Dear by,

It seems to me that language is all about communication, and provided the short cuts don't breed unintended ambiguity, then the shorter the wording the more efficient the communication.

Have you noticed that in multi-lingual instructions, for cameras, toasters etc., the English section is always the shortest. That seems to imply that English is either a more efficient communication tool than other languages or it is less precise and leaves more to be interpreted from context. Any views?

dxb.