atw: Re: It's Vs It is




Peter Martin let slip:
> 6. Go with the flow and rhythm of the spoken language
> wherever you can.
>
> The biggest problem most people will have with "it's" will
> be the wonder about why the apostrophe is there....

Translation is sometimes given as a reason to avoid contractions
(few common languages have a direct equivalent; people new to
English are confused by it). This has never made sense to me.
A translator who is stumped by "it's" or "don't" isn't someone I
want to let loose on my user guide. There are a thousand things
that are likely to trouble them more.

Translators who do understand simple English contractions should
appreciate knowing the author's intention. Even if there's no
direct equivalent to "it's" in the target language, there are
no doubt different (less formal and more formal) ways to translate
the thought. The translator might not choose to follow the less
formal path in all cases--but at least they know what the author
felt about it.

---
Stuart Burnfield
Information Developer
Australian Programming Centre

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