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Unrivalled quality and reliability | Komatsu Mining

Unrivalled quality and reliability | Komatsu Mining

STE as part of your global content strategy

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

Since 1921, Komatsu has stood for unrivalled quality and reliability. These defining principles, along with an emphasis on safety, compliance, and social responsibility, remain part of our Komatsu DNA. With each brand and company added to the Komatsu family, we expand our capabilities, leveraging our global teams to push beyond what can be done to create what can be imagined.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining accuracy, safety, and validity.

 

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

STE Quick facts

Background: With the widespread dissemination of user documentation published in various delivery formats across several language translations, the relevance of global information management has become greater in an attempt to stem terminology inconsistencies, mistranslations, and the disproportionate escalation of costs associated with the maintenance, reuse, and consumption of technical content.

Year: In use since 1986

Current Version: Issue 8, May 2021.

Technical writing rules: 53

Dictionary word entries: approx. 2400 terms.

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

 

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

  • An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
  • Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
  • Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
  • Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

STE in practice

If this is your first time hearing about STE, the example that follows will hopefully shed more light on the principles and best practices that govern good STE writing. Here is an original piece of text presented in standard English writing:

THE SYNTHETIC LUBRICATING OIL USED IN THIS ENGINE CONTAINS ADDITIVES WHICH, IF ALLOWED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SKIN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS, CAN BE TOXIC THROUGH ABSORPTION.

And here it is again in STE:

THE OIL IS POISONOUS. DO NOT GET THE ENGINE OIL ON YOUR SKIN.  IT CAN GO THROUGH YOUR SKIN AND INTO YOUR BODY.

Making the comparison between the two types of writing above, you will see that the original writing is rather cumbersome in expression. It is also very likely that the person reading this sentence will have difficulties following the writer’s line of thought because of the longer sentence length and unnecessary information included. In contrast, the text written in STE is much more to the point and simply distils what is pertinent to the person doing this work:

  1. The oil is poisonous.
  2. I must always be careful not to touch oil without protection.

From this example, STE shows us that warnings and cautions must always start with a simple and clear command that is usually substantiated by a reasoning that comes before or after.  A command informs the user about the precautionary measures to take to avoid danger. Presenting information as if it were a general comment in the original writing obscures the importance of the message and is not specific enough.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

 

What customers are saying.. | Komatsu Mining

Keiko Kawamura, In-house translator, Komatsu Ltd. “I was really satisfied with Shumin Chen‘s easy-to-understand explanation and delivery on the subject of Simplified English. My favourites are “Rule 4.1 Write short and clear sentences.” and “Rule 4.3 Use a vertical list for complex test.” because we can change our long and ambiguous sentences drastically for the better! It was great to have this kind of opportunity to rewrite our documents as a core team because we were able to rediscover gaps between our documentation and STE to be bridged. The rewriting workshop was totally up to my expectations. Shumin, we, all of us, very much appreciate your support! We are very satisfied with your training and eager to learn more about the STE Specification going forward.”

Leonard Smith, Technical writer, Komatsu Mining Corporation “The trainer felt competent and confident in her delivery on the subject matter Simplified English (STE) and its wider application in the industry. The introduction to the STE specification has been very useful for my understanding and application at work. In terms of STE writing rules that demonstrate flexibility, rule 1.6 – Use a word that is unapproved in the dictionary only when it is s technical name or part of a technical name lets us incorporate technical names and verbs unique to Komatsu Mining to be used as part of our industry- and project-specific terminology.

As STE is a new way of writing for us, it is too early to make a judgement at this point. I enjoyed the training, and standards were aligned with expectations. The rewriting exercise was challenging as we had to think in STE terms, the exercise was a learning experience based on our own material which we related to. Shumin, I enjoyed your course, thank you for helping me better understand!”

