The untranslated phrase

The volunteers translating the exhibition guide did not disagree about every sentence. One problem was a local expression whose meaning depended on the speaker's tone. Another was a place name with two accepted spellings, only one of which matched the entrance sign. The original writer had also shortened several sentences to fit the layout, leaving unclear what two pronouns referred to. Our first translated version was longer than the allocated space. The designer needed the wording that afternoon, but the person who could clarify the expression was still travelling.

Describe the difficulties of preparing the translated guide. You may support your points with brief quotations.