Vague Instructions

I think the reason why a lot of instructions from foreign companies are vague and have no pictures because the company is trying to keep their costs down to maintain their competitive edge. However, I think this is an area where a company really shouldn't be skimping. It sounds like they are just running the instructions they wrote in their native language through some kind of translation software program. In my experience those type of translators often make mistakes because they translate too literally and don't recognize a lot of commonly used phrases. Good pictures are another item that cost more to include in a set of instructions. Figure into the cost either an artist to draw it or a photographer to take pictures of it, as well as possibly even a graphic designer to wrangle the images around so they look best and make the most sense. Without taking the extra steps to make sure the instructions are clear and have good illustrations, the overall satisfaction that the customer has with the product suffers as they become frustrating trying to figure out how to use and or assemble it. Once all of this is figured in, that fabulous cost savings doesn't seem like such a value anymore, does it?