Ask HN: How to tell a coworker his writing is incomprehensible?

#1

Post by swah » Tue, Jul 09, 2013, 7:13 PM UTC

I have a colleague that is writing important documentation in English by first writing it in our local language and then translating it using Google Translate (or at least borrowing heavily from Translate).

This generates very confusing text (not just bad punctuation like this text, heh). He normally asks for reviews, and I comment on the worst mistakes, but I'm embarassed to say that everything is confusing.

What should I do in this situation?

Re: Ask HN: How to tell a coworker his writing is incomprehensible?

#2

Post by xauronx » Tue, Jul 09, 2013, 7:24 PM UTC

Suggest that his time is much too valuable to be spent doing this, and that your company should hire an intern that knows english/your native language to do it for him.

Re: Ask HN: How to tell a coworker his writing is incomprehensible?

#3

Post by maheshcr » Tue, Jul 09, 2013, 7:37 PM UTC

The solutions are not simple and quick. But could yield results over long term. I have practiced this. As an ex-copywriter I have had my writing critiqued by creative directors many times. So I state this as someone who learnt a little about written communication.

- Review material written by non-native speakers. Look for cultural anachronisms, cliches, grammatical errors etc..before all this one has to ensure if the message is functionally correct. Provide feedback. Can't emphasize how important this is. Everybody wants to be good at communicating. So tell them why you find it wrong. That would become a guideline to be followed.

- Suggest what material they should read to become proficient in using your target language. Reading good literature and comprehending it, somehow deepens ones understanding of how to use a language.

- Let them practice. More pointed feedback you give along with opportunities faster they learn. Expecting progress without this is just wishful thinking. You should not blame the other person!

Re: Ask HN: How to tell a coworker his writing is incomprehensible?

#4

Post by vizeroth » Tue, Jul 09, 2013, 7:54 PM UTC

Interpersonal issues can be difficult, but the longer it takes for someone to come forward and point out that the process is wasteful and producing poor English documentation, the harder it's going to get. If the English documentation is valuable enough to produce in the first place, it's valuable enough to turn over to someone that can do the translation with little/no help from software translators.

In some cases, the process of translating the documentation can be at fault. It may be easier for someone to produce new documentation in English, using the original only where necessary, or as a guide for the structure and focus of the documentation.

As previously mentioned, it's likely this person's time would be better spent elsewhere, and reviewers would be better off reviewing someone else's translation.