Common Mistakes in IT and FA Translation #5: Avoiding the Use of Inappropriate Prepositional Phrases

1. Example of using an inappropriate prepositional phrase①

In the original text, the phrase "この設定を有効にすると" is followed by a prepositional phrase "with + O + C" which indicates the accompanying situation. While there are no grammatical or structural errors, in technical writing, it is more common to use a clearer (i.e. easier to read) subordinate clause, so it has been revised as shown in the corrected version.

※Construction of "with + O + C" to indicate accompanying circumstances: Used with the verb "with" to indicate accompanying circumstances, meaning "while...," "while still...," or "while remaining..."

2. Example of using an inappropriate prepositional phrase②

As with example ①, this example also uses the "with + O + C" construction to express accompanying circumstances, so it has been modified to a subordinate clause for readability.

3. Example of using an inappropriate prepositional phrase③

When using "(before fixing) resolve... before clicking...", it means "resolve... before clicking...". However, it is not necessary to use this expression. It is more readable and appropriate for the manual to use "perform action 1 ⇒ perform action 2" ("resolve... and click...").

4. Example of using an inappropriate prepositional phrase④

The original text, "with the power of the amplifier turned off," is written as a prepositional phrase, making the structure redundant and difficult to read. Expressions like "in a state of ~" are more natural and easier to read when expressed as "While S+V+O".

5. Example of using an inappropriate prepositional phrase ➄

"Upon clicking" has the same meaning as "クリックし次第" or "クリックしたら（すぐ）", so the meaning remains the same as the original text. However, "upon" is a less commonly used preposition and "upon + ~ing" can be difficult for non-native English speakers to understand, so it is better to avoid using it.

In general writing, when both clauses and phrases can be used, phrases are often used more frequently to avoid inappropriate pronouns and auxiliary verbs. For example, the phrase "There are two key metrics that <font id="1">you can use to judge success." is more commonly used than "There are two key metrics <font id="3">with which to judge success."

However, this trend does not necessarily apply to technical writing. Especially when performing technical translation, it is important to recognize the fundamental differences between general writing and technical writing.