Chapter 5
Making Pronouns Clear and Easy to Translate
Introduction
5.1 Make sure readers can identify what each pronoun refers to
5.1.1 It
5.1.2 They
5.1.3 Them
5.1.4 Its
5.1.5 Their
5.2 Don’t use this, that, these, and those as pronouns
5.3 Don’t use which to refer to an entire clause
Introduction
Many organizations restrict the use of pronouns such as I, we, and you in certain types of documents. Similarly, so-called sexist pronouns such as he and she are typically avoided unless they refer to specific individuals. None of these pronouns poses a particular problem for global audiences. Therefore, this chapter focuses on pronouns that do pose problems for translators, non-native speakers, native speakers, or machine-translation software.
5.1 Make sure readers can identify what each pronoun refers to
Priority: HT2, NN2, MT2
English has several types of pronouns. However, of the personal pronouns in Table 5.1, only the highlighted third-person pronouns are potentially ambiguous and therefore problematic in technical documentation.
Table 5.1 Personal Pronouns
The highlighted pronouns are problematic because they sometimes have more than one possible referent. Unclear pronoun referents cause the following problems:
|
■ |
In many languages, nouns have gender. In those languages, translations of it, they, and them differ depending on the number and gender of the pronoun’s referent. For example, in French, Spanish, and other languages, the following sentence would be translated differently depending on whether the pronoun it refers to the error or to your program. ▶ You must correct the error in your program before submitting it again. In French, it would be translated as le if it refers to program, and as la if it refers to error:
If translators cannot determine what it refers to, then they must contact the author or another subject-matter expert for clarification. Obviously, pronouns that have more than one possible referent are also a problem for machine-translation software. |
|
■ |
Third-person pronouns that have more than one possible referent are often confusing even to native speakers. In the English sentence above, the noun error is in focus in most readers’ minds when they encounter the pronoun it. (Many factors—including factors that have nothing to do with the text—affect what is in focus in a reader’s mind as he or she is reading a particular sentence or paragraph.) But it’s the program, not the error, that must be resubmitted. The lack of a clear, unambiguous referent for it is unsettling and confusing to many readers. |
5.1.1 It
When it has more than one possible referent, you can often replace it with a form of the noun phrase that it refers to:
|
|
Once you define the basic structure of your table, enhancing it is easy. |
|
|
Once you define the basic structure of your table, enhancing the table is easy. |
|
|
You cannot change the REUSE= attribute of a compressed file after it is created. |
|
|
You cannot change the REUSE= attribute of a compressed file after the file is created. |
However, in some cases, this revision strategy violates the cardinal rule of Global English. For example, in the following sentence, it could be referring to either of two singular noun phrases, syntax analyzer and RUN statement:
|
|
When the syntax analyzer reaches the RUN statement, it passes the entire program to the compiler. |
If you replace it with the appropriate noun phrase, the resulting sentence sounds unnatural:
|
|
When the syntax analyzer reaches the RUN statement, the syntax analyzer passes the entire program to the compiler. |
The fact that the revision sounds unnatural indicates that, to readers, the context made the pronoun’s referent clear. Don’t change the original sentence unless you can find a natural-sounding revision that resolves the potential ambiguity.
If there is any possibility that translators won’t be sure what it refers to, then insert a translation note:1
|
|
When the syntax analyzer reaches the RUN statement, it passes the entire program to the compiler<translationNote>“it” refers to “syntax analyzer”</translationNote>. |
|
More about it|
■ |
Contexts in which it doesn’t refer to anything: ▶ If you store your definitions in external files, it is easy for you to share these definitions with others. ▶ The Output Delivery System makes it easy to provide users with new formatting options. You don’t need to change these non-referential uses of it, because they are not problematic for readers or translators. The first example, in which it is the subject of the verb to be, is seldom a problem even for machine-translation. |
The second example, in which it is the object of a verb (makes), is more likely to be a problem for machine translation into some languages. However, that usage is very common, and it is often impossible to find suitable alternatives.
|
■ |
Contexts in which it refers to an entire clause: ▶ I couldn’t believe it: The committee accepted my dissertation without requesting any modifications! ▶ If it is not too much trouble, would you please bring me the newspaper? This usage is problematic for machine translation, but it rarely occurs in technical documentation. |
5.1.2 They
Ambiguous uses of they are less common than ambiguous uses of it, but here is one example that many readers would find confusing:
|
|
Critics of the plan argue that schools should teach children to speak Spanish better before they try to learn English. |
You can easily revise the sentence as follows:
|
|
Critics of the plan argue that schools should teach children to speak Spanish better before teaching the children to speak English. |
This next example is more challenging:
|
|
The rows in the data set must either be sorted by all the variables that you specify, or they must be indexed appropriately. |
What is they referring to? Which of the two potential referents—rows or variables—can be indexed? For readers who are familiar with the subject matter, rows is probably in focus, so they interpret they as referring to rows. (That interpretation happens to be correct.) But would the referent be clear to a translator?
