This bratwurst lunch from the local German market/cafe was almost good. The sausage was fresh and the rye bread was homemade. But I don’t believe the other half was that authentically German, which was a disappointment. Isn’t it better to serve something of good quality all around?
So it is with website copy. Take a look at the 13 examples of bad Web copy in this article from WebdesignerDepot.com. Avoid these mistakes. Serve up something authentic and of good quality: Use a good copywriter.
It could be up to 30 percent longer. If you had visions of creating your marketing piece in other languages besides English, remember, the length of the translated copy might be longer (or shorter) than the English. This will affect the design of the document, and to preserve the design, you might have to edit the translation, as well as the English.
Here are a few estimations of language length (which depends on the nature of the text and the topic) when translating from English:*
Spanish: 25% to 30% longer
French: 15% to 25% longer
Russian: about 30% shorter
Asian languages: as much as 40% shorter
So if you want to create a promotional button, for example, in a number of languages, keep in mind how much space you have on that button to do so successfully.
Note: Language length is just one factor to consider when producing multilingual materials. This article from the Corporate Design Foundation gives excellent advice on what else to keep in mind.
*Source: The blog post, “On the relative length of languages,” by Bruno Giussani, European director of the TED Conferences.
You might not spend a lot of time reading the label on your toilet tissue. But details make a difference, and Trader Joe’s, in their casual, lighthearted way, knows how to make their house-brand toilet paper special. I didn’t know my bathroom tissue was heavenly. It says so on the label!
The Editorial Apartment 