Avoid Common Chinglish

This chapter summarizes common Chinglish appearing in words and sentence structure. The purpose is to help you recognize elements of Chinglish in writing and eliminate those elements.

Unnecessary Words

Unnecessary Nouns

Unnecessary nouns refer to redundant nouns whose sense is already included or implied in some other element of the sentence.

In Chinglish, the most common type of unnecessary noun is category noun, which announces the category of a specific noun followed. When such a noun is deleted, the sense is only clarified.

Common category nouns in our documents include work, process, operation, function, procedure and information.

Example

Incorrect	Correct	Note
Follow the instructions to finish preparation works.	Follow the instructions to finish preparations.	“Preparation” falls into the category of “works”.
It is used in baud rate detection process.	It is used in baud rate detection.	“Detection” falls into the category of “process”.

Unnecessary Verbs

Unnecessary verbs refer to vague and general verbs that do not express specific action. This task is performed by the nouns that are combined with general verbs.

Common unnecessary verbs are make, have, realize, conduct, accomplish, carry out, adopt, etc. The solution is to replace unnecessary verb + noun with plain verbs.

Example

Incorrect

Correct

Note

The Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) is one such standard that can realize a flexible full-duplex data exchange among different devices.

The Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) is one such standard that can flexibly exchange data among different devices in full-duplex mode.

Realize data exchange = exchange data.

The process of sending and receiving data can also be achieved by the CPU and the DMA.

Data can also be sent and received by the CPU and the DMA.

1. Process is an unnecessary category noun;

2. Achieve sending and receiving data = send and receive data.

Unnecessary Modifiers

Adjectives and adverbs in Chinese text are sometimes redundant in English, since their sense is already contained or implied in the word they modify or in some other element of the sentence. Carrying these modifiers over into English only results in a duplication.

Example

Incorrect	Correct	Note
A report from TSR shows that Espressif has led the MCU embedded Wi-Fi chip market in terms of sales volume in 2017 and 2018 consecutively.	A report from TSR, a major marketing research company located in Japan, showed that Espressif led the MCU embedded Wi-Fi chip market in terms of sales volume in 2017 and 2018.	Everyone knows that 2017 and 2018 are two consecutive years. The meaning of “consecutively” is already evident.
The manual encryption, auto encryption, and auto decryption operations share thesame algorithm, i.e., XTS algorithm.	The manual encryption, auto encryption, and auto decryption operations share XTS algorithm.	The meaning of “same” is contained in “share”, so “same” can be omitted. However, you can use “same” to emphasize the fact that all these operations use the same algorithm: The manual encryption, auto encryption, and auto decryption operations share the same algorithm —XTS algorithm.

Saying the Same Thing Twice

In English, sentences repeating the already stated information are considered a waste of reader’s time. Repetition of ideas appears in our technical documents frequently as mirror-image statements, i.e., the same idea presented first in positive form, then in negative . The solution is to express the idea from the more important point of view.

Example

Incorrect	Correct	Note
If input signals remain unchanged for consecutive PCNT_FILTER_THRES_Un APB clock cycles, then they are valid. Otherwise they are invalid.	Input signals are only valid if they remain unchanged for consecutive PCNT_FILTER_THRES_Un APB clock cycles.	“Otherwise they are invalid” does not carry new information. It is the negative form of the previous sentence.
This step is required for lengths smaller than 4096 bits, and not required for lengths equivalent to 4096 bits.	This step is only required for lengths smaller than 4096 bits.	“Not required for lengths equivalent to 4096 bits” presents the identical picture from the opposite point of view.

Repeated References to the Same Thing

In a given sentence or brief passage, after the first mention of an idea, the subsequent references to it can be shortened . Repeated references add nothing but redundancy.

If the repeatedly mentioned idea is based on a verb, the second reference can be replaced with an expression like “do so”, “do the same”, “do likewise”, or “do this”.