As you saw in one of the examples in guideline 5.1.1, replacing a potentially ambiguous pronoun with the noun that it refers to sometimes sounds awkward:
|
|
The rows in the data set must either be sorted by all the variables that you specify, or the rows must be indexed appropriately. |
If you are confident that your main audience will not be confused by the ambiguity, then insert a translation note to tell translators what the pronoun is referring to:
|
|
The rows in the data set must either be sorted by all the variables that you specify, or they <translationNote>“they” refers to “rows”</translationNote> must be indexed appropriately. |
5.1.3 Them
In the following sentence, neither readers nor translators can be sure what them is referring to:
|
|
Know the names of user interface elements, and use them correctly and consistently. |
If the sentence is from a set of guidelines (for technical communicators, perhaps) that focus on using correct terminology, then them probably refers to names. If it is from guidelines for user-interface designers, then them probably refers to user interface elements.
|
|
Know the names of user interface elements, and use those names correctly and consistently. |
|
|
Know the names of user interface elements, and use those elements correctly and consistently. |
In a survey of a dozen technical writers and editors, even those who knew the context found the sentence confusing. The example and the survey illustrate two important points:
|
■ |
It’s easy to overlook ambiguities in your own writing—even if you are well versed in the Global English guidelines. |
|
■ |
Sometimes you should eliminate a potential ambiguity even if you think that the context makes your meaning clear. |
In the next example, them could be referring to either protected methods or labeled sections:
|
|
Labeled sections that are inside a method block must be coded as protected methods, and the statements that call them must be changed to method calls. |
Again, all readers will be confused by this ambiguity, and translators will have to puzzle over the sentence for a long time before deciding (or perhaps guessing) which noun to regard as the pronoun’s referent. As in the previous example, you can easily resolve the ambiguity by using a noun phrase instead of the pronoun:
|
|
Labeled sections that are inside a method block must be coded as protected methods, and the statements that call those sections must be changed to method calls. |
5.1.4 Its
Earlier you saw that, in many languages, pronouns agree in number and gender with the nouns that they refer to. Remember this sentence?
|
▶ |
You must correct the error in your program before submitting it again. |
|
|
Vous devez corriger l’erreur dans votre programme avant de la soumettre encore. |
|
|
Vous devez corriger l’erreur dans votre programme avant de le soumettre encore. |
The first French translation is correct if the pronoun it refers to error, and the second translation is correct if it refers to program.
By contrast, the possessive pronoun its seldom poses a translation problem. (See the “Translating its” sidebar, below, for an explanation.) But when its referent is unclear, its impedes readability. In the following sentence, its has three possible referents: numeric variable, character string, and formatted value. To many readers, the sentence is confusing.
|
|
If a numeric variable has a character string as a formatted value, its unformatted numeric value is transposed. |
The following revision is easier to comprehend:
|
|
If a numeric variable has a character string as a formatted value, then the variable’s unformatted numeric value is transposed. |
Even in the following example, where its can refer only to the singular noun phrase bit mask, the sentence is easier to comprehend if you repeat the noun phrase instead of using its:
|
|
You can insert commas and blanks in a bit mask for readability without affecting its meaning. |
|
|
You can insert commas and blanks in a bit mask for readability without affecting the bit mask’s meaning. |
In the next example, its doesn’t pose a problem for most readers. However, you can easily eliminate its with no loss of clarity:
|
|
Piping enables the next process in the pipeline to read its input from the port instead of from a disk. |
|
|
Piping enables the next process in the pipeline to read input from the port instead of from a disk. |
|
|
|
Each program has its own interface. |
In the following German translation, the word for interface is a feminine noun, Schnittstelle. Therefore, the German translations of its and own have feminine (-e) endings.
|
|
Jedes Programm hat seine eigene Schnittstelle. |
5.1.5 Their
With their as well as its, it is important to ensure that the referent of their is clear. Ambiguous uses of their occur less frequently than ambiguous uses of its, but here is one example:
|
|
You can insert commas and blanks in the bit masks for readability without affecting their meanings. |
In this example, the pronoun their has three possible referents: commas, blanks, and bit masks. The following revision is easier to comprehend:
|
|
You can insert commas and blanks in the bit masks for readability without affecting the meanings of the bit masks. |
5.2 Don’t use this, that, these, and those as pronouns
Priority: HT2, NN3, MT2
Use these words only as adjectives (followed by nouns) so that their referents are clear.
It’s easy to determine when these words are being used as pronouns. Since pronouns take the place of nouns, simply look for places where one of these words is not followed by a noun, as in this example:
|
▶ |
Apply all the Before Rules manual adjustments. These are listed on the Before Rules tab of the Adjustments window. |
By contrast, when they are followed by a noun, these same words function as adjectives:
|
▶ |
Apply all the Before Rules manual adjustments. These adjustments are listed on the Before Rules tab of the Adjustments window. |
Like the pronouns that were discussed in 5.1.1–5.1.3, these pronouns can pose a translation problem, because in many languages they must agree in number and gender with the nouns that they are referring to.
