In the elearning industry, we often have to create content for audiences who are spread across different parts of the globe. This means that sometimes, many (or even most) of the people we are writing for do not speak English as their first language. This can present some real challenges.
Not only do we need to think about whether the audience will engage with the content in terms of subject matter and voice, but also whether they will have the language skills necessary to actually understand the content in the first place.
Content that is pitched at the wrong level can be disastrous, as the audience will quickly become demotivated and disengaged.
So, how do we meet these challenges? How can we write well for non-native English speakers? For me, it comes down mainly to two things: knowing the audience, and ‘plain English’.
Knowing the audience
Before we start creating any content, whether it’s a piece of elearning, an animation, a blog, or a website, we need to know who the audience are.
At the beginning of any project, I always spend some time talking with my client about the audience. As part of this, I will ask lots of questions about their location, background and literacy level.
Questions like:
Which countries do they live and work in, and what proportion in each?
What level of English do they have?
Do they work mostly in English?
Do they use technical language in their work?
How comfortable are they with this technical language?
Will resources be delivered in English, or translated?
Questions like these allow me to correctly judge the language and tone of voice I use when planning and creating the content at a later stage.
Using ‘plain English’
I find the following guidelines useful when writing for non-native English speakers:
- Use short sentences and paragraphs
- Use the active voice, avoid the passive
- Avoid overly technical or ‘showy’ language
What’s great about these guidelines is that they are also effective for producing great content for any audience, not just those who don’t speak English as their first language.
Using short sentences and paragraphs (no more than three sentences per paragraph) helps break up the content, and enables readers absorb information bit by bit; the active voice keeps the language simple and direct; and avoiding overly technical language helps ensure that readers don’t have to stop every couple of sentences to look up a new word or phrase.
These guidelines are part of the rules of ‘plain English’, and I’m a strong advocate of their use. Check out the plain English campaign website if you want to read more about this movement.
A few other things to think about…
Imagery
Powerful imagery, if used well, can assist readers in understanding textual content. This, again, is true for all audiences.
Images are useful because they can help set the context; if a reader sees a bright, engaging image of two people talking, it’s a clear signal that the content is probably about communication. If they see a car or aeroplane, it’s probably about travel. And so on.
Animations and video scenarios, when done well, are probably the most powerful use of imagery. This is probably one reason why they are so popular as learning resources.
Translation
If budget and scope allow, content may be translated into a number of other languages to cater for all groups within the audience. If possible, find out whether this is the case early on in a project’s lifecycle.
Generally, the guidelines covered above can still be very helpful in these cases; straightforward, clear English will translate more smoothly into other languages.
However, keep in mind that some languages will take up significantly more space when translated. German, for instance, may take up as much as 25% more space than English. In an elearning project, that might mean suddenly ending up with scrollbars all over a previously-beautifully-rendered course.
Make sure you find out whether this will be an issue early in the project, and build solutions into the design process. The most obvious solution is to limit the length of the original, English content so that translated content is still facilitated.
Glossaries
For learning resources where technical language is necessary, consider including an in-built and easily accessible glossary to help the audience when they need it.
What are you working on?
Are you working on or planning a project with an international audience? Or want to talk further about creating content for non-native English speakers?