Writing Globally
As an international company, it’s crucial that we write in a way that can be easily translated into other languages. Follow these keys to help Procore scale globally.
Best Practices
Use Clear Language
As an international company, it’s crucial that we write in a way that can be easily translated into other languages. Follow these keys to help Procore scale globally.
Follow the Character Count Recommendations
We’ve created these recommendations with other languages in mind. Text can expand up to 300% in other languages, so using these parameters helps with translation.
Examples of translations
The tables below show average character count increases and text (spatial) expansion after translation.
Number of characters (English)
Average character count increase
Up to 10
100%–300%
11-20
180%–200%
21-30
160%–180%
31-50
140%–160%
51-70
151%–170%
Over 70
130%
Source: WC3 Internationalization
Number of characters (English)
Additional space required
Up to 10
100%–200%
11-20
180%–100%
21-30
60%–80%
31-50
40%–60%
51-70
31%–40%
Over 70
30%
Source: IBM
Use Active Voice
Active voice helps us translate with ease. Active voice means the subject of the sentence takes an action.
Explain Acronyms and Abbreviations
Acronyms and abbreviations don’t easily translate and require extra work for translation teams. Spell them out whenever possible, and put the acronym in parentheses after the word during the first usage
What to Avoid
Buzzwords, Slang, and Jargon
Speaking clearly and without US-based references will help us scale our product.
Gerunds
Words that end in -ing are more difficult for machine translations.
Negatives
Phrases like “will not” can be complex in other languages.
Long Sentences
Avoiding run-on, complex sentences will help make sure our product is understood in other languages.