Working for Clean Up the World’s new website presented some particular copywriting challenges because all the copy needed to be translated into French and Spanish. In the process, I developed 3 simple rules to help you avoid “hilarious” translations.

“Get a wriggle on”, for example, is probably not a great call to action on a site that’s going to be translated into 12 languages.

Avoid injudicious copywriting on multi-lingual websites. For example, avoid words like 'injudicious'.

Clean Up the World now mobilises 35 million

Clean Up the World was founded by Australian solo yachtsman Ian Kiernan and now mobilises 35 million people across 120 countries to help clean up, fix up and rejuvenate the planet. A friend of mine, Tricia Wilden, is the campaign manager over there and invited me to help her on a special project to literally put Clean Up the World on the map.

Putting Clean Up the World on the map

To help people share their activities with other team members and the world, Tricia teamed with partner organisation Google to create a special Clean Up the World Activities map. Want to clean the park at the end of your street? Simply register your group and activity and see it appear on Google’s global map.

Get personal with a Clean Up the World My Map

Using Google’s MyMap application, you can also create a special map of your activity and personalise it. Show your route, add pictures and videos, and really inspire your team. It’s a neat site and Tricia, Ian, Terri-Ann and the team over there can be very proud. But what did I learn as a website copywriter on the job?

Website copywriting challenges of the multi-lingual website

I’ve worked on a few multi-lingual sites – for Merino Innovation (which needed to be translated into Chinese) and Sydney Airport Shopping – and they present some special copywriting challenges. Here are three rules that could keep you out of a whole lot of translation trouble:

1. Write clearly and simply
2. Avoid the use of idioms
3. Limit your vocabulary

Write clearly and simply to avoid translator confusion

Website copywriting should always be clear and simple, but you need to be especially careful with a multi-lingual site. If you’re not, the translation could take on a wholly different meaning to the one you intended. Rather than trying to use clever language, you need to use the most easily and universally understood word for each particular situation.

Avoid idioms in copywriting for multi-lingual websites

We all love a good idiom and they can add colour to the language. But they are totally inappropriate for a multi-lingual site because 1. The translator might not be familiar with it and 2. The Translator probably won’t admit they’re unfamiliar with it and come up with some “hilarious” misinterpretation. Hilarious for the rest of the internet. Not so hilarious for your client. In this context, “Get a wriggle on” is probably not a great call to action on a site that’s going to be translated into 12 languages.

Limit your vocabulary in multi-lingual websites

The general rule of writing is to use our vast English vocabulary to add variety, texture and additional layers omeaning. Not when you’re writing for a multi-lingual site. Every time you come up with a new way of saying the same thing, you force the translator to come up with a new translation. And with that comes a fresh opportunity for another “hilarious” misinterpretation.

Get involved with Clean Up the World

When all is said and done, the website copywriting challenges of the multi-lingual website fall just a little way short of the problems facing the planet. So please reward Tricia and her team and do something for a beleaguered globe by getting involved with Clean Up the World.