Define the special words and expressions you use in your text and include them in a well-organized, comprehensive glossary. Do not forget abbreviations, acronyms and symbols! Many abbreviations and symbols commonly used in some English speaking countries are unknown elsewhere in the world. Units of measure that are not in the metric system are often the cause of serious misunderstandings in the international marketplace.

If you had only a fair knowledge of English and access only to a short English dictionary, how would find out the meanings of these expressions?

• "We need to get your order ASAP before the discount expires."
  

  Is "ASAP" an acronym of a shipping term such as EXW or DDU?
  
  

• "Over 3# of emulsion remained in the #5 tank."
  

  What could "#" mean? Does it make a difference if the symbol is placed before or after the number?
  
  

• "The product is packaged in standard 1 pt. containers."
  

  Is pt. the abbreviation for a portion-size container?; a US pint? a British Imperial pint? Could it mean a French pinte which is smaller than an Imperial quart but a lot larger than a US pint?

Here are a few abbreviations and symbols that are commonly used in many parts of the world but rarely used in the English speaking world. If you had to find the meaning of each, where would you look to find it, and how much time would you waste looking?

VAT,  p°,  ¥,  ca.,  ¡,  NB

It is not easy! Your international readers will experience the same problem if you do not define abbreviations and symbols in your document and include the definitions in a glossary.

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