix D) shows:
Non-native speakers rely more heavily on syntactic cues
than native speakers do.
Syntactic cues also improve readability for native
speakers.
Empirical evidence shows:
Syntactic cues eliminate ambiguities that would otherwise
impede translation.
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27. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
Syntactic cues proof of concept:
If you‟re ready to master the basics of the
software, take your SAS skills to the next level,
become SAS Certified, or simply need access to
SAS software to practice along with a course or
book, check out SAS OnDemand for
Professionals.
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28. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
Syntactic cues proof of concept:
If you‟re ready to master the basics of the
software, to take your SAS skills to the next
level, or to become SAS Certified, or if you
simply need access to SAS software in order to
practice along with a course or a book, check out
SAS OnDemand for Professionals.
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29. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
Explicit sentence structure improves readability:
The page you requested could not be located.
The page that you requested could not be located.
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30. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
Syntactic cues eliminate ambiguity:
The Cardiac Compass report includes an entry for every
defibrillation therapy delivered.
? The Cardiac Compass report includes an entry for every
defibrillation therapy that is delivered.
? The Cardiac Compass report includes an entry for every
defibrillation therapy that was delivered.
The Cardiac Compass report includes an entry for every
defibrillation therapy that has been delivered.
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31. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
Syntactic cues eliminate ambiguity:
Use the FILENAME statement to specify the logical
member name and member type.
? Use the FILENAME statement to specify the logical
member name and the logical member type.
Use the FILENAME statement to specify the logical
member name and the member type.
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32. 7. Using Syntactic Cues
Two cardinal rules of Global English
1. Don‟t make any change that will sound unnatural to
native speakers of English.
Corollary: There‟s usually a natural-sounding
alternative if you have time to think of one.
2. Don‟t insert a syntactic cue without considering
whether some other revision would be even better.
The data available in the episode log includes the
following types of data:
? The data that is available in the episode log
includes the following types of data:
The episode log includes the following types of
data: (31% reduction in word count)
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33. Agenda
Important Concepts
Selected Guidelines
Benefits of Developing Global English Skills
How Will You Implement Global English?
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34. Benefits of Developing Global English Skills
The Global English guidelines help technical
writers and editors make “sense out of
nonsense.”
The guidelines provide explanations and
justifications for edits that editors might naturally
be inclined to make anyway.
Writing or editing for a global audience can be a
marketable skill (if you‟re job-hunting), or an
added value for your current employer!
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35. Agenda
Important Concepts
Selected Guidelines
Benefits of Developing Global English Skills
How Will You Implement Global English?
slide 35
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36. How Will You Implement Global English?
Option 1 Leave it all up to the
editors?
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37. How Will You Implement Global English?
Teach it to writers and editors
Option 2 in workshops?
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38. How Will You Implement Global English?
Controlled-authoring software:
Option 3 • Use computers to flag the errors that
computers can reliably detect.
• Allow editors to focus on things that add
more value (substantive edits, content
reduction, standardizing terminology).
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39. How Will You Implement Global English?
Controlled-authoring software (“language
quality-assurance software”)
• checks grammar, style, spelling, and terminology
• is highly customizable, hence very “on target”
• gives users immediate feedback (= effective training)
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40. How Will You Implement Global English?
Some controlled-authoring software products:
• Acrolinx IQ (www.acrolinx.com)
• HyperSTE (www.simplifiedenglish.net)
• SDL Global Authoring Management System
(http://www.sdl.com/en/xml/products/sdl-global-ams/)
• crossCheck (http://www.across.net/en/translation-
quality.aspx)
• Congree Authoring Server
(http://www.congree.com/en/index.aspx)
• Boeing Simplified English Checker
(http://www.boeing.com/phantom/sechecker/)
• MAXit (http://www.smartny.com/maxit.htm)
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41. How Will You Implement Global English?
See the handout.
Option 4
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42. Handout
The handout on the STC Live Learning Center
(http://www.softconference.com/stc/default.asp)
includes the following:
Learning to Follow the Global English Guidelines: A table
of search strings that you can use to collect and analyze
examples from your own documentation.
Example: Search for every instance of “get” and determine whether it is
being used to form passive voice. (Guideline 3.10.1 Avoid using “get” to
form passive voice.)
Syntactic Cues Guidelines: A concise listing of the major
syntactic cues guidelines, with examples.
Recommended Reading and Resources
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46. The Whole Scoop
For the complete set of Global English guidelines,
see Kohl, John R. The Global English Style Guide:
Writing Clear, Translatable Documentation for a
Global Market (2008, SAS Press). Available at all
the major online booksellers.
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47. Questions? Fragen? Quaestiones
?
Domande
Sorular? ? 질문
¿Preguntas? Вопросы?
Perguntas?
Questions?
Ερωτήσεις ; Pytania? Vragen?
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48. Thank You Danke! Gratias!
Grazie!
당신을 감사하
Teşekkürler!
십시오
¡Gracias! Срасибо!
Obrigado!
Merci!
Σας Dziękuje! Dank u!
εσταριστούμε
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