by Shufrans Techdocsin BlogComments Off on Simplified Technical English (STE) saves businesses time and money. Here are 4 compelling reasons why.
🚜 🛫 🚛 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that aims to make technical documentation easier to understand for non-native English speakers and those with limited language proficiency. It is used widely in various industries such as aerospace, defense, and transportation.
Here are some reasons why investing in Simplified Technical English can be a good decision:
Clear communication: STE provides a standard vocabulary and grammar, making technical documentation clear and concise, and reducing ambiguity. This can lead to more efficient communication and better understanding between technical writers, engineers, and end-users.
Improved safety: In high-risk industries such as aerospace and defense, using STE can help reduce the risk of accidents caused by misunderstandings in technical documentation. By ensuring clear and unambiguous instructions, STE can contribute to improving safety and reducing risk.
Cost-effective: Simplified Technical English can help reduce the cost of translation and localization of technical documents. By using a standardized language, companies can simplify the translation process and reduce the need for costly and time-consuming revisions.
Compliance: STE is widely recognized as an industry standard for technical documentation in many sectors, and its use can help companies comply with industry regulations and standards. This can be particularly important for companies operating in highly regulated industries.
In summary, investing in Simplified Technical English can improve communication, increase safety, reduce costs, and support regulatory compliance. By adopting STE, companies can ensure that their technical documentation is clear, concise, and effective, which can ultimately contribute to their success and competitiveness in the global market.
by Shufrans Techdocsin Blog, News & EventsComments Off on 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.
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 toolto 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:
The oil is poisonous.
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.
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.”
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!
by Shufrans Techdocsin BlogComments Off on 6 Words that Technical Writers Struggle to Break Up With in Simplified Technical English
TCLoc Master article on 6 Words that Technical Writers Struggle to Break Up With in Simplified Technical English by Ms. Shumin Chen, Principal ASD-STE100 Trainer & Consultant.
First published on TCLoc Master Blog • University of Strasbourg • 26 August 2019
Product documentation can potentially be confusing, incoherent, and ambiguous in many situations. Recognising language ambiguity usually takes months, if not longer. Several aggravating factors include:
A constant need to churn out or translate volumes of documentation, manuals, and working standards.
Rarely questioning the relevance or validity of legacy documentation.
Allowing unclear parts of your technical content to snowball into substantial chunks that will eventually make up parts of your “user-unfriendly” help guides.
Finally, let us not forget the insidiously familiar workplace jargon that often explains why we tend to ignore simpler alternatives that could help us express our thoughts with greater clarity.
From workplace jargon to user-friendly words
Sometimes, realising the level of complexity of one’s technical content involves an epiphany of sorts once the writer catches a glimpse of technical writing in Simplified Technical English (STE). This is true for one of our clients, who is both an experienced technical author and documentation manager:
“A training course helped me better appreciate the objectives of Simplified Technical English from a technical writer’s perspective. I like the fact that STE promotes the use of less complex sentence structures and does away with unnecessary words like: ‘would’, ‘should’, and ‘might’.”
Do we have a problem? If so, fix it!
For example, if you look up the meaning of the word “fix” in a standard dictionary, the definitions are aplenty, from “fixing a technical difficulty” to “fixing up a meal in the kitchen”. Given the many possible meanings that hold true for the verb “to fix”, one could also distil as many interpretations of the word in a sentence.
According to Simplified Technical English, Issue 7, January 2017, there is a solution for this. Instead of “fix”, synonyms such as “ATTACH*”, “SET”, “REPAIR”, and “INSTALL” powerfully extend our understanding and knowledge of what “fix” really entails when paired with various contextual clues.
The next five words: are you thinking of these too?
Keeping in mind that these are not the only unproductive words I talk about in my workshops, they are among the most frequently discussed ones.
The word “should” usually indicates duty or correctness that points to a desirable or expected state. However, it still allows the possibility of non-compliance. “MUST”, on the other hand, makes it clear that the instructions are mandatory and leaves no room for a different reading.
Besides the roughly 900 approved words found in the STE general vocabulary, the STE specification also includes a list of non-approved words. “Would” is one of those words that is easily replaced by a more straightforward and approved STE word like “CAN”.
