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"Please" in an instruction/user manual - to use or not?
Thread poster: Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
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Japanese to English
Dec 8, 2020

Generally speaking I like to avoid the use of "please" in an equipment manual, as the context is one in which the user is seeking guidance and the manual is transmitting instructions to the user. That is, the user asks "How do I do ABC?" and the manual answers "Like this". A construction such as "Please insert the key into X and rotate" therefore seems redundant.

1) What is your view?
2) What do style guides say on this?

Regards,
Dan


John Fossey
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
 
Samuel Murray
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It depends on the language Dec 8, 2020

Dan Lucas wrote:
1) What is your view?


It depends on the language. In some languages, "please" means "this is a request" or "I'm really begging you", and there are other words that operate as politeness words. But there are also languages in which "please" is even more of a politeness word than in English. Which language is this for?

Dan Lucas kindly wrote:
1) What is your view, please?


Laurent Mercky
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Lingua 5B
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What’s the product? Dec 8, 2020

I translate a lot of manuals from English, often times native English. For a better answer, it’d be ideal to know what the product and average user profile is.

There’s a high tendency to use “please” repeatedly which each new prompt or line. Of course, I don’t render this to my target language as it doesn’t work in my language and sounds odd.


Daryo
marijaflora
Miomira Brankovic
 
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He translates JP to EN. Dec 8, 2020

Samuel Murray wrote:

Dan Lucas wrote:
1) What is your view?


It depends on the language. In some languages, "please" means "this is a request" or "I'm really begging you", and there are other words that operate as politeness words. But there are also languages in which "please" is even more of a politeness word than in English. Which language is this for?

Dan Lucas kindly wrote:
1) What is your view, please?



It’s probably English, his target language. Also, there may be differences with this please overuse between different English variants.

I assume it’s overused in English as other forms of paying respect or being formal in English don’t exist, such as plural verbs ( eg. Sie, vous/ DE, FR).


 
Sheila Wilson
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My reaction, FWIW Dec 8, 2020

Dan Lucas wrote:
Generally speaking I like to avoid the use of "please" in an equipment manual, as the context is one in which the user is seeking guidance and the manual is transmitting instructions to the user. That is, the user asks "How do I do ABC?" and the manual answers "Like this". A construction such as "Please insert the key into X and rotate" therefore seems redundant.

1) What is your view?
2) What do style guides say on this?

1) My reaction as a native English speaker and layperson is that this is over the top politeness. Although I could see a place for it in a FAQ -- where the assumption is that an individual has asked the question and deserves personal help.
2) Every style guide I've seen on the subject says to use plain English and simple instructions: Do this; don't do that.


Christopher Schröder
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Christopher Schröder
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Never Dec 8, 2020

I don't translate manuals but I've never seen it in a manual and wouldn't dream of writing it.

It's called an instruction manual, after all, not a request manual


Sheila Wilson
Tina Vonhof (X)
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Philippe Etienne
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From source text English Dec 8, 2020

1) I hardly see any "please" in manuals originally written in EN, except sometimes in safety warnings (please read carefully), legal notices (you are entitled to...) or introductions to the product (thank you for purchasing blah blah). And Q&A if any (please contact tech support).
So from what I see, both please and no-please can therefore coexist, but in clearly separated sections of the manual and with consistency maintained within.

In FR, a similar issue to using "please" o
... See more
1) I hardly see any "please" in manuals originally written in EN, except sometimes in safety warnings (please read carefully), legal notices (you are entitled to...) or introductions to the product (thank you for purchasing blah blah). And Q&A if any (please contact tech support).
So from what I see, both please and no-please can therefore coexist, but in clearly separated sections of the manual and with consistency maintained within.

In FR, a similar issue to using "please" or not would be using infinitive or imperative. If I can't or don't feel like asking, my approach is to ask myself what option I'd like better as a reader of these instructions.

2) With manuals, it seems that a style guide, and therefore style, is irrelevant, as I have never seen any specifically written for instruction/maintenance/user manuals
Collapse


 
Lingua 5B
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Strange. Dec 8, 2020

I see this a lot, especially in IT industry, or any IT systems and prompts for front users. And they were definitely drafted by native speakers, but that doesn’t mean they were using styles correctly. Or, most probably, it was a style requested by their own company (doesn’t have to match the official styles). Sometimes CEOs and marketing managers believe certain styles will influence their buyers/users better.

marijaflora
 
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Styles. Dec 8, 2020

Philippe Etienne wrote:
2) With manuals, it seems that a style guide, and therefore style, is irrelevant, as I have never seen any specifically written for instruction/maintenance/user manuals


Yes, because they are written and decided on within a company, internally. Usually in marketing department.


Philippe Etienne
 
Hans Lenting
Hans Lenting
Netherlands
Member (2006)
German to Dutch
MS Dec 8, 2020

Dan Lucas wrote:

2) What do style guides say on this?



From the Microsoft Style Guide:

Avoid please except in situations where the customer is asked to do something inconvenient or the application or site is to blame for the situation.

Example
The network connection was lost. Please reenter your password.



[Edited at 2020-12-08 15:48 GMT]


Christopher Schröder
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Rachel Waddington
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redundant Dec 8, 2020

I'd avoid it. It's an extra word that doesn't add anything (and sounds a bit odd).

I do see things like 'please refer to our website for further details' quite a lot though. Maybe that falls into the category of things that are inconvenient!



[Edited at 2020-12-08 16:53 GMT]


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Tom in London
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Never Dec 8, 2020

I've never read an English-language instruction manual that said "please".

Funniest instruction ever seen in an instruction manual: it was many years ago, for a Japanese audio amplifier:

TURN ON/OFF SWITCH TO ON


 
Lingua 5B
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Yes. Dec 8, 2020

Rachel Waddington wrote:

I'd avoid it. It's an extra word that doesn't add anything (and sounds a bit odd).

I do see things like 'please refer to our website for further details' quite a lot though. Maybe that falls into the category of things that are inconvenient!



[Edited at 2020-12-08 16:53 GMT]


Or:

“If you have any questions, please contact our support at XY” (inconvenience).


 
Ian Mansbridge
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Slightly off topic, but... Dec 8, 2020

...my sat nav (in a Spanish car) begins every sentence with "please" - "please turn right after 500 yards", "please take the third exit", like I'm doing it a favour. So irritating!

 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:24
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
TOPIC STARTER
Reassured Dec 8, 2020

Thanks to you all in general for the helpful responses, which seem to confirm what I already felt, and to Hans in particular for the link to Microsoft's style guide, which expresses it well.

Dan


 
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