In the following example, the use of these in the second sentence is not problematic for human translators, because the first sentence contains a plural noun (adjustments) that these is clearly referring to. However, the sentence could be problematic for machine-translation software.
|
|
Apply all the manual adjustments. These are listed on the Rules tab of the Adjustments window. |
|
|
Apply all the manual adjustments. These adjustments are listed on the Rules tab of the Adjustments window. |
As is often the case, there is a more concise alternative:
|
|
Apply all the manual adjustments that are listed on the Rules tab of the Adjustments window. |
More often, the preceding sentence doesn’t contain a noun that translators and machine-translation software can use in their translations.
|
|
Some data might be aggregated while you are using the OLAP page. This can result in poor performance. |
In this case, it would not be too difficult for a French translator to determine that the noun situation, which happens to be the same in French as in English, would be suitable:
|
|
(French) … Cette situation peut entraîner une dégradation des performances. |
Nevertheless, it is better to include the noun in the English sentence:
|
|
Some data might be aggregated while you are using the OLAP page. This situation can result in poor performance. |
The following example illustrates how difficult and time-consuming it can be for translators to translate this, that, these, and those when they are used as pronouns. The sentence that contains this must be revised substantially in order to make it translatable:
|
|
In subsequent passes through the data, the rows are read from the spool file rather than being reread from the original data sources. This guarantees that each pass through the data processes the exact same information. |
|
|
In subsequent passes through the data, the rows are read from the spool file rather than being reread from the original data sources. Each pass through the data is therefore guaranteed to process the exact same information. |
|
|
|
By default, users of your application can use the OVERRIDE command to enter a value that exceeds the specified maximum. This allows the value to be stored in the data set. You can prevent this by specifying in the Override on errors field that overriding is not allowed. |
|
|
By default, users of your application can use the OVERRIDE command to enter a value that exceeds the specified maximum. The OVERRIDE command allows the value to be stored in the data set. To prevent users from overriding the specified maximum value, specify in the Override on errors field that overriding is not allowed. |
The second of the three sentences probably isn’t even necessary:
|
|
By default, users of your application can use the OVERRIDE command to enter a value that exceeds the specified maximum. To prevent users from overriding the specified maximum value, specify in the Override on errors field that overriding is not allowed. |
As you apply the Global English guidelines, remember to look for opportunities to eliminate non-essential information and to reduce word counts.
5.3 Don’t use which to refer to an entire clause
Priority: HT2, NN3, MT2
When you use which as a relative pronoun, make sure it refers to a specific noun phrase, as in the following example:
|
|
Suppose you want to print the contents of the Retail.Europe table, which contains data about European customers. |
Don’t use which to refer to an entire clause, as in the following example:
|
|
Blade servers take up less room than racks, which is good because as your server needs increase, your data center size doesn’t. |
Such sentences are often difficult to translate, because many languages don’t have relative pronouns that can be used in this manner.
When you revise such sentences, be careful not to violate guideline 5.2, “Don’t use this, that, these, and those as pronouns.” The following revision is a violation of guideline 5.2 because that is being used as a pronoun:
|
|
Blade servers take up less room than racks. That is good, because as your server needs increase, you won’t need to increase the size of your data center. |
In order to eliminate this undesirable use of which, you must revise the sentence substantially:
|
|
Blade servers take up less room than racks. As a result, you won’t need to increase the size of your data center as your server needs increase. |
Here are some other examples that illustrate a variety of revision strategies:
|
|
The Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ offers a lot of features and great performance, which is good, because it’s expensive. |
|
|
The Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ is expensive, but it offers a lot of features, as well as great performance. |
|
|
Python doesn’t support circular references, which is a problem because circular references often occur in code where the programmer has no control over the retain count. |
|
|
Python’s lack of support for circular references is a problem, because circular references often occur in code where the programmer has no control over the retain count. |
|
|
The IMPORT command skips over symbolic links, which is a problem because many of the required files are installed as symbolic links. |
|
|
The IMPORT command skips over symbolic links. This behavior causes a problem, because many of the required files are installed as symbolic links. |
|
|
The distances between quasars and the telescopes that detect them are large, which means the light from the quasars shifts toward the red end of the spectrum. |
|
|
Because the distances between quasars and the telescopes that detect them are large, the light from the quasars shifts toward the red end of the spectrum. |
|
|
Socket inheritance limits the number of ports that are used for connections to firewalls, which increases the security of private networks. |
|
|
Socket inheritance increases the security of private networks by limiting the number of ports that are used for connections to firewalls. |
This next sentence uses which correctly, because which refers to strong aversion, not to the entire preceding clause:
|
|
In Germany there is a strong aversion to the use of genetically altered foodstuffs, which has only intensified as a result of recent studies. |
However, because there is so much distance between which and its referent, it is better to divide the sentence and repeat the noun:
|
|
In Germany there is a strong aversion to the use of genetically altered foodstuffs. That aversion has only intensified as a result of recent studies. |
|
|
▶ |
No one really knows which dinosaur was the smartest. |
And sometimes it is an interrogative pronoun:
|
▶ |
Of the three games, which was the hardest to create and produce? |
1 For more information about translation notes, see “Insert Explanations for Translators” in Chapter 1.