Keep it simple

• Remember that machine translation is a computer process that prefers common words and phrases
• Start with simple, clear and formal sentences and phrases
• Keep sentences short, limiting them to 15-20 words for best results
• If a sentence contains multiple ideas/thoughts, break them into one sentence per idea/thought
• Avoid unnecessarily complex words and sentences
• Avoid idioms, clichés, colloquial expressions and slang
• Consider the literal meaning of words and try to express this instead

Avoid Ambiguity

• Try not to use words that have more than one meaning for example:
  - Use "movie" instead of "film"
  - Use "painting" instead of "picture"
• Words ending in "ing" can sometimes be ambiguous, such as "rowing", which can be a noun or a verb. Where possible, choose an alternative

Always check spelling and grammar

• Incorrect spelling or grammar leads to translation errors, for example, if a word is spelt incorrectly, the translator may not be able to identify the word in the dictionary

Include appropriate accents

• Always use the correct accent marks in your text. If a word is looked up in a machine translation dictionary and it does not contain the correct accent, it will not be found

Be aware of Punctuation Pitfalls

• Avoid the use of complicated punctuation marks such as parentheses and hyphens
• Avoid abbreviations or if you need to use them, keep them consistent
• Use articles in front of listed items, for example:
  - Instead of: the judge and jury
  - Use: the judge and the jury

Do not leave words out

• Some words can be implied in everyday use, such as "that, which, who," etc. and are often omitted when writing text - try not to do this as they may be required in other languages