Komatsu Mining

Kenichi Nagashima, Simplified Technical English (STE) evangelist, Komatsu Ltd. “As the global coordinator who creates and spreads rules to write Simplified English in our company, I am fully aware of the benefits of STE and have found the trainer’s delivery on the subject matter to be very useful. Because I am not a writer, it is difficult to remember all STE rules. When there are any other important rules, rule 3.6 which promotes the use of active voice in procedural sentences making sentences easy to understand is my favourite rule. The rewriting workshop was very useful for me in two ways. I could recognise that the quality of our documents is not satisfactory, and I learned how to make them better. I feel that Shumin Chen has great ability to rewrite sentences in our field (construction equipment), and it is very likely that I will want to recommend this course to others.”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

 

 

Making sense together | AMADA Automation

Making sense together | AMADA Automation

STE as part of your global content strategy

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

AMADA Automation Europe Ltd. is committed in the delivery of superior automation solutions for material handling. We believe that Occupational Health and Safety is an important quality indicator. Our vision is that everyone should be able to work and retire healthy. This is achieved by continuously and systematically improving an already safe and secure working environment. It is the basis of all our operations.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining safety, accuracy, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

STE Quick facts

Background: With the widespread dissemination of user documentation published in various delivery formats across several language translations, the relevance of global information management has become greater in an attempt to stem terminology inconsistencies, mistranslations, and the disproportionate escalation of costs associated with the maintenance, reuse, and consumption of technical content.

Year: In use since 1986

Current Version: Issue 8, May 2021.

Technical writing rules: 53

Dictionary word entries: approx. 2400 terms.

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

 

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

  • An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
  • Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
  • Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
  • Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

STE in practice

If this is your first time hearing about STE, the example that follows will hopefully shed more light on the principles and best practices that govern good STE writing. Here is an original piece of text presented in standard English writing:

THE SYNTHETIC LUBRICATING OIL USED IN THIS ENGINE CONTAINS ADDITIVES WHICH, IF ALLOWED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SKIN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS, CAN BE TOXIC THROUGH ABSORPTION.

And here it is again in STE:

THE OIL IS POISONOUS. DO NOT GET THE ENGINE OIL ON YOUR SKIN.  IT CAN GO THROUGH YOUR SKIN AND INTO YOUR BODY.

Making the comparison between the two types of writing above, you will see that the original writing is rather cumbersome in expression. It is also very likely that the person reading this sentence will have difficulties following the writer’s line of thought because of the longer sentence length and unnecessary information included. In contrast, the text written in STE is much more to the point and simply distils what is pertinent to the person doing this work:

  1. The oil is poisonous.
  2. I must always be careful not to touch oil without protection.

From this example, STE shows us that warnings and cautions must always start with a simple and clear command that is usually substantiated by a reasoning that comes before or after.  A command informs the user about the precautionary measures to take to avoid danger. Presenting information as if it were a general comment in the original writing obscures the importance of the message and is not specific enough.

 

What customers are saying.. | AMADA Automation

Rasmus Kempe, Technical writer, AMADA automation Ltd “The trainer is well informed on the subject at hand, professional, and to the point. The rule for splitting up noun clusters is such an easy fix (even for standard English) to make text more readable and understandable. Exercise and practice are the only way to learn. This is especially true for this kind of relearning the way we are taught to write in school. I think it was good that real-time assistance was rendered to both teams in an effective manner. I certainly would recommend this course to technical writers and documentation managers who are looking to improve the quality and clarity of their written documentation!”

Amada Laser Automation

Jonas Ena, AMADA Automation Europe Ltd “The introduction to Simplified Technical English was very information and highly educative. Writing rule 1.1 to only use approved STE words in the dictionary is a powerful tool that facilitates STE implementation. The rewriting workshop was well managed and lived up to our expectations. I’d recommend this training to anyone who plans to introduce clear writing to their documentation using the principles of Simplified English.”

