English documentation needs native-English authors

The English language has become the most widely spoken in the world and, as organizations with an international reach produce more and more documents, the commercial pressures to have these written in English have increased. However, compromising on the quality of the written English reduces its effectiveness as a way to communicate with international audiences. Poorly written text presents problems when the readers are not native-English speakers, and if you choose to translate the English information, it adds significant costs and risks to the translation process.

Technical authoring is a skill that can be learned and there are several courses available in this field. Like other IT disciplines, it often needs technical expertise and knowledge of specific tools but, most importantly, it demands an understanding of end-user requirements and an ability to convey the required information in a simple, coherent, user-friendly way.

Anyone who fluently speaks another language knows that writing accurately in that same language is much harder. Even someone who has an excellent grasp of English grammar will find it difficult to write like a trained native-English writer. For most people writing in a language that is not their mother tongue is time-consuming, cumbersome, and requires considerable editorial support.

If writing in English is a commercial must for your organization, 3di can provide experienced native-English authors and editors on a contract basis - in the UK and across Europe.