Addressing a worldwide readership through the filter of translation

Responsibility for the failure of an information transfer through the filter of translation should be shared by the writer of the text, who may have given the translator insoluble conundrums. Ambiguities in the original text are identified as the main pitfalls, and application of the generally accepted guidelines for good, clear English is presented as a solution. Examples of guidelines specifically intended to help technical people write text intelligible to readers who are not native English speakers are described. Several questions to keep in mind when writing and editing technical papers to be translated and their solutions are discussed