Pre-editing the source language may be the most important part of the Higosign method. It means to shift from formalized native Japanese (in its worst case, governmentese or “gobbledygook”), to “plain Japanese” (Honna XX) or "easy Japanese" (Sato et al, XX). Easy Japanese (EJ) is an intermediary language for use with people with limited Japanese ability. EJ suggests useful rules for the content of your sign, such as make one sentence = one thought written in less than 24 characters, use active tense, and write proper names in romaji.
However, easy Japanese uses the same rules for readers of all linguistic backgrounds. The Higosign method, on the other hand, recommends that the Japanese text be edited differently for translation into different target languages. For example, "Japanese for Chinese" should use as many Chinese characters and as little Katakana as possible. On the other hand in "Japanese for English" katakana is not as much of a problem. Another example is whether to use kango (Chinese-origin) verbs or wago (Japanese-origin) verbs (Arakawa 2010) . Kango verbs combine a pair or more of Chinese characters with the Japanese verb suru [to do], such as 英語学習する [study English, lit. do English-study] or 読書する [read books, lit. do book-reading]. On the other hand, Wago verbs clearly separate the verb from its object, as in 英語を学ぶ [study English] or 本を読む [read books]. Wago verbs lead to less mistranslation in English, but Kango verbs may be preferable for Chinese, which has similar idiomatic phrases.
These pre-editing actions are applicable for all target languages:
1. Simplify the message
Make sure your sentences are short and no unnecessary information is included.
2. Clarify the grammar
Japanese is an ambiguous language, and important details such as the subject, object, numbers and locations are often omitted, leading to mistranslation. For translation into languages other than Korean, these must be clarified.
3. Downsize the vocabulary
Avoid idioms of more than two kanji for languages other than Chinese, and use simple words when possible.
Next, here are some guidelines for editing Japanese for different languages.
(ア) Japanese for English or other European languages
英語はSVO（主語・動詞・目的語）の順番にもかかかわらず、ほとんどの日中翻訳サイトは主語と動詞を入れ替えをしません（例：飲食禁止は禁止飲食となります）。この点を注意をしてください。
1. 熟語は、助詞（て、に、を、は）を加えて文の形式にする。（例：無断掲載→無断で掲載する）
2. 主語と述語を明確に書く。（例：無断掲載→あなたは何かを無断で掲載する）
3. 名詞は数を明確にする。（例：男性は入れません。→男性たちは入れません）
4. 指示代名詞を書き加える。（例：教室内では→この教室内では）
5. カナカナを使う。（注：ただし和製英語には注意）
(イ) Japanese for Chinese
中国語は漢文です。英語と同様、SVO（主語・動詞・目的語）の順番にもかかかわらず、ほとんどの日中翻訳サイトは主語と動詞を入れ替えをしません（例：飲食禁止は禁止飲食となります）。この点を注意をしてください。
1. なるべく漢語を使う。四時熟語はそのままでもいいが、訳の時は動詞分と目的分は逆になることが正しい。 飲食禁止ー＞禁止飲食
2. 主語と述語を明確に書く。（例：無断掲載→あなたは何かを無断で掲載する）
3. 指示代名詞を書き加える。（例：教室では→この教室では）
(ウ) Japanese for Korean
韓国語はかなり日本語と似ているので、それほど編集しなくても性格に訳できます。
1. なるべく漢語を使う。
2．主語、目的語、指示代名詞は基本的に不要。日本語のままでOK。