In the STE general dictionary, the approved word examples in the 2nd column are very useful for technical writers who are transitioning from Standard English to Simplified English. This is because they provide the writer with the correct use of words in a real-life context that would be difficult to think of independently. Here, we see that “CAN” is once again a very helpful alternative to the verb “may”. Using too many words that point to the same or similar meanings can be, at times, overwhelming for your readers, especially when documentation becomes lengthier and more detailed.
By now, the effects of STE on everyday words that pose as potential roadblocks to concise writing are clear. Instead of “transfer”, STE encourages the use of “MOVE” or “INSTALL”. This adds granularity to your choice of verbs, making technical work instructions more detailed and easier to follow.
The preference in STE for the verb “MAKE SURE” over “confirm” is again another unique characteristic of this standard. This is very likely so because the maintenance committee (made up of a diverse mix of linguists, engineers, and translators) deems “MAKE SURE” a more fitting word with more frequent usage to back their word choice.
What are some popular words in STE that trained technical writers have adopted to date?
We spoke to more than 30 technical writers and this is by far the most comprehensive response to date:
“My favourite STE verbs are ‘APPLY’, ‘ATTACH’, ‘MAKE SURE’, and ‘SHOW’. The verb ‘APPLY’ has multiple use cases for our documents. The verb ‘ATTACH’ is a great utility verb because common alternatives like ‘mount’ are not approved. The verb ‘MAKE SURE’ is extremely helpful in cautions and warnings, as well as in some procedural steps. Finally, the verb ‘SHOW’ is extremely helpful when I write about background processes and how things work in general.”
STE as a game-changer in our technical communication landscape
Can you envision a future where STE serves as the primary language reference for content creation and development in your field?
We would like to hear from you. Leave your ideas in the comments section below!
Shufrans’ ILT STE workshop sessions are an effective means of delivering information, as they allow for real-time feedback, questions and answers, manipulation, and changeable delivery to suit the needs of learners in a conducive learning environment. ILT is also the most widely-used method for extended enterprise training, which trains customers and partners, with an 80% usage rate.
STE stands for Simplified Technical English. It offers native & non-native English speakers alike an efficient platform to improve your technical English language competency when writing for a global audience.
For technical writers: simplified wording and grammar will improve readability and safety compliance of your documentation and product respectively.
For engineers and programmers: Breeze through the writing of test cases, technical documents, and business emails in a highly standardised and regulated manner. STE opens up effective communication channels, hence avoiding potential miscommunication issues at work while improving the overall professional impression that you portray.
For translators, translation PMs, and localisation engineers: With STE working for your team in the background, you can streamline your preparation of translation memory/terminologybased on leaner documentation, lowered translation & localisation costs, and faster delivery.
For LSPs and technical writing services companies: Diversify your business portfoliowith an in-depth knowledge of STE as an international controlled English language standard.
Online Simplified Technical English Programme Highlights
Highly efficient: We will cover all 382 pages of the ASD-STE100 Specification in two days for immediate implementation.
Practicality: cross-industry cases sharing by trainers with excellent pragmatic approach.
Follow-up period:4-month post-training consultation starts immediately after the training to ensure a seamless transition to STE writing at work.
Experienced trainer:Ms Shumin Chen, Co-founder & Head of ASD-STE100 training & implementation of Shufrans TechDocs.
Our Training Service Packageguarantees the following:
Instructor-led training (ILT) represents 66% of corporate training and development; it reaches 76% in high-performing companies and 80% in high-consequence industries: healthcare industry, pharmaceutical industry, finance, utilities, etc.
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. STE helps to make translations cheaper and more accurate. Often a formal requirement for aircraft and defence maintenance documentation, STE can easily be adapted to all technical industries and beyond.
Ms. Shumin Chen will teach participants how to correctly and effectively use STE in practice. She will also address some of the mistakes commonly found in technical writing and the frequently incorrect use of common STE writing rules.
It is important that operation and management information be understandable to the target audience. Sometimes, operation information is conveyed through a less-than-optimum selection of words. The manufacturer’s technical language can result in incomprehensible operation documentation.
