How to write plain English for an international audience? Here is how! Xport-English logo
Introduction

Use clear straightforward English!  Avoid costly problems in the international marketplace.

 

The failure to communicate in clear straightforward English causes many costly problems in the international marketplace. Problems occur when your international customers and correspondents do not understand your message in English. Documents that are specifically written in English for an international audience will help you to avoid frustrating, time-consuming and costly errors. They will save you money and help you grow your international business.

XportEnglish  can help. We revise your English language documents for the international marketplace. Our services apply to printed materials, oral presentations, and web sites. We also offer a red-pencil service for quick turn-around editing.

 


MAIN CONTENTS

How plain English
can help your business

What is plain English?

Editing services

Consulting services

Company profile

More writing tips

Some useful links

How to contact us



WRITING TIPS

Introduction

More writing tips



Use short sentences

Use short paragraphs

Use common words

Use terms consistently

Define special terms and
abbreviations


Use active voice,
positive words


Be clear and concise

Emphasize important information

Avoid slang and
colloquialisms


Maintain cultural neutrality

Avoid noun strings

Illustrate with pictures,
tables and charts


Summary


Contact XportEnglish
Information on Our Services
The 6 Main Steps
The First Lesson
The first six steps

There are six main steps in preparing spoken or written materials in plain English for an international audience.

1 Know your audience, their needs and their interests. There may be more than one audience for your message!
2 Plan your message according to the particular needs of each audience.
3 Organize your materials logically.
4 Write in Plain English; then edit the Plain English text for an international audience.
5 Test the performance of your materials on a sample of your audience.
6 Revise your materials according to the results of the tests.
Home Page | Site Index | Services | Company Profile | Contact Address | E-mail           Next >>

Copyright © 1998-1999 CrossBorder Communication. All rights reserved.
URL: http://home.earthlink.net/~xportenglish/
Revised: 27 November 1999