Translators of short Buddhist chants in Southeast Asia, including Hộ Tông and his Siamese and Khmer predecessors, tend to follow three unstated principles:

1. the translation may be longer than its source, but rarely vice versa
2. even when translated into the vernacular, the Pali source ought to be retained, and
3. the resulting bilingual Pali-vernacular chant should bring its performance practices—gestures, melodies, and rhythms—into harmony.

These principles are crucial for understanding the historical processes that made the transmission of Theravada Buddhism across Southeast Asia possible.