Course outline*
This course introduces the underpinning principles of STE and its most practical application. We will explain the underlying principles of STE grammar rules and offer participants the opportunity to apply what they have learnt in a highly interactive classroom environment.
Practical overview of ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English
How STE helps both native & non-native speakers of English
Writing rules and how to apply them in practice
How to use the general vocabulary
How to deal with industry-specific terminology
How to use STE for various documentation types
How to implement STE with minimal disruption to on-going production and existing documentation
Hands-on STE editing and review
* Shufrans also offers customised ASD-STE100 training solutions tailored to meet your specific requirements. These courses are normally provided at the customer’s premises.
Who should attend?
Compliance managers
CIO, COO, CTO
Customer support managers
Documentation managers
Editors
Engineering managers
Engineers and SMEs who create documentation
ILS managers
Maintenance managers
Operation managers
Product managers
Project managers
Quality managers
Technical writers
Translation managers
Translators
What training outcomes to expect?
Our interactive training, exercises and workshop, will teach participants to standardise content to:
Author more efficiently
Communicate more effectively with a global audience
Improve operational safety
Reduce AOG / downtime
Facilitate modular writing and reuse
Facilitate teamwork
Facilitate translation
Maximise consistency
Optimise product lifecycle support
Reduce the cost of creating and maintaining technical publications
Trainer’s qualifications
Ms. Shumin Chen, principal trainer & consultant at Shufrans TechDocs received her professional on-the-job training in the field of STE under the tutelage of Dr Frans Wijma, a linguist and documentation expert. Together as an experienced global team, they provided their combined knowledge and dedication to benefit customers worldwide. To date, they have provided training and consultancy services to over 180 companies. Shufrans TechDocs is the only company with such vast experience in providing certified STE training.
Shumin has supported various companies with their STE and other documentation needs, based on standards where possible. Although STE was developed for the aerospace industry, more specifically for aircraft maintenance documentation, Shumin found that it made a lot of sense to apply the same principles to other industries and types of documents as well. Few -if any- changes to the specification are necessary to adapt STE to industries ranging from machinery to IT, automotive to medical equipment.
by Shufrans Techdocsin News & EventsComments Off on Bringing ASD-STE100 to the world – Simplified Technical English training workshop in Helsinki, Finland
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. STE helps to make translations cheaper and more accurate. Often a formal requirement for aircraft and defence maintenance documentation, STE can easily be adapted to all technical industries and beyond. Ms. Shumin Chen will teach participants how to correctly and effectively use STE in practice. She will also address some of the mistakes commonly found in technical writing and the frequently incorrect use of common STE writing rules.
“The ASD-STE100 course I attended by Shumin was very intensive yet enjoyable. Besides the standard format and company templates used when creating documentation, STE rules helped me understand that there is an alternative approach to technical writing. Top Qualities: Effective, versatile, high-quality training delivery.” Manufacturing Engineer, FNSS Defence Systems
Course outline*
Practical overview of ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English
How STE helps both native & non-native speakers of English
Writing rules and how to apply them in practice
How to use the general vocabulary
How to deal with industry-specific terminology
How to use STE for various documentation types
How to implement STE with minimal disruption to on-going production and existing documentation
Hands-on STE editing and review
* Shufrans also offers customised ASD-STE100 training solutions tailored to meet your specific requirements. These courses are normally provided at the customer’s premises.
What training outcomes to expect?
Our interactive training, exercises and workshop, will teach participants to:
Author more efficiently
Communicate more effectively with a global audience
Improve operational safety
Reduce AOG / downtime
Facilitate modular writing and reuse
Facilitate teamwork
Facilitate translation
Maximise consistency
Optimise product lifecycle support
Reduce the cost of creating and maintaining technical publications
Shorten review cycles
Standardise content quality and style
Who should attend?
Compliance managers
Communication managers
Content specialists
Content strategists
Content quality analysts
CIO, COO, CTO
Customer support managers
Documentation specialists
Editors
Engineering managers
Engineers and SMEs who create documentation
Field support engineers
HSE managers
ILS managers
Information developers
International