Here are some other points I have discovered in my work. We'll zoom through them.

• Everyone and anyone seem to be easier to read than everybody and anybody. I have no idea why. It makes no sense to me but it has been a consistent finding in my work.
  
  
• Words are mis-read when hyphenated over a line. In fact, ideally sentences should end at the end of each line. Many of the translators pause there, as if there were a period. And many will read straight through a period when it comes in the middle of a line.
  
  
• I try to maintain consistency, even if it sounds boring. E.g., if car is understood, I don't change it for vehicle in the next sentence. Some, who could read car, will not be able to read vehicle. And some who can read both words will assume that I am using the words to mean two different things.
  
  
• If I am writing a list, I use complete sentences. I wouldn't say:
           You can

  go to the zoo, stay at home and watch TV, or go to the mall.

  
  
           Instead, I would say:

  You can go to the zoo. You can stay at home and watch TV. Or, you can go to the mall.

With a short list, it may make little difference, but with a longer list, the initial sentence fragment can be forgotten and the list becomes meaningless. Lots of repetition is good.

• I use words that are already in their specific vocabulary. The words developmental and disability each have 5 syllables and will bump up any computerised reading-level analysis, but they are nearly always readable for this population. Residential is often familiar. So is guardian. However, people with disabilities who could read these words often couldn't read immigrant or sponsor. In my testing with immigrants, the opposite was true. People become comfortable with words that occur within their own life experience.
• I use a 14 point modified sans serif font, where I can. A typical sans serif font like Arial is rather heavy and intimidating in large quantities. On the other hand, a serif font like Times Roman seems less clear to the translators. So I compromise with C.G. Omega or Zapf Humanist. They don't have tails, but they do have thick and thin strokes. I find them quite elegant, and the translators all like them. The size is good for reading - 12 point in these fonts is too small for them, and much bigger than 14 point spreads out the words too wide.
• I use graphics wherever I can, as long as they are relevant. I keep them plain, close to words they are illustrating, and I test them just as I would text.

After I have prepared the materials, I test them, as an essential part of the process. The translators who work with me are more than just focus group participants, they are genuine contributors to the process. Without them, the materials would not be as straight-forward. I continue to be surprised and excited at what they teach me.