Ronny Flink, Machine Safety Expert and Documentation foreman, Amada Automation “The introduction to Simplified Technical English has been most useful for my understanding of what the specification entails and how it can be applied to our daily work. The trainer’s delivery on the subject matter has been very good. To use only STE valid words is an easy to remember technical writing rule that also yields the greatest benefit for our documentation processes. Overall, the presentation style was clear and easy to understand, and I would most definitely recommend this course to colleagues who wish to implement a robust documentation support work culture within their organisations.”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

 

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

 

 

Safety, cost efficiency, & reliable performance | HIAB Loader Cranes

Safety, cost efficiency, & reliable performance | HIAB Loader Cranes

STE as part of your global content strategy

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

Hiab loader cranes promise safety, cost efficiency and reliable performance. World class safety features keep operators safe and in control, minimising risk to individuals or the environment. State-of-the-art design and build is covered by Hiab’s service and maintenance contracts that guarantee the longevity of your investment.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining safety, accuracy, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

STE Quick facts

Background: With the widespread dissemination of user documentation published in various delivery formats across several language translations, the relevance of global information management has become greater in an attempt to stem terminology inconsistencies, mistranslations, and the disproportionate escalation of costs associated with the maintenance, reuse, and consumption of technical content.

Year: In use since 1986

Current Version: Issue 8, May 2021.

Technical writing rules: 53

Dictionary word entries: approx. 2400 terms.

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

 

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

  • An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
  • Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
  • Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
  • Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

STE in practice

If this is your first time hearing about STE, the example that follows will hopefully shed more light on the principles and best practices that govern good STE writing. Here is an original piece of text presented in standard English writing:

THE SYNTHETIC LUBRICATING OIL USED IN THIS ENGINE CONTAINS ADDITIVES WHICH, IF ALLOWED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SKIN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS, CAN BE TOXIC THROUGH ABSORPTION.

And here it is again in STE:

THE OIL IS POISONOUS. DO NOT GET THE ENGINE OIL ON YOUR SKIN.  IT CAN GO THROUGH YOUR SKIN AND INTO YOUR BODY.

Making the comparison between the two types of writing above, you will see that the original writing is rather cumbersome in expression. It is also very likely that the person reading this sentence will have difficulties following the writer’s line of thought because of the longer sentence length and unnecessary information included. In contrast, the text written in STE is much more to the point and simply distils what is pertinent to the person doing this work:

  1. The oil is poisonous.
  2. I must always be careful not to touch oil without protection.

From this example, STE shows us that warnings and cautions must always start with a simple and clear command that is usually substantiated by a reasoning that comes before or after.  A command informs the user about the precautionary measures to take to avoid danger. Presenting information as if it were a general comment in the original writing obscures the importance of the message and is not specific enough.

 

What customers are saying.. | HIAB Loader Cranes

VICTOR MARTINEZ YAGÜE, Certified STE Masterclass participant, Hiab Cranes SL “During the introduction to Simplified Technical English STE, Shumin explained to us the relevance of using a controlled English standard and how this could improve our documentation quality. We reviewed and discussed several STE and non-STE examples to help reinforce our learning and memory. Although the rewriting process of our documents was arduous, the trainer tried to make the learning process as enjoyable as possible. Overall, I liked the rewriting workshop and working group review because we got to apply our learning and practised writing in STE a lot. I’d most likely recommend this course to technical writers who are looking to advance, polish, or refine their STE writing skills as part of their career progression.”

Mauro Rovinetti, Technical Data Manager, Hiab – Effer loader cranes “The trainer’s delivery and introduction to Simplified English is very good as she helped us understand what the specification entails and its relevance to my work. The training workshop and overall delivery of Simplified Technical English content has been simply explained, yet complete and exhaustive. Clear English writing is the way to go also for a non-native English speaking audience who may have difficulty understanding the language at times.”

Hiab Loader Cranes

Ricardo Belsue, Technical Support & Documentation Engineer, HIAB Loader Cranes “The introduction to Simplified Technical English was quite useful for my understanding of what the specification entails and how it can be applied to our daily work, with very good materials shared during the workshop. I like STE rule.3.6 Use of active voice. Because sometimes it is not easy to identify when to use active or passive voice, mainly for non-native english speakers. With this rule, it makes more clear when you have to write technical texts.”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

 

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

 

 

Simplified Technical English as the basis for your global documentation needs

Simplified Technical English as the basis for your global documentation needs

Event information Registration
Join us for another online meet-up, where we welcome Shumin Chen for a talk about Simplified Technical English.

