Variety keeps the mind fresh
Since embarking on my copywriting career in 1998 and becoming a freelance copywriter in 2006, I’ve had the pleasure of solving a diverse range of challenges for over 150 different clients across numerous different industries.
Clients
From globally dominant corporations and well-known brands to market specialists, industry leaders and ambitious start-ups. Working directly with clients or via creative agencies.
Industries
Worked across a broad spectrum from beauty, tourism and consumer electronics to IT, corporate services, FMCG and many, many more.
Deliverables
B2B and B2C materials for every internal and external communication purpose. For printed materials, websites, videos, emails, user interfaces and more.
Teamwork
While most of my assignments answer a brief from a single point of contact, I sometimes also become embedded in onsite or remote teams.
Clients
Select categories to filter. Hover over logos to read more.
Please be aware that, over time, clients may have altered content on their websites and other materials. Please check with me to find out whether materials you find online (or elsewhere) use copy I provided.
-
How attention to detail can save public money Are your forms fit for purpose? Anyone who’s ever filled in a form issued by a public body will know how stressful it can be. Answers have consequences, yet it’s not always clear what information is needed. Even after reading the notes provided as guidance, applicants can still be left unsure about which sources to reference, which fields are mandatory in their specific case, and whether they also need to provide supporting documentation or payment. Too much information? This doesn’t just create stress for applicants, but also creates extra workload for whoever administrates the forms. Have you ever considered how much time is spent on returning and re-processing incorrect or incomplete applications, and servicing helpdesks? And how much money this translates into? Where form creation goes wrong, and how to put it right Public administration has to cover a broad and complex range of permutations. But this is no excuse for bamboozling the general public. Their cooperation is needed. And success will come from making form-filling as easy-as-possible. However complex the information matrix behind an administrative need, forms and their supporting guidance can be made more user-friendly by paying better attention to content and design. This applies to both paper and online forms. Ambiguous wording and guidance It’s not something most people spend time thinking about, but a lot of words have different meanings depending on their context. This really gets exposed when form-fillers come from differing situations and therefore view questions from different perspectives. To ensure valid responses, form wording must not leave room for doubt. Yet this is a common occurrence. One reason it happens is something I call the “assumed knowledge gap”. The assumed-knowledge gap is when an organisation’s employees have become so familiar with internal processes and language that they subconsciously assume their external target audience knows it too. This results in instructions that seem perfectly clear to the insiders who wrote them, but not to the outsiders who use them. The assumed knowledge gap is a likely culprit behind ambiguity both in the way questions are worded and omissions in supporting guidance. An example to illustrate: I recently returned to my home country after living abroad, and had to exchange my foreign driving licence. The form asked for the address on my last driving licence. A simple enough request, right? However, in the context of my situation, it wasn’t immediately clear whether this meant the last address on my licence in any country, or the last address on my licence in the country I was returning to. Given that I was still in possession of my foreign licence, the word “last” wasn’t entirely correct if referring to that. If the phrase “current or most recent” licence had been used, I would be sure how to answer. “Last” implies something that is consigned to the past, which would therefore refer to my last address before I left. In addition, the notes indicated there was no fee for the type of licence exchange I was doing. Yet it did indicate a fee for providing a new picture, which appeared to be a necessity, as how would they get a picture for my new licence otherwise? The requirement in my particular scenario was not clarified, and asking other people about it didn’t draw any firmer conclusions, so it was up to me to gamble on whether or not to send payment. At the time of writing, I have no idea whether I made the right calls on either of these matters! Cluttered, hard-to-follow presentation Public body forms have to cover a very wide range of potential information. This typically means including a lot of fields that are redundant for a lot of applicants. Instructional wording around this therefore needs to be crystal clear. And it needs to be assisted by good visual design. When individual response fields or even entire sections can be skipped, a correctly completed form will look visually incomplete. With this, the applicant has no easy cues alerting them to anything they’ve missed. The more that needs to be skipped, the easier it is to miss mandatory fields. Good design that “thinks along” with the applicant experience – UX design if you like – can go a long way to avoiding omissions, as well as confusion when unnecessary fields get filled in by mistake. While online forms can be designed so that only relevant fields appear on-screen, paper forms with many possible fields are often over-crowded. In both cases, leaving more blank space will make forms appear less