To chat with someone who speaks another language, write short sentences with one idea each, leave out idioms and slang, and ask one question per message. Write dates, times and amounts in a form that cannot be read two ways, and before the conversation moves on, repeat the details that matter and ask the other person to confirm them. The same habits work whether you write in a shared second language or rely on a translation tool, because people and translation software stumble over the same things.
Write plain sentences that survive translation
Plain language is writing that its reader can understand on the first read: common words, short sentences and one point at a time. For someone reading in their second or third language, or through a translation tool, it is the difference between understanding a message and guessing at it.
- Keep sentences short, with one idea in each. "I'll be a bit late because the train is delayed, so maybe just start without me" works better as "My train is delayed. I will arrive 15 minutes late. Please start without me."
- Leave out idioms, slang and chat shorthand. "Touch base", "I'm swamped" and "it's a piece of cake" get translated word for word, and shorthand such as tmrw or idk may not be translated at all. Say what you mean in full words: "Let's talk again on Friday", "I am very busy this week", "It is easy."
- Name who is doing what. Languages such as Korean and Japanese often leave out the subject, and a translation tool fills the gap with a guess. "I will send the file tonight" survives translation; "Will send tonight" may not.
- Save jokes, sarcasm and wordplay for later. They depend on exact words, and exact words are what gets lost between languages.
- Ask one question per message. When a message holds two questions, the reply often answers only one, and it is not always clear which.
Write dates, times and amounts so they cannot be misread
Numbers look universal, but the conventions around them are not. 11/3 is 3 November in the United States and 11 March in the United Kingdom and much of the world. "3 o'clock" can mean morning or afternoon, and a time without a time zone is a guess when one of you is abroad. Many countries swap the roles of the comma and the full stop, so 1.500 can mean one and a half or fifteen hundred.
| Instead of | Write | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 11/3 | 3 November, or Nov 3 | Day and month order differs by country |
| 3 o'clock | 15:00 (3 p.m.) | Morning or afternoon is clear |
| Next Tuesday | Tuesday 3 November | People count "next" differently |
| 1.500 | 1,500 euros, or 1.5 | Decimal marks differ by country |
| 3 p.m. (one of you abroad) | 15:00 Seoul time (KST) | Time zones |
Confirm key details in one message
Before the conversation moves on, put the key facts in one short message and ask for a yes: "To confirm: Tuesday 3 November, 15:00, Gangnam Station Exit 11. Is that right?" A one-line summary catches a wrong date or a misread place while it is still easy to fix.
- Spell names and addresses exactly, and give a place name in the local script as well as in Latin letters, so it can be matched to a sign or shown to a driver.
- If a reply does not quite answer your question, ask again in different words rather than sending the same sentence twice.
- Give replies time. Writing in another language takes longer, and a string of follow-up messages can feel like pressure.
How to check a translation before you send it
Translation tools handle plain sentences like these best. Before you send, translate your message back into your own language. If the round trip changes the meaning, simplify the original rather than patching the translation. And when a message you receive seems rude or odd, suspect the translation before the person: politeness and tone are among the first things lost between languages.
Translation and reply drafts in FadeTalk
The FadeTalk interface is available in Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. FadeTalk can also translate messages in a chat, on one condition: translation works only when both people have opted into AI. If either person has not, translation is off.
AI reply drafts follow the same rule. When both people have opted in, FadeTalk suggests a draft in your tone; otherwise you get built-in suggestions. Either way you edit the draft and send it yourself, and nothing is sent automatically.
If the other person uses a different messaging app from yours, a FadeTalk link opens in the browser without an install or sign-up. See how to chat with someone on a different messaging app.