The text should be understandable by anyone regardless of their culture or language.
Avoid Humour
Humour can become irritating to customers, especially if they see the same message multiple times. In addition, what might be humorous in one country may not transfer well to other cultures so best to avoid.
Avoid Latin Phrases
Avoid Latin phrases to maintain a conversational, rather than an academic, style.
- Non-native English readers may not be familiar with all of them and they can cause issues with translation.
- Instead of using 'e.g.' say 'for example'.
- Instead of 'etc.', use 'and so on'.
- Instead of using the word 'via', use 'by', 'by using', or 'using' instead.
In many languages other than English, for example, Finnish, translated words can be 40-50% longer after translation. Plan for longer text length for buttons, headings, labels, tooltips and instructions.