The Internet abounds with examples of “Engrish”—signs, menus, and other writing, poorly translated into English. For example:

• “Carefully slip and fall down.”
• “Please present your octopus.”
• “If you are stolen, call the police at once.”

Although English speakers find these amusing, did you ever stop to think that it works both ways—that non-English speakers might get a laugh from writing that is poorly translated from English? I’ll spare you the suspense: Yes. 

• An “Exit Only” sign in a Starbucks had a Spanish translation that actually meant “Success Here.”
• A T-shirt commemorating a Papal visit should have said, in Spanish, “I saw the Pope,” but it actually said “I saw the potato.”
• The French translation of “Handwashing Recommended” on the bottom of a ceramic dish actually reads “Users are advised to wash their hands.”

Whether you intend it to or not, your writing may eventually be translated, either by a human or a computer. Should you care? Think about it: Even if your target audience is in your home country, some of your readers will not be native speakers. Shouldn’t you consider making it easier for them? Is it even possible?

In fact, it is: A set of writing techniques called “global English” can help non-native speakers and translators – many of whom are not native English speakers themselves. Here are some of the guidelines.

Avoid Idioms and Slang Terms

Idioms—those peculiar phrases such as “happy medium,” “make a killing,” and “lend a hand”—are notoriously difficult to translate. Machine translators, and sometimes human ones too, will typically attempt to translate the literal meaning of the words, often with bewildering results. Avoiding them can be tricky because some of them come so naturally that you don’t even realize they are idioms.

Similarly, slang terms can lead to poor translations. Try to avoid them.

Choose Words Carefully, And Be Consistent

You may have a habit of adding variety to your writing by using synonyms or near-synonyms so you aren’t using the same word over and over. Unfortunately, this practice makes it difficult for translators. Some examples of problematic near-synonyms:

• Using “since” or “as” in place of “because.” “Since” and “as” can have other meanings, so it’s better to stick to “because” when you are describing a causal relationship.
• The word “while” implies “at the same time as,” but is often used in place of “although.”

Consistency is important. Don’t throw synonyms around just for the sake of variety—it makes your meaning harder to follow.

Mind Your Pronouns

Two pronoun habits make things difficult for translators: using “this” by itself as a subject, and leaving out “that.”

When you use “this” by itself as a subject (“This causes problems…”), it is not always clear what the pronoun “this” refers to. To make it easier, you should include the actual subject: “This situation causes problems….”

Similarly, leaving out “that” can be confusing. “The problems you caused were avoidable” is better written as “The problems that you caused were avoidable.”

The guidelines described here represent only a sample of the global English techniques. Should you implement them? It depends. For example, creative writing – especially dialogue – can come across as stilted and unnatural with these techniques. You’ll have to balance these considerations against the risk of being an example of “Engrish in reverse.”

Morris Vaughan is a technical writing consultant in Los Angeles, California.