I want to echo what Sharon has said. The problem is not spelling or grammar or rhetoric, it's idiom and vocabulary. I believe UK audiences won't be bothered by US spelling, or by an "informal" tone. They will be bothered by idioms such as "eighth-grader", "sophomore", "attending physician", or "soccer mom" - phrases that a US-based author might not even recognise as idiomatic.
You need to ensure that local subject matter experts read your material to identify the unfamiliar idioms or US-specific technical terms and replace them with idioms and terms that are familiar to the audience. And don't forget to be very careful with units of measurement as well. David (a UK author, based in the UK ) 2008/10/19 Sharon Gilmour <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Hi Andrew, > I'm a Brit who has worked in the US for over 20 years, doing localization as > well as tech writing for the last 6 or so. I also worked in international > education programs before I changed career and joined the Tech Com ranks > back in the early 90s. > The answer to your question depends, as always, on your audience - and, to > an extent, on your budget. You don't say what you are localizing, software? > hardware? consumer goods? It can make a huge difference. I work in software > and the company that I work for has made an informed decision not to > localize for the UK. We don't worry about spelling differences or the use > of the serial comma etc. In most cases people know they are buying a US > product and make allowances accordingly. That being said, we do follow > certain conventions that lead to neutral US English that is easily > understood in both countries and easily translated into other languages as > well. <snip> -- David Farbey - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Technical Communication and Information Design Authorised Reseller for DITA Exchange Mobile 07879 005 946 Business 0844 561 0742 Web site <http://www.farbey.co.uk> Blog <http://www.theblockheadblog.blogspot.com> LinkedIn profile <http://www.linkedin.com/in/informationdesign> ______________________________________________ ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2009 is your all-in-one authoring and publishing solution. Author in Doc-To-Help's XML-based editor, Microsoft Word or HTML and publish to the Web, Help systems or printed manuals. Download Free Trial. www.doctohelp.comhttp://www.techcommpros.com/componentone/ Interactive 3D Documentation Parts catalogs, animated instructions, and more. www.i3deverywhere.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
