Problems with international English
International English is not a complete solution to all your translation problems. You need to be clear about your business requirements.
International English does not have small differences of meaning. For example, 'azure', 'navy', and 'cobalt blue' are all types of blue. In international English, the word 'blue' is sufficient.
Sometimes, compared to the average marketing text, international English is boring. If you need "scintillating copy that sparkles with intrinsic energy, slowly, meticulously, and subtly seducing your readers to realising that your product is the best thing since sliced bread," do not use international English.
When text is translated by human translators, the text is usually also localised. For example, colours and images are changed to conform to local preferences. International English cannot conform to all local preferences.
If you use international English on your website, the following problems can occur:
- The text does not appear in search engines that use languages other than English. Therefore, you can lose possible customers.
- The text does not contain synonyms. Therefore, people who use search engines possibly will not find your website. For example, this website uses 'international English', but 'global English', 'internationalised English', and 'worldwide English' are equivalent terms. If people use 'global English' in a search engine, they will not find this website.
One solution is to have a glossary of technical terms. For each technical term, include a professional translation in the languages of the target markets. Include synonyms in the glossary of technical terms.
Sometimes, you must supply information in the languages of your customers. Ask your legal advisor.