Simplified Technical English as the basis for your global documentation needs

Dates: Thursday, 7 October 2021

Time: 15:00 to 16:30 CEST

Event location: Online

Field(s) of interest: Compliance, Technical Writing, Globalisation and Localisation.

Presentation description

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is the international standard for accurate and efficient documentation. STE helps to make technical documentation easy to understand by standardising vocabulary, grammar, and style while letting users control their specific terminology. It includes a set of approximately 53 technical writing rules and a basic general vocabulary dictionary of approximately 900 approved words for writing technical documentation.
May 4th 2021 marks the release of Issue 8 of the Simplified Technical English (STE) specification. A few salient points worth considering, and in the words of the STE Maintenance Group Chair: – Issue 8 concludes the global review process that started with Issue 7 in 2017. While Issue 7, mainly focused on the technical writing rules of STE, Issue 8 is dedicated to the improvement of the sentence examples provided in Simplified English. – There are 706 revised words that correspond to 32% of the total number of dictionary word entries. The sentence examples in the new issue are much easier for technical writers to relate to as the focus is on the correct replacement of unapproved words with related approved words or suitable sentence constructions in STE. – This is also the first time since 1983 that changes are driven by users who actively participated in the general review of the pre-release version. 140 revised words to be exact!

Agenda

  1. Welcome and short introduction
  2. Simplified Technical English as the basis for your global documentation needs by Shumin Chen
  3. Q&A

The event is open to everyone interested in tekom Denmark. The event language is English.
When you sign up for the event, you agree to us recording the meeting via our meeting platform.

About the Speaker

Since 2006, Ms Shumin Chen has been working as a consultant with customers in various industries worldwide: aerospace & defence, banking, consumer products, healthcare, IT, medical, and fitness equipment. She has helped many companies with their documentation needs, based on standards where possible, and is widely regarded as a leading expert in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English training, aviation documentation and multilingual documentation.
Ms Chen now heads the ASD-STE100 training arm of Shufrans TechDocs in Singapore. In her current role, Ms Chen continues to focus on the practical implementation of international standards to facilitate the efficient creation and management of multilingual documentation.

tcworld China 2021 | Sept 16-17 | Shanghai & Online Hybrid Event

tcworld China 2021 | Sept 16-17 | Shanghai & Online Hybrid Event

tcworld will organise the seventh international conference for technical communicators and language professionals in China. This is a hybrid event that will take place on Sept 16-17 in Shanghai and online.

Simplified Technical English, Issue 8, May 2021, International Specification for the Preparation of Technical Documentation in a Controlled Language

Dates: Thursday, 16 September 2021

Time: 15:55 to 17:35 GMT +08:00

Field(s) of interest: Legal and Compliance, Technical Writing.

Programme Highlights

As the first technical communication professional in the field of STE to launch an e-learning course to train technical writers and subject matter experts (SMEs) in the use and effective implementation of STE, Shumin Chen, Head of ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English training & implementation firmly holds onto the ethos of clarity in documentation.

On 16 September 2021, 15:55 hrs (GMT+8), Shumin will show conference participants how to use STE correctly and effectively in practice. The main objective of this presentation is to help the audience identify and simplify technical subjects into straightforward content that is often accompanied by a few long overdue ‘aha’ moments. STE content makes for a compelling and positive impact on all document types in the technical field, especially when implemented over a period.

Substantial cost-savings in human and machine translations are easily achieved by simplifying your technical English content because when sentences are simpler and less ambiguous, they become easier and less expensive to translate. Simplified Technical English (STE) drives this change towards efficient content management, re-use, and ultimately sustainability.

Originally developed for the aerospace industry during the 1980s, STE is now widely used also outside the aviation industry, including companies in the defence, diagnostics, electronics, machinery, medical equipment, healthcare, semiconductor, IT, and Hi-Tech industries.