If the idea is based on a noun, there are four ways of shortening repeated references:

Eliminating the modifiers
Replacing the expression with a summary noun
Replacing the expression with a pronoun
Replacing the expression with initials (in special cases)

Example

Incorrect

Correct

Note

[The timer must be disabled (i.e., TIMGn_Tx_EN is cleared) before modifying the 16-bit prescaler.] Modifying the 16-bit prescaler whilst the timer is enabled may lead to unpredictable results.

[The timer must be disabled (i.e., TIMGn_Tx_EN is cleared) before modifying the 16-bit prescaler.] Otherwise, the result can be unpredictable.

To avoid repeating all the information, we use “otherwise” in the revised version.

[The I²C bus has two lines, namely a serial data line (SDA) and a serial clock line (SCL).] Both SDA and SCL lines are open-drain.

Both lines are open-drain.

The repeatedly mentioned idea is based on a noun.

In the second reference, the SDA line and the SCL line are replaced with a summary noun “lines”.

Please note that when you translate references from English into Chinese, you’d better not use an equivalent word like “它”, “这”, but to spell out what the reference stands for.

Chinglish Collocations

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. Some Chinese words collocate differently from their English counterparts. When you write a document in English, please do not translate Chinese expressions you have in mind in a word-for-word manner, but express your ideas using typical English collocations.

For typical English collocations, you can refer to freecollocation.com or search materials on your topic.

Example

Incorrect	Correct
Learn knowledge	Gain knowledge
Expensive price	High price
Passkey interaction	Passkey exchange

Chinglish Sentence Structure

Noun Plague

Unlike Chinese, a language based on vague and abstract nouns, plain English is based on concise and vigorous verbs. Too many nouns in English are like a plague, and they only make the meaning less clear.

To deal with a noun that carries necessary meaning, the usual solution is to transform it into a different part of speech: verb, gerund, adjective, adverb, etc. When the noun construction is so vague that changing part of speech does not work, you may have to add more words to clarify the meaning.

Example

Incorrect

Correct

Note

When this bit is set, the Rx DMA does not flush any frames because of the unavailability of receive descriptors or buffers.

When this bit is set, the Rx DMA does not flush any frames because receive descriptors or buffers are not available.

Replace the noun with an adjective: “unavailability” is replaced with its adjective form.

When this bit is reset, the MAC receive state machine is disabled after the completion of the reception of the current frame.

When this bit is reset, the MAC receive state machine is disabled after the current frame has been received.

1. Replace the noun with a verb: “reception” is replaced with “receive”.

2. The meaning of “completion” is expressed by the present perfect tense.

A special form of the noun plague is using a single noun as an adjective. It is legitimate to use a noun as adjective in English, e.g., input signal, and pulse width. However, you should not feel free to use any given noun to modify any other, because the sentence flows more naturally the other way around. The general rule is: no more than two nouns combined into an adjective.

Example

Incorrect

Correct

Note

Autobaud minimum low pulse duration register

Register used to configure the minimum pulse duration in the low state during autobaud detection

The original example in column Incorrect is a register description excerpted from ESP32-S2 Technical Manual Reference draft.

This noun construction is too condensed. Too produce an understandable sentence, the only way is to spell out the meaning.

Placement of Phrases and Dependent Clauses

A phrase is a group of two or more words functioning as a meaningful unit within a sentence or clause.

A clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a predicate. It is not necessarily a complete sentence. There are basically two types of clauses: independent clauses and dependent clauses. In this section, we focus on dependent clauses.

The placement of phrases and dependent clauses within sentences shows readers which idea the writer regards as most important. When the elements of a sentence are presented in the right order for the desired emphasis, the readers’ attention is directed to the core idea at the end of the sentence. With this impression, readers can smoothly follow the writer’s line of thought.

When writing a technical document in English, please check the following:

Short phrases and information should precede long phrases and information.
Things known to readers should precede things unfamiliar to readers.
Important information should come at the end of the sentence.

