December 6, 2023

Contents design guideline from Material I/O Part.2

Global writing is easier to read, understand, and translate

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Eugene, UX/UI Designer
Global writing is the practice of writing inclusively for many cultures and optimizing for localization. This makes writing easier to read, understand, and translate. Writing for localization is necessary when a product will be translated, but can also be a helpful lens when writing for anyone.

Word choice

Use global examples & explain local references

References to local places, holidays, and companies won’t always make sense to global audiences.

Use short, simple sentences

Break text into shorter sentences. Use bullets or separate content into sections with headings.
Each of languages have different type face, so sentence’s length is different even though they have same meaning. So text may be more longer or shorter when translated.

Avoid abbreviations

Abbreviations don’t translate well and can be confusing out of context. Spell things out whenever possible. However, common abbreviations for time are acceptable.

Clarify pronouns

Using pronouns, like “it,” can get tricky when translators are working with small, unconnected strings of text and when nouns have genders in many languages. Repeat the noun, or clarify the noun in a message description.

Clarify “this” and “that”

Don’t start a sentence with "this" or "that" unless it's immediately followed by the noun. When the noun is unclear, the sentence is more difficult to translate.

Avoid idiomatic, colloquial, and polite expressions

Idiomatic or colloquial phrases can be confusing if the meaning isn’t clear. If you use them, clarify the purpose and context of the phrase to help the translator choose an appropriate alternative.
Avoid polite expressions, such as “Please,” “Sorry,” and “Thank you,” especially in error messages. However, "please" may be used when asking the user to do something inconvenient.

Reduce technical jargon

Technical terms don't always translate. Descriptions should be simple, and in some cases literal, to avoid confusion when translating.

Clarify ambiguities

Some words have multiple meanings. For example, “traffic,” “filter,” and “change” can all be used as either nouns or verbs. Avoid using both meanings of the word in the same string or body of text. If a word has the potential to be confusing, be sure to provide as much context as possible in the message description so the translation will be accurate.
Clarify words that have multiple meanings. "Home" could reference a homepage or where someone lives.