Avigayil Damm Blog
The Importance of Context
I am currently editing a document which has been translated from English into Indonesian by another translation agency. My client asked me to check the translation to make sure that it’s done properly. That was actually a wise move from their side – you wouldn’t believe the mistakes I have found in the documents! The [...]
Say what?
One of my clients was recently sued for unlawful termination. Since my client was of foreign nationality, they needed to have the lawsuit translated into English, and they requested me to do so. I accepted the job because I have a legal background and thought it would be relatively easy for me to translate, since [...]
Use Short Subjects
When writing a sentence, try to make the subject shorter than the verb. This will help readers understand the sentence better. Compare the following two sentences: To the idea that we should hold a weekly staff meeting, I agree. I agree that we should hold a weekly staff meeting. The first sentence is not only [...]
Use Active Constructions
Very often, sentences are difficult to read when they contain verbs in the passive form. In a passive form sentence, the subject of the sentence has the action performed on it, while in the active form, the subject is the doer of the action. Compare the following two sentences. Active: My husband repaired the computer. [...]
Use Common Words
There seems to be a misconception about how to be a good (English) writer, especially amongst non-native English speakers. More often than not, during my tenure as report editor/writer, people who tend to use sophisticated uncommon words are the native Indonesians. It seems they think that by using sophisticated words, people will automatically perceive them [...]
