🔤 Multilingual Writing: Prepare Text for Translation
Help translators understand the meaning, audience, and purpose of the English text.
Introduction | Why This Matters | Plain Language | Readers | Sentences | Words | Consistent Terms | Design | Translation Prep | Machine Translation | Review | Checklist
Translation works best when the English text is clear before translation begins. Translators should not have to guess what the writer meant.
This section focuses mostly on written translation. But much of the advice also helps interpreters. Interpreters also need clear meaning, useful context, consistent terms, and enough background to understand what the speaker or document is trying to say.
A translator needs more than words. A translator also needs context: who the text is for, what the text is supposed to do, where it will appear, and how readers will use it.
Write the English text clearly first
Do not send a rough, confusing, or unfinished document for translation and expect the translator to fix it.
Before translation begins, check the English text for:
Unclear sentences
Missing information
Undefined terms
Inconsistent terms
Unexplained acronyms
Idioms, slang, or metaphors
Formatting that may break when translated
Translation may make a sentence easier to read in another language. But translation cannot reliably fix unclear meaning in the original English. For related advice, see Choose Words Carefully.
Tell the translator who the readers are
Translators need to know who will use the translated information.
Tell the translator if the readers are:
Parents
Students
Patients
Tenants
Riders
Voters
Workers
Customers
Applicants
Community members
People applying for benefits or services
Also explain what readers need to do after reading. Do they need to apply, call, pay, attend, bring documents, follow safety instructions, make a decision, or ask for help?
Explain where and how the text will be used
The same words may need different translations depending on where they appear.
Tell the translator what the text is for:
Letter
Form
Website
Sign
Brochure
Text message
Email
Social media post
Public notice
Phone script
Spoken announcement
A short sign may need fewer words than a letter. A text message may need a different style than a legal notice. A spoken announcement may need wording that is easy to hear and understand.
Give translators key terms
If your document uses official, technical, legal, medical, school, workplace, government, or program terms, give the translator a list of terms.
Include:
The English term
What the term means
Whether the term must be translated exactly
Approved translations, if they exist
Words to avoid, if they could confuse readers
A term list helps translators use the same words across documents, pages, forms, notices, signs, and languages. For related advice, see Use Consistent Terms.
Explain names, acronyms, and proper nouns
Tell translators what should stay in English and what should be translated.
Examples may include:
Agency names
Program names
School names
Office names
Building names
Street names
Website names
Acronyms
Legal names of forms or notices
Spell out acronyms the first time. Tell the translator whether to keep the acronym, translate the full name, or use both.
Give enough time for translation and review
Translation takes time. So does review.
Do not treat translation as the last step before publication. Build time for:
Questions from the translator
Review by someone who knows the language
Review by someone who knows the subject
Formatting after translation
Checking links, buttons, dates, names, numbers, and contact information
Rushing translation can create mistakes that confuse readers or damage trust.
Keep the format easy to work with
Send text in a format the translator can use. Avoid sending text only as an image, screenshot, scanned PDF, or complicated layout.
If possible, give the translator:
Editable text
Clean formatting
Headings and lists that match the final document
Captions or descriptions for images
Notes about where the text will appear
Enough space for translated text to expand
Translated text may be longer or shorter than the English text. A layout that barely fits the English may not work after translation. For related advice, see Design Pages Readers Can Use.
Answer translator questions
A translator’s question is not a nuisance. It is a warning that something may be unclear.
If a translator asks what a sentence means, other readers may be confused too. Use the question to improve the English and the translation.
Review the last version before publication
If possible, have the translated version reviewed by someone who knows the language, the subject, and the audience.
Check:
Names
Dates
Numbers
Addresses
Phone numbers
Links
Deadlines
Form names
Program names
Required actions
Translated buttons, labels, and headings
Do not review a translated document only by running it back through machine translation. That may help spot some problems, but it is not a reliable review. For more advice, see Review and Test with Real Readers.
Check before you send text for translation
Before you send text for translation, ask:
Is the English text final or close to final?
Is the purpose clear?
Is the audience clear?
Is the main action clear?
Have I explained necessary terms?
Have I used consistent terms?
Have I spelled out acronyms?
Have I removed idioms, slang, and unnecessary metaphors?
Have I provided context for names, programs, forms, and notices?
Have I allowed time for questions, review, and formatting?
Good translation begins with good preparation. The clearer the English text, the easier it is to carry the meaning into another language.
Introduction | Why This Matters | Plain Language | Readers | Sentences | Words | Consistent Terms | Design | Translation Prep | Machine Translation | Review | Checklist