Please note that when organizing your ideas using the above principles, do not break the logical connections between your ideas.

Example

Incorrect	Correct	Note
Removing the second level of menu from the Document sidebar on www.espressif.com is better.	It is better to remove the second level of menu from the Document sidebar on www.espressif.com.	In this example, the gerund phrase “removing the second level of menu from the Document sidebar on www.espressif.com” is far longer than “better”, so this phrase should be put at the end after grammatical adjustment.
The timer must be disabled (i.e., TIMGn_Tx_EN is cleared) before modifying the 16-bit prescaler.	Before you/software/hardware modify the 16-bit prescaler, the timer must be disabled (i.e., TIMGn_Tx_EN is cleared).	The main clause “the timer must be disabled” carries more important information, and should come last.
Espressif (688018) went listed on the Sci-Tech Innovation Board (STAR) of Shanghai Stock Exchange in July 2019.	In July 2019, Espressif (688018) was listed on the Sci-Tech Innovation Board (STAR) of Shanghai Stock Exchange.	The date in this case is of secondary importance. The main point of this sentence is stock exchange listing.

Dangling Modifiers

Modifiers include participles, gerunds, infinitives, prepositional phrases and adjectives. The rule for modifiers is that the implied subjective of a modifier must be the same as the subject of the sentence . If the modifier does not modify the subject of the sentence, it is said to “dangle”.

Example

Incorrect

Correct

Note

The timer must be disabled (i.e., TIMGn_Tx_EN is cleared) before modifying the 16-bit prescaler.

Before you/software/hardware modify the 16-bit prescaler, the timer must be disabled.

Spell out the implied subject. In this case, the prescaler can be modified by “you” (users), software or hardware. You should check the upper and lower context to confirm the agent of modification.

The more explicit you are about the subject, the more reader-friendly this sentence would be.

When updating the low-speed timer, the change of settings should be explicitly triggered by software.

When you update the low-speed timer, the change of settings should be explicitly triggered by software.

When the implied subject is not clear, an alternative way is to use passive voice (less recommended).

It is noteworthy that dangling modifiers are so common that they become more acceptable. Nevertheless, you should be careful to use them for the sake of your readers.

FANBOYS Conjunctions

In English, words, phrases, and independent clauses are connected using FANBOYS conjunctions, namely for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. In Chinese, however, it is not necessary to add a conjunction after a comma, so Chinese speakers easily confuse conjunctions with adverbs.

The rule is: whenever you combine two words, phrases and independent clauses with close logical connections, use a comma plus a FANBOYS conjunction or simply a period in-between.

Example

Incorrect

Correct

Note

ESP-IDF has all the code required to produce SystemView-compatible traces, users can configure necessary project options.

ESP-IDF has all the code required to produce SystemView-compatible traces, so users can configure necessary project options.

Another approach is to simply put a period in between:

ESP-IDF has all the code required to produce SystemView-compatible traces. Users can configure necessary project options.

That said, FANBOYS conjunctions should not be overused to form super long sentences, since such sentences are harder to understand.

Example

Incorrect

Correct

Note

However, PeriBus1 features speculative read, which means it cannot guarantee that each read is valid, therefore, the CPU has to use PeriBus2 to access some special registers, for example, FIFO registers.

However, PeriBus1 features speculative read, which means it cannot guarantee that each read is valid. Therefore, the CPU has to use PeriBus2 to access some special registers, for example, FIFO registers.

Therefore is an adverb, not a conjunction, so there should be a period or a comma plus a conjunction before.

Note that the first sentence is already long, so we use a period, instead of adding a conjunction in the revised version.

The default baud rate of ESP8266 is 74880, therefore, UART tools that can support the default baud rate are recommended.

The default baud rate of ESP8266 is 74880, so UART tools that can support the default baud rate are recommended.

Replace adverb “therefore” with conjunction “so”.

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