💻 Secure your conference seats today: https://lnkd.in/fPRqJjV

 

About the Speaker

Since 2006, Ms Shumin Chen has been working as a consultant with customers in various industries worldwide: aerospace & defence, banking, consumer products, healthcare, IT, medical, and fitness equipment. She has helped many companies with their documentation needs, based on standards where possible, and is widely regarded as a leading expert in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English training, aviation documentation and multilingual documentation.

Ms Chen now heads the ASD-STE100 training arm of Shufrans TechDocs in Singapore. In her current role, Ms Chen continues to focus on the practical implementation of international standards to facilitate the efficient creation and management of multilingual documentation.

 

High quality in vitro diagnostic products | HUMAN Diagnostics Worldwide

High quality in vitro diagnostic products | HUMAN Diagnostics Worldwide

STE as part of your global content strategy

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

  • An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
  • Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
  • Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
  • Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

HUMAN Gesellschaft für Biochemica und Diagnostica mbH is a global player in the in vitro diagnostics industry. For almost 50 years HUMAN’ success in the healthcare sector is is based on three pillars: A broad and constantly growing portfolio of in vitro diagnostic products with Quality Made in Germany, outstanding worldwide available service, support and supply capabilities and a grown culture of partnership with our distribution partners in more than 160 countries. HUMAN’s product philosophy calls for the utmost in reliability and quality as well as timely product availability.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining accuracy, safety, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

STE Quick facts

Background: With the widespread dissemination of user documentation published in various delivery formats across several language translations, the relevance of global information management has become greater in an attempt to stem terminology inconsistencies, mistranslations, and the disproportionate escalation of costs associated with the maintenance, reuse, and consumption of technical content.

Year: In use since 1986

Current Version: Issue 8, May 2021.

Technical writing rules: 53

Dictionary word entries: approx. 2400 terms.

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

 

What customers are saying.. | HUMAN Diagnostics Worldwide

K.Ilkenhans, Documentation / Quality Management “Training delivery is clear and easy to understand, even with English as my second language. The approved words & meanings that are used for procedural & descriptive writing in STE makes it easier to shorten and organise our texts. Most importantly, the improved comprehensibility for end-users to understand technical content is now made possible using STE as we try to minimise complaints based on information misunderstandings. This is a great course to attend and has really helped us improve our texts. I’d most definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to apply STE principles to their daily work.”

 

Eniza Gutic, Employee / Quality Management “Our Trainer Shumin did an excellent job. She spoke clearly and understandably..and in case if you did not understand something she patiently explained it again. I always had the feeling I could ask her anything again and again. A big thanks for the excellent training we had. The workshop met my expectations, and to “Make instructions as specific as possible” in STE – .. will help shorten our sentences and focus only on the essentials.”

Rosenver Yepez Arrieta, Team Coordinator Technical Translations & Documentation, HUMAN Gesellschaft für Biochemica und Diagnostica mbH “I’ve found the introduction to Simplified Technical English (STE) very useful, good, and understandable. During the STE presentation on writing rules and application, all the STE technical writing rules are necessary in my field of work and I do not have a favourite rule after all. As this was an internal group training, the fact that the trainer has customised the workshop to meet our needs was perfect! Thank you very much for the training! It is very likely so that I will recommend Shufrans’ STE training workshop to others.”

Sarah Desroches, Technical Translator, HUMAN Gesellschaft für Biochemica und Diagnostica mbH “Precise with helpful examples and figures were provided during the introduction to Simplified Technical English (STE). In terms of STE writing rules and application, I find it great that one definition only corresponds to one verb (or another part of speech), it can prevent a lot of ambiguous situations. Vertical lists are really useful to improve comprehension as well.. After studying the STE rules and sentence examples during the classroom training, it was much easier to see which rules I have assimilated and which ones I still needed to work on with the rewriting workshop, so this was a really good exercise for all of us to work on!”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

 

 

Intelligent Information Management | M-files Enterprise Content Management

Intelligent Information Management | M-files Enterprise Content Management

STE as part of your global content strategy

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will then endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

  • An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
  • Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
  • Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
  • Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

M-Files is an intelligent information management platform that helps companies make smart connections across the business and automate critical business processes, while at the same time keeping information secured and controlled.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining accuracy, safety, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

STE Quick facts

Background: With the widespread dissemination of user documentation published in various delivery formats across several language translations, the relevance of global information management has become greater in an attempt to stem terminology inconsistencies, mistranslations, and the disproportionate escalation of costs associated with the maintenance, reuse, and consumption of technical content.