overwhelming, and allow better visibility of each important feature. More blank space will, of course, also make forms longer. But with good design, and good up-front explanation to set expectations, longer forms can be made to appear less daunting. If the length of paper forms is determined by a requirement to minimise paper use, it’s worth remembering that one 5-page form uses less paper than two (or more) 3-page forms. Correct form-filling at the first attempt means less paper gets used. When it comes to online forms, unnecessary fields can be hidden and prompts to complete any missing fields can be given. But that’s no excuse for design complacence. The technicalities that determine what an applicant can and must fill in must be appropriate for all eventualities, and constantly checked for correct behaviour. Especially after any updates are applied. Talking of which … Disruptive updates As information requirements change over time, so do questions on forms. But every updated, added or deleted question risks breaking the logic in another part of the form or its supporting guidance. Even the most carefully and considerately designed forms can become unruly and unfit for purpose over the course of a few updates, with both wording and visual appearance taking the hit. For online forms, technical behaviour is an additional aspect that’s at-risk. It may sound cumbersome, but reviewing the entire form and supporting guidance is a must every time updates are made. Two tips for managing updates: 1) Every form, together with its supporting guidance, should be managed by a single “owner”. This person’s familiarity with the form as a whole should mean they’re more likely to know the knock-on effects of any adjustments. 2) Engage a complete outsider to review your forms and supporting guidance, as their lack of familiarity will help identify real-world user issues. A problem that’s amplified in translation If something is hard to understand in its original language, the problem is compounded in translation. Unclear instructions are even more confusing to those who are trying to navigate a form in a second language, or relying on official (or unofficial) translations. Because languages don’t always translate directly to each other, a certain amount of adaptation is often needed. When the original version is less than perfect, these adaptations can easily go off at the wrong tangent. Additionally, because form field labels can sometimes just be one or two words, the risk of being misinterpreted in translation is even higher. Given that public bodies will always need to communicate with foreign nationals, ensuring original copy is clear, complete and unambiguous is vitally important. The better it does on these fronts, the higher the chances that automated translation tools will deliver correct results. But ideally, professional human translations into other languages should always be provided to avoid the risk of misunderstandings when applicants take matters into their own hands. Another consideration on translated forms is salutations and address formats. These can be very different in different countries, and allowances need to be made if there is a situation whereby foreign addresses or salutations will be entered. Translation can bring collateral benefits Translations can expose ambiguities. Which means they also present opportunities to avoid them. A good (human) transcreator – that’s a translator who takes great care to also naturalise the translated language – will spot ambiguities, inconsistencies and incompatibilities during their process. Sometimes, engaging a professional transcreator is the key to knocking your original language version back into shape. Conclusion The more forms that get completed correctly first time, the less time is wasted on remedial administration. The clearer form instructions are, the less burden there is on helpdesks. All of which translates directly into financial savings. And the benefits of properly worded, designed and maintained forms don’t stop there. A body that’s easy to work with is viewed more positively by its users. That means less frustration being vented at staff, which makes your organisation a more appealing place to work. Need help getting on form with your forms? I’m Miriam Young, a freelance senior copywriter and transcreator who can scrutinise your needs and materials, and help ensure your forms are fit for purpose. My native language is English, and that’s the language I write in and transcreate to. Alongside this, my experience working with clients and team-mates from all around the world means I have full appreciation of what’s needed in international situations. I do not provide graphic design services, but I can instruct a designer according to your requirements.Staying in top form, to save public money
-
Website for ainoZpeer
-
Website and communicationsSmartSpotter
-
Print publication for 125-year anniversaryAlblas
-
Website, editorial, social media, advertisements, direct communicationsTanis
-
Strategic concept developmentVegetables by Bayer
-
Web content, social media, direct communicationsG-STIC
-
Advertisements, brochuresRicoh
-
Website content, blog posts, advertisements and editorial articlesStolt Tank Containers
-
Original copy and copy editing for whitepapers, online articles, brochures, direct customer communication and social media postsR&G Global Consultants
-
Content review and copy editing for website, online articles and marketing materialsNIPO
-
Editing of internal communications articles for employee portalFrieslandCampina
-
Original copy for promotional brochure and packagingTreets Traditions
-
Website and customer communicationsMedical Export Group
-
Transcreation of presentationsHouse of Performance
-
