Dragoman Transcreation

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word as Alternatives because Explanation “As” is sometimes used to mean “because.” But do not use it if there is any chance of ambiguity. In the e...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word while Alternatives although, whereas Explanation Avoid using “while” to mean “although” or “whereas” if there is any chance of ambiguity. In...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word since Alternatives because Explanation Do not use “since” to mean “because” if there is any chance of ambiguity. In the example below, “since...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word actual Alternatives current, present. Explanation “Actual” is sometimes used to refer to something that is happening now. However, in English...

Are you as old as I am and therefore able to name the NBA team the legendary basketball player Clyde Drexler is most commonly associated with? If you are getting somewhat on in years and you also follow NBA basketball, then you would answer: Portland Trail Blazers. What I will focus on throughout the rest of my entry is the verb “to blaze a (new) trail.” If you set an example by being the first to...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word deepen Alternatives improve, increase, bolster, boost, develop. Explanation “Deepen” is a difficult word to use correctly. In addition to its...

to empower If you empower someone, you give that person authority or power to do something (The Oxford English Dictionary). Here is an example sentence: The prime minister said, “We have to give more power to women to create a more equitable society.” The prime minister said, “We need to empower women to create a more equitable society.” Which sentence would you and, most importantly, your reader...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word aim (with the aim to) Alternatives with the aim of (doing something), with a view to (doing something, not do something). Explanation This ex...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word allow (to), permit (to), enable (to) Alternatives make it possible to, allow us to, enable us to, allow (an assessment) of. Explanation When...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word concern, ­concerning, for what concerns Alternatives with regard to, in respect of, in terms of. Explanation We often find paragraphs in repo...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word important Alternatives large, substantial, significant. Explanation “Important” is often wrongly used to mean “big” (“the most important powe...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word control, ­to control, a control Alternatives audit, check, verify/verification, inspect/inspection, safeguard. Explanation To control does no...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word modify Alternatives amend, change. Explanation When referring to changes to legislation, “amend/amendment” are better words than “modify/modi...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word do Alternatives perform, carry out, undertake. Explanation “To do” is a rather weak word: “to perform” and “to carry out” are often better. U...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word inform Alternatives announce, declare, state etc. Explanation Like “to allow,” “to inform” requires a direct object (inform the public/us/the...

This article series aims to eliminate usage errors and help non-native speakers to write clearly and fluently. We suggest that you always do proper research and use style guides effectively. For anything you are not sure of, feel free to ask us. Misused word within the framework of, in the framework of Alternatives in connection with, as part of, under etc. Explanation Like “foresee,” “in the fram...

Many of our customers fall into a trap that befalls even experienced journalists. What’s more, many readers won’t even notice the error I’m talking about. What is this error? The false range. Understandably, our customers love to highlight the broad nature of the work they do and the products they manufacture. To highlight this, they therefore often use the phrase ranging from… to, but incorrectly...

Pre-boarding announcement Good afternoon dear passengers. This is a pre-boarding announcement for flight TK 1 0 1 to Istanbul. We are now inviting passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you.   Final b...

Pre-boarding announcement Good afternoon dear passengers. This is a pre-boarding announcement for flight TK 1 0 1 to Istanbul. We are now inviting passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you.   Final b...

Pre-boarding announcement Good afternoon dear passengers. This is a pre-boarding announcement for flight TK 1 0 1 to Istanbul. We are now inviting passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you.   Final b...

Do you use this: % symbol, or this: percent (spelled out)? Read this article to understand Dragoman Style, which is mainly based on the AP Style Guide and enriched by Diana Hacker’s, Brian Garner’s and Strunk & White. 1. The word percent is one word. Do not use U.K. spelling, i.e., per cent. 2. Always spell out percent in paragraph content as in 30 percent, 3.5 percent, 66 percent. 3. For percents...

Text messaging, or texting, is the act of typing and sending a brief, electronic message between two or more mobile phones or fixed or portable devices over a phone network. The term originally referred to messages sent using the Short Message Service (SMS); it has grown to include messages containing image, video, and sound content (known as MMS messages. The sender of a text message is known as...

This article was originally published on our blog Dragosfer a couple of years ago. It focuses on how to eliminate junk words in Turkish to English translations. As part of our consolidation efforts, I wanted to include it in this knowledgebase. Avoiding junk words is a much wider topic and a good habit to acquire. We are open to publishing your articles and more tips on plain language.  Turkish la...

Video remote interpreting (VRI) has recently become more popular with advances in broadband internet connectivity. Why not, it feels much more natural when you can put a face to a name and see the person interpreting for you. Video interpreting is also key to ensure that the interpreter is alone in an isolated room. Please bear in mind that video remote interpreting is typically charged at slightl...

When using “between” to specify a date or number range, we must replace the hyphen with and. Incorrect:   Demirkent served in senior executive roles between 1936-68. Correct:      Demirkent served in senior executive roles between 1936 and 68. So, please do not add a hyphen between numbers or dates, if you are constructing the phrase with “between”. You may find a related article on dashes in here...