From Angela Williams, Editor, Palio

Did you know that when you translate a document from English into Spanish, the copy length typically increases by about 25%?

This small tidbit of information may seem unimportant, especially in the midst of a multilingual marketing campaign, but planning for translation hiccups up front will help ensure your communications are as clear, engaging, and culturally appropriate in another language as they are in English.

Writing or designing for a translated piece? Keep these 5 rules of thumb top of mind.

1. Err on the side of lean. Chances are that if your English copy is teetering on the verbose side, the foreign language translation will too. Use clear, concise language, shorter sentences, and simple, standard constructions. Translation vendors charge per word, so wordiness will cost you.

2. Steer clear of idioms, colloquialisms, and jargon. Expressions or terms with unconventional meanings (eg, the bottom line, quick and dirty) don’t always have suitable counterparts in other languages. If you’re not careful, their translations may inadvertently come across as inappropriate, offensive, or confusing.

3. Avoid excessive use of acronyms. If there isn’t already an established foreign language equivalent for an English acronym (eg, the translation of HIV is VIH in Spanish), its spelled-out translation will tack on length very quickly – at a rate of a few extra words per mention.

4. Don’t skimp on the white space. An airy layout with a good amount of white space might look slightly odd before your piece is translated, but when your manuscript comes back 25% longer, you’ll be thrilled you don’t have to crop images or sacrifice design elements to cram in that additional copy.

5. Tailor colors and graphics to your target. Before you start designing, do your research. Consider your audience’s nationality, religion, and level of conservatism when selecting imagery. And be aware of how your audience views certain colors, which may carry different connotations or meanings in other cultures.

Your translation vendor should be able to approximate how much your copy length will increase based on the language and/or dialect into which you’re translating. If you’re not certain, find out. And then make sure members of your creative team are privy, too.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Angela Williams, Editor, Palio

Hyphens and dashes are internal punctuation marks used for linkage and clarity of expression.

Hyphen (-)

Use a hyphen to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea from 2 or more words.

Avoid ambiguity. Use a hyphen whenever ambiguity would result if it were omitted.

• He recovered his health

• He re-covered his leaky roof

Compound modifier. When a compound modifier (2 or more words that express a single concept) precedes a noun, use a hyphen to link the words.

• First-quarter touchdown

• A full-time job

• A know-it-all attitude

Many combinations that are hyphenated before a noun are not hyphenated when they occur after a noun.

• The team scored in the first quarter

• The woman works full time

• His attitude suggested he knew it all

When a modifier that would be hyphenated before a noun occurs instead after a form of the verb to be, the hyphen usually must be retained to avoid confusion.

• The man is well-known

• The woman is quick-witted

How hyphenation can affect meaning

Sometimes it is especially important to hyphenate the compound modifier because words can mean different things depending on the hyphenation. For example, there’s a difference between “hot-water bottle” and “hot water bottle.” When you hyphenate hot-water, you’re making it a single compound modifier that applies to the word bottle. It’s a bottle for holding hot water. But when you don’t hyphenate hot water, the words are separate modifiers and you’re describing a water bottle that is hot.

En dash (–)

The en dash is longer than a hyphen but half the length of the em dash (and gets its name from the length of the letter “N” in most typesets). The en dash shows relational distinction in a hyphenated or compound modifier, 1 element of which consists of 2 words or a hyphenated word, or when the word being modified is a compound.

• Post–World War I

• Non–small cell carcinoma

• Multiple sclerosis–like symptoms

Em dash (—)

The em dash is the longest of the three and is used to indicate a marked or pronounced interruption or break in thought (and gets its name from the length of the letter “M” in most typesets). It is best to use this mode sparingly; do not use an em dash when another punctuation mark will suffice (for instance, the comma or the colon) or to imply namely, that is, or in other words when an explanation follows.

• All of these factors—age, severity of symptoms, and choice of anesthetic agent—determine the patient’s reaction.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Angela Williams, Editor, Palio

Who is used when you are referring to the subject of a sentence (like he, she, or they), and whom is used when you are referring to the object of a sentence (like him, her, or them). Generally, who does something. Whom has something done to it.

Still confused? Try mentally substituting he or him (or your pronoun of choice) where who or whom should go. If him fits, you want whom (both end in m); if he fits, you want who (both end in a vowel). Ask yourself, “Who is doing what to whom?”

Q: The captain chose teammates (who or whom) he thought played well.
A: The captain chose teammates who he thought played well.

Why: In this case, the who or whom in question has done something: played well. Or, if you use the substitution trick, he or they played well. You wouldn’t say, for example, him played well or them played well. Therefore, you know you want who.

Q: Joe wouldn’t tell John (who or whom) he chose for his fantasy team.
A: Joe wouldn’t tell John whom he chose for his fantasy team.

Why: Here, the who or whom in question is having something (the action of choosing) done to it. Ask yourself, “What did Joe choose?” and substitute. He chose them. You wouldn’t say he chose they. So, you know you want whom.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Allen Mercier, Senior Editor, Palio

Have you ever considered a world without copy editors? I guarantee that most people give little thought to who’s responsible for crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s in whatever they happen to be reading. So what do you get when no thought is given to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and accuracy? Well, on the Web you get comments on articles or videos. And as we all know, “comments” are often unfiltered attacks.