Transcreation of description of new rolling stock liveryNS
-
Transcreation of voice overs and subtitles for corporate videosTony's Chocolonely
-
Transcreation of information for students and young people looking for housing in RotterdamStadswonen Rotterdam
-
Transcreation of visitor information for tourist attractions in the City of Genk in BelgiumCity of Genk
-
Original copy for website and editing/enhancement of online articlesInnovation Booster
-
Content planning review for websiteBrandLoyalty
-
Numerous projects for different divisions, for external product promotion and internal developmentPhilips
-
Original copy and copy editing for marketing materials and press releasesPF Concept
-
Original copy for trade publication articles and tender application documentsVanderlande
-
Planning content and writing copy for websiteWens travel
-
Original copy for websiteOmniPlayer
-
Original copy for website, app and customer communicationsWuunder
-
Transcreation for websiteTWNKLS
-
Original copy for promotional video VO scriptTRCKTrace
-
Writing, editing and coordinating translations for user on-screen messagingLiberty Global
-
Transcreation for websiteSmart Impact Investment
-
Original copy for websiteAuditionline
-
Original copy for website, sales brochures and direct customer communicationsAuthentic Models
-
Original copy for direct customer communicationsOracle
-
Content planning and original copy for website and online articlesSound of Data
-
Transcreation of copy for websiteVopak
-
Original copy for marketing brochure. See project (below) for more details.Tug Training & Consultancy
-
Content planning and original copy for website dedicated to recruiting staffSkydreams
-
Original copy for B2B websiteChocDecor
-
Original copy for website and other marketing materialsACT Commodities
-
Original copy for brochure, press kit and client communicationsRetail is Detail
-
Editing various promotional materialsTopMind
-
Transcreation of client communicationsValtech
-
Transcreating website copy for initial launch into UK marketSRPRS me
-
Transporter, installer and remover of offshore facilities for the oil, gas and renewables industryHeerema
-
Original copy and transcreation from French for brochures, website and electronic promotions.Lexon
-
Original copy for website, brochures and training materialsdanibu
-
Creator of narrowcast content management systemsgauddi
-
Original copy for online advertising and voiceover script for B2B marketing videoHeineken
-
Original copy for website, direct marketing and editorial articles for Damen's customer support services.Damen Services
-
Original copy for website, online advertising, social media posts and inflight sales brochureKLM
-
Original copy for B2B marketing materialsDouwe Egberts
-
Original copy for brochure.Tideway
-
Original copy for business boiler plate descriptionVryhof
-
Original copy for promotional literatureNV NOM
-
Concept, content planning and original copy for a range of B2C and B2B promotional materials, plus internal instructional materials. See Vantage Point and Back to School projects (below) for more.Staples
-
Writing video voiceover scriptsSOA AIDS Nederland
-
Transcreation of sponsorship proposal for Netherlands Trade Delegation to South Korea.KNSB
-
Original copy for Facebook advertising campaign and online promotion activity.Gucci
-
Transcreation of creative agency communications and advertisement concept descriptions during campaign developmentKAYAK.com
-
Transcreation of internal communications during development of advertising campaigns.McDonalds
-
Original copy for direct marketing. Editing of whitepaper. Transcreation of direct marketing materials.IBM
-
Original copy for print advertisementAmsterdam Jewel Cruises
-
Original copy for print advertisementKenz Cranes
-
Original copy for websiteCatchii
-
Original copy for marketing materialsAudion
-
Transcreation of internal communications during development of advertising campaignsCup-a-Soup
-
Pan-European passenger railway servicesRailteam
-
Residential, commercial and business property development in RotterdamNew Babylon
-
Transcreation of copy for packaging and internal communications during development of advertising campaignsPickwick Tea
-
Transcreation of promotional brochure and direct marketing materials.TIAS
-
Provider of scientific, technical, and medical information and analyticsElsevier
-
Original copy for direct marketing materials (State Yellow). Transcreation of brochures and direct marketing materials.State of Art
-
English subtitles for Dutch videosRiviera Maison
-
Original copy for websiteNIVEA
-
Transcreation of copy for sales brochures, direct marketing and website44/floors
-
Global importers, exporters and traders of plants and flowersDutch Flower Group
-
Transcreation of internal communications during development of advertising campaignsLays
-
Original copy for branded kitchenware packagingPaul Bocuse Kitchenware
-
Sportswear and fashion clothing brandSlazenger
-
Original copy for video VO script.id-me
-
Designer wedding dressesJustin Alexander
-
Original copy for direct marketing, website, editorial articles and advertisementsXeikon
-
Original copy for print advertisements and promotional coffee table book.Sikkens
-
Original copy for packaging insertNordic Fire Diamonds by Crisdiam
-
Green energy commodities brokerSTX Commodities
-
Manufacturers of sustainable clothing for brand customisationStanley & Stella
-
Educational establishmentRotterdam School of Management
-
Belgian beer brewerDuvel-Moortgat Breweries / Duvel
-
Original copy for marketing materials.CLB
-
Trust management services for international businessesEuryton Trust Management
-
Original copy for websiteCB Trade Link
Projects
A small selection of the numerous projects I’ve contributed to over the years.