Native-like English?

[SanneSpek]

I have found a small passage of a quality pass regarding the assembly of a sofa, which sounded weird to me. Along with other languages, which said roughly the same, I am not quite sure if this passage mentioned below sounds natural and correct to native English speakers? Or does this passage make the impression to you that it has been translated?

“If you want to move the sofa around please do not grab the fabric/leather, cushions or any loose objects. This can damage your furniture. The sofa should be moved by lifting from beneath. Please grab the fixed frame.”

I have the idea that the expressions used, like “do not” and “should be” are too direct for the English cultural conventions. I would like to hear your insights about it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[emsr2d2]

Welcome to the forum.

There is nothing wrong with the original. It needs to be very clear that one shouldn't "grab the leather/cushions ..." so "do not" is perfect. Also, it's preceded by "please", which makes it quite polite!

I don't know what "a small passage of a quality pass" means.
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[SanneSpek]

All right! with a passage from a quality pass I meant an excerpt from a manual.

 

[emsr2d2]

All right! With "a passage from a quality pass", I meant an excerpt from a manual.

 

[Tarheel]

I have had time to think about this one, and as usual my answer is brilliant.*


It's an instruction, not a request. So "please" is a bit odd there.

I would focus on what to do and not so much on what not to do. And I would avoid using the word "grab" altogether. So I would say, "The sofa should be moved by lifting it from beneath." I might add that it shouldn't be moved any other way.

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*He's kidding, I think.

 

[Skrej]

The word 'around' isn't really necessary in the original version, although it's not wrong, just redundant.

It does however sound a little bit wordy for something like a user manual. It's written more in a conversational style than simple instructions. I would except instructions/warnings from a manual to be a bit shorter. It's also not uncommon for them to be direct, because direct is clear. Again, it's not a direct conversation, so the issue of avoiding directness or being blunt isn't really an issue. We except them to be brief and to the point.

I would expect to see something more similar to the following in a user manual:

Move the sofa only by lifting from beneath and grabbing the fixed frame. Avoid grabbing the fabric or other loose objects which could result in damage to the furniture.