Keep sentences short. English sentences tend to be shorter than other languages, so a medium-length sentence in English might become a long sentence when translated.
Use simple, everyday words. Avoid technical terms, jargon, and slang. This makes it easier for readers of all levels to skim and quickly understand the information on a page.
Don’t use words like “above”, “below”, “right”, or “left”. This assumes that the person can see and orient themselves the same way you can. These words also don’t always translate well to other languages.
Spell out words instead of using special characters. For example, use “and” or “about” instead of an ampersand (&) or tilde (~). Screen readers may not understand or read those symbols.
It's okay to use special characters in labels or headings where space is limited or for terms that are closely related or commonly paired.
These words can be perceived to be ableist and non-inclusive. Instead, say “turn on” or “turn off”, “available” or “not available”, “allow” or “block”, or something similar.
In technical documentation, it can be acceptable to say "enabled", but avoid using it in the UI.
Abbreviations may not be clear to all readers and can be difficult to translate. If there is space, spell out the entire word and include the abbreviation in brackets: “Cost per Click (CPC)”. It is okay to use common abbreviations: “7:00 PM”.
Latin abbreviations like “e.g.”, “i.e.”, and “etc.” may not be commonly understood. If you must include examples, say “such as”, “like”, or “for example”.
Common abbreviations don’t need to be spelled out. These include:
File formats, such as PDF, XML, or CSV
Units of measurement like MB or GB
HTML and CSS
URL
API