Year: In use since 1986

Current Version: Issue 8, May 2021.

Technical writing rules: 53

Dictionary word entries: approx. 2400 terms.

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

 

What customers are saying.. | M-Files

Jenna Lehtimäki, Technical Writer, M-Files Oy “The introduction to STE, summary exercises, and case studies were well-presented and didn’t take too much time. The STE writing rules and application were accompanied by many examples. The training also covered effective exercises related to STE that were of interest to the group.

The rewriting workshop was well managed and we got good support from the trainer. However, I thought that we would have more time for the rewriting part. Fortunately, we have the 90 days support so it is possible to continue rewriting and still get feedback from the trainer.

Thank you for the training! I would indeed recommend this course to all technical writers.”

Rosa Kirves, Junior Technical Writer, M-files “As a tech writer with a background in translations, I am familiar with what the Simplified Technical English writing specification entails and how it can be applied to my work. The training delivery by Shumin was very clear and easy to follow. Complex verb structures are unconsciously introduced into our technical content, and people tend to use it more often than not. Hence, rule 3.4 of STE really helps me get rid of this complicated grammatical tense to ensure a simpler sentence construction for improved user readability in our enterprise content.”

Raine Välimäki, Lead Technical Writer, M-Files Corporation “The course introduction and summary exercises were easy to understand, organised, and credible. As a whole, the rewriting workshop was, extremely useful and at the end of the day, probably the most beneficial part of the course. I can’t think of anything other to mention here, other than offering my sincere thanks for a very high quality course!”

 

Laura Säily, Junior Technical Writer, M-files “The introduction to Simplified Technical English (STE) was very useful for my understanding of what the international writing specification entails and how it can be applied to our daily work. Where writing rules are concerned, removing noun clusters in our technical content is an important aspect that I will consider as it is easy to spot and correct with many potential benefits in the short term and longer run. This is a technical writing course that I’d very most likely recommend to others in the technical writing industry.”

 

 

Juggling your business requirements Part 2

Juggling your business requirements Part 2

Juggling your business requirements using documentation standards, and why Simplified English matters?

 

Juggling your business requirements Part 1

 

How does Simplified English potentially help us to achieve high-quality product standards, and why for starters do we need Simplified English? Well, Simplified English consists of two words: Simplified and English. So for starters, why is it English? There are three times as many native speakers of Mandarin Chinese as there are native speakers of English. However, Mandarin Chinese doesn’t get us very far outside east Asia. So English is a much better choice because it is actually the language that has the highest penetration into other continents. It is spoken in all continents, but the vast majority of people has English as a second, rather than the first language. English is a very global language. We can find English speakers in almost every country, but their understanding of English could be different from ours and may actually be limited. 

Language is a means to communicate the information that we have to present to our users, to our audience.  

And English happens to be a very rich language, meaning that, amongst other things, it has a huge vocabulary. It has about three times as many words as French or German. However, in French or German, you can say just the same things that you can say in English. You can express the same thoughts as accurately as in English. So this implies actually that English has redundant or ambiguous words. There are too many words with the same or very similar meanings. Also, English grammar is a problem even for most native English speakers, and it can be highly confusing especially to people with English as a second language, or who have limited education. So we want to try and do away with this huge, unnecessary part of the vocabulary and we want to simplify grammar to what is essential to getting our message across.

We are not here to show off our literary skills, we are not writing poetry, we are not writing literature, it’s not about Shakespeare, it’s about informing your audience, the user.

