The implication is that the Hitchiker's Guide is able to self-translate itself for readers. When Ford initially hands it to Arthur (prior to putting a Babel fish in his ear), the text turns from "characters" into readable English after he presses a few buttons.
A screen, about three inches by four, lit up and characters began to
flicker across the surface.
"You want to know about Vogons, so I enter that name so." His fingers
tapped some more keys. "And there we are."
The words Vogon Constructor Fleets flared in green across the screen.
Assuming it's now preset to "English-mode", that would also explain how Fenchurch is able to read it in the later novel.
As to when the Guide itself learned to speak English, this was possibly from scanning and studying its environment (unlikely) or simply that Ford, or one of the earlier researchers, inputted an English dictionary at the same time they uploaded their journal entries about life on Earth (far more likely).
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