Clear Source, Clear Translation
Your translation is only as clear as the source text behind it.
When content is created for international markets, Plain English is not about making your writing basic. It is about making your meaning unmistakable.
Idioms, wordplay and industry jargon might feel natural in your home market, but they can create unnecessary barriers when your content crosses languages and cultures.
Take a phrase like ‘ballpark figure’ or ‘hit the ground running’ in a product brochure. A translator has to stop, interpret and decide what you really meant. Multiply that across ten languages and you could end up with ten slightly different versions of the same message.
That ambiguity costs time and money. It triggers queries, slows down review cycles and increases the risk of errors, particularly in technical and compliance documentation where precision matters most.
Clear source text does the opposite. Short sentences, one idea at a time and consistent terminology leave translators far less room for doubt. They also make your translation memory work harder for you, because repeated phrases can be reused rather than retranslated.
Get it right at source and every language version benefits.
And it is not only your overseas audiences who gain. Many of your readers at home will be reading in their second language too.
A simple test before taking your content global: Would this still make sense without the idioms, jargon or clever wording?
If not, it may be time to simplify the source.
Apply for a free consultation with the TTC wetranslate team
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