After all, we are not here to show off our literary skills, we are not writing poetry, we are not writing literature, it’s not about Shakespeare, it’s about informing your audience, the user, whether he is a consumer or engineer, a maintenance technician, staff in a hospital. It doesn’t matter whom we are talking to, but if we have a message for them, it should really go without saying that we want to be understood, and language should never be an obstacle. Language is a means to communicate the information that we have to present to our users, to our audience.

 

🌐  Drop us a message here to learn how we can support your technical writing and documentation processes. 

 

Juggling your business requirements Part 1

Juggling your business requirements Part 1

Juggling your business requirements using standards

Most of us will recognise this kind of juggling in one form or another at the workplace. There are business requirements to take into account on top of our daily regular workload. Just getting the work done is not enough. There are various considerations, such as time-to-market, or, as the case may be, downtime. Of course, we are all forced to cut corners and save costs wherever possible. At the same time, we want to be less dependent on a specific supplier. This means a continuous juggling game where we are going to try and keep everything in balance, to get our projects finalised, on-time, within budget, with the right quality, and without any further compromises. We want to be able to do the work or get the work done our way.

Of course, we are all forced to cut corners and save costs wherever possible.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English is a guideline that regulates the wording and writing style used in technical publications. Simplified Technical English used to be known as Simplified English and the official name is this wonderful acronym ASD-STE100, and all three mean the same.

We are talking about the standard based on practical experiences over the past 15 years in many different industries. Seeing how this international standard helps to make the creation and management of global documentation a little bit less of a headache. We would like to share our experiences in the field of Simplified Technical English implementation with you. 

Documentation always kicks in when the product is already late, when we are already over budget for the product lifecycle..

To engineers, it makes a lot of sense to use standards whenever possible in order to achieve similar results. Yet surprisingly, in the documentation field, it still happens that standards are not highly regarded. We are not talking about technical writers or documentation managers. We all know about the importance of documentation, and the importance of standards to support their documentation. However, upper management and those people who basically sit on our budgets and who make the decisions for us, do not always have the same kind of regard for documentation that we know is very well deserved, and very much necessary. Actually, in this respect, the European Union for once deserves some credit in that it actually specifically states in its regulations that documentation is an integral part of your product.

Documentation is a very essential item, yet it always comes at the last moment. Documentation always kicks in when the product is already late, when we are already over budget for the product lifecycle and we just need to cut corners or are expected to cut corners. However, we still want to stand behind what we do and make sure we provide a quality product. 

 

Juggling your business requirements Part 2

 

🌐 Drop us a message here to learn how we can support your technical writing and documentation processes. 

 

Technical English writing with certified STE training

Technical English writing with certified STE training

Technical English writing with certified STE training

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English is a guideline that regulates the wording and writing style used in technical publications. Writing in Simplified Technical English (STE) is about informing your audience: the user. Whether he or she is a consumer, an engineer, a maintenance technician, or a staff in a hospital, it doesn’t matter whom we are talking to. If we have a message for them, it should really go without saying that we want to be understood, and language should never be an obstacle.

Language is a means to communicate the information that we have to present to our users, to our audience. Since the early 2000s, STE as a versatile standard has become such a success that other industries have adopting and adapting its principles to meet their own business needs. Interest in this international writing standard has also proliferated in the fields of language services, professional translation, and interpreting, as well as academia.

Certified STE training is not rocket science, but there are some common pitfalls to avoid, and you can definitely use some help and guidance in dealing with STE technical writing rules, how to correctly, efficiently, and effectively apply them. The first day of the STE training course would be mainly theory coupled with some standard exercises. The second day would be more like a workshop practising on your own documents and learning how they change, and hopefully improve by applying Simplified English to them. 

Syntax, vocabulary and terminology all are covered by a good training course. If there is software to be used, it should also teach you not so much how to deal with the software menus, because the checker tools are pretty easy to operate. The problem is more how do you use a checker effectively, not being misled or governed by the software, but making the software an effective assistant in order to write, rewrite, and update your documentation most effectively and accurately. 

 

🌐 Sign up for a workshop or drop us a message here to learn how we can support your technical writing and documentation processes.