Flaming, the official name for these online attacks, is everywhere. No one seems to agree on anything or to be shy about starting a flame war over nothing. The flame that always gets my attention is the spell-check attack. Whenever a comment has a misspelling, it’s sure to draw moths to the flame. So, the flame goes, your argument has no merit (and you’re an #%$%*@#) because you didn’t use “your” correctly.

So, we have simple spelling mistakes that ostensibly lead to vitriolic attacks. But we all know better than that. Editing is about clarity, not flame wars that just cloud the discussion.

Would the Internet be a more civil place if there were a copy editor in every computer? Probably not, but there would definitely be fewer typos.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Angela Williams, Editor, Palio

A mere 12% of Americans have proficient health literacy skills, according to the 2003 National Health Assessment of Adult Literacy. Fifty-three percent ranked as having an intermediate health literacy level, and a whopping 35%, or 77 million American adults, were attributed with a basic to below-basic health literacy level. This latter percentage, according to assessment findings, had difficulty with what were deemed common health tasks — following directions on a prescription drug label or adhering to a childhood immunization schedule using a standard chart.

These stats don’t bode well for patient comprehension — or patient health. Especially since health educational materials, such as drug operating instructions, patient brochures, and Web sites, are often written to a tenth-grade reading level (when its low-literate readers may only be able to understand language at a fourth or fifth). Ideally, tools used to boost comprehension for those with low literacy should be used in all patient-directed materials intended for that audience. If they’re not, those materials may not be as (low-literate) reader-friendly as they need to be.

Next time you’re developing patient-directed communications for an audience including low-literate members, consider these 7 best practices for tailoring your message.

1. Use the right fonts — and font size. Stick to plain sans serif fonts and vary sizes for emphasis and hierarchy. All type should be at least 12-point font, and leading should be at least 2 points greater than the corresponding font size to enhance readability.
2. Shoot for fourth or lower. Whatever your barometer for reading level, be it Flesch-Kincaid, SMOG, or some other readability formula, make sure copy checks in at a fourth-grade level or lower.
3. Organize content in a clear, straightforward manner. Structure main points in a logical manner, and make sure supporting points relate clearly. Break up dense amounts of copy using numbered or bulleted lists or simple charts. Call attention to main points with color or bolding.
4. Keep it simple. Delete unnecessary words, and minimize use of polysyllabic words, which can sabotage reading level very quickly. Aim for short sentences and simple constructions.
5. Say what you mean. Pay attention to your word choice, and draw on common terminology. Language should be literal, not figurative, as should graphics. Pictures and diagrams set beside text can improve comprehension for a low-literacy reader.
6. Don’t be afraid of a little repetition. Often, we try to vary language to avoid redundancy, but for a low-literate audience, repetition is key. Opt to use the same word rather than synonyms to avoid confusion and reinforce key ideas or terms.
7. Conclude with a call to action. Low-literate readers can be overwhelmed by a lot of content all at once. A simple, closing directive helps them focus on the main takeaway.

Just as you would reasonably create English and Spanish versions of products for English- and Spanish-speaking audiences, consider versioning patient materials geared towards commercial and low-literate audiences, too. Doing so may not only expand your reach to a broader range of patients, but also improve comprehension of disease state, increase appropriate utilization, and foster better disease management in one of your most needy demographics.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Nora Kiernan, Associate Director, Editorial Services, Palio

I often wonder why some bloggers don’t take the time to break out a virtual red pen and proofread their blog posts before telling the world what’s on their mind. Perhaps I’m biased because it’s my daily duty to ensure accuracy in grammar, punctuation, and content. But out of respect for your readers and the English language, why wouldn’t you take the time to proofread your work? Better yet, throw it in front of a friend or colleague; get some fresh eyes and perspective on that crafty blog before the world becomes your critic.

GooseGrade, a site for readers and writers to interact with each other to improve the quality and accuracy of online information, conducted a survey in 2008 to find out if users of social media are affected by spelling errors and/or misrepresented content.

The power of social media is in the ability to rapidly share information and create dialogue or buzz. Could the rapid release of up-to-date information be causing errors and stalling traffic to your blog and social media efforts? Of the 175 people polled, 64% reported that they are less likely to share, link to, or forward an article containing spelling and grammatical errors. Additionally, 85% reported that they are less likely to share or forward anything containing a factual error.

And what about the readers’ perception of the author after stumbling upon an error? When respondents were asked if their perception of an author is negatively impacted by an encounter with factual error, 88% answered yes. Not only were errors distracting, but they also lessened the author’s credibility, which is certainly more damaging than poor spelling or grammar in the realm of social media. The Internet is hypercritical, so be mindful of your blogging reputation by proofreading your work.

Writing well is a talent—kind of like singing. Many can do it, but not everyone is good at it. And if you don’t know whether or not you’re good at it, check out the traffic to your blog site—is it where you want it to be? You never know who is reading your blog or who is no longer reading your blog, so take the time to check your work, pick up a well-known style guide, run a spell check—and respect your virtual voice.