Tips for developing smarter documentation

Designing your documents with plenty of white space will allow for text expansion during translation, improve legibility and streamline the formatting/desktop publishing process. In addition, ample white space improves your English documentation by making it more attractive and user-friendly.

Ideally, graphics should not contain text for the simple reason that graphics with text need translation. If text must be associated with a graphic, you save formatting time and money if the text is created in the page-layout application.

When selecting fonts, simpler is better. Ornate or decorative fonts should be avoided, as they impair the legibility of some languages containing special accents and characters. Try to choose fonts that are available on both Mac and PC platforms.

The template you create may not function on non-U.S. operating systems. Try to eliminate the use of template macros and minimize the use of symbols and icon graphics. These do not always translate into other languages. If you do use template macros, make sure they are flexible in their design to allow for customization for each target country.

Glossaries and frequently-used terms lists are generally project-specific. Developing and translating a glossary and frequently-used terms list for each project will help to guarantee the accuracy and correct usage of technical and industry jargon throughout the translated documentation.

When writing your documentation, avoid using slang terms and culturally-biased graphics. Slang is difficult to translate and understand, and should be omitted. Review your graphics for cultural biases prior to incorporation in your layout to avoid requiring different graphics for each translation.

Monitor your documentation word count by using the "Word Count" command found in many software applications. Localization costs are directly proportional to the number of words in a document. Do your own word count, and save on project management charges from your localization vendor.

When using an acronym in the source documentation, write out its meaning when it first appears in the document. When translating, the first use of the acronym will be defined in the target language even if the acronym remains in its English form throughout the document.

If you can say it in fewer words, do! Translation and localization costs are directly related to the number of words in the source document. Translation accuracy and speed are improved when working with easily-understood source material.