9 Avoid slang and colloquialisms
Assume that your international audience will not understand slang, colloquialisms and trendy expressions. Most native speakers of American English should have no trouble in understanding the passage below, except perhaps for technical terms such as "ISP" or "start page." But even the segment of your international audience that seems to know English reasonably well will find this passage almost incomprehensible.
Compare the original text to the improved text in the two examples below:
FIRST EXAMPLE:
Original Text (from "Ultimate ISP Guide", www.cnet.com, 1998)
Don't buy the line that one ISP fits all. We wish! Setting your own start page is easy for seasoned Net vets. But the less-experienced will actually appreciate home-grown content from their ISP, not to mention well-organized links to the rest of the Net. If you want to recommend an ISP to a newbie, MSN and America Online serve up a decent content smorgasbord.
[Editor's comment: I have written in light blue color some 19 idioms, trendy words, slang expressions, incomplete sentences, and abbreviations that make the above passage almost incomprehensible to the nonnative speaker of English. The improved text below is a little longer but it conveys the meaning clearly.]
Improved Text
Do not believe the statement that one, and only one, Internet Service Provider (ISP) can satisfy the needs of all users of the internet. We wish that this statement were true, but it is not true. Users with a lot of experience or training, for example, might prefer the flexibility that some ISPs offer. Beginners on the internet, however, will probably find such flexibility very difficult to use. If you want to recommend an ISP to a beginner, recommend ISPs like Microsoft Network (MSN) or America Online (AOL). These ISPs offer a good selection of internet material and services that beginners can learn to use quickly and easily.
SECOND EXAMPLE:
Some colloquialisms and idiomatic expressions commonly used in business English can cause serious misunderstandings, even to native speakers of English. Consider this famous example:
Original Text
To fill you in on the outcome of last week's meeting, I am happy to report that the General Management Committee decided to table XYZ Company's proposal. The reason? RJ's presentation bombed!
Translation from the British idiom
I am happy to report that, in its meeting of last week, the General Management Committee decided to carefully review the proposal of XYZ Company. We have to thank RJ. His presentation to the Committee was very successful.
Translation from the American idiom
I am happy to report that, in its meeting of last week, the General Management Committee decided to postpone discussion of the proposal of XYZ Company indefinitely. We were lucky. RJ's presentation to the Committee was a complete failure!
[Editor's comment: The meanings in the British vernacular of the expressions "to table a proposal" and, in this context, "to bomb" are nearly opposite to the meanings of the same expressions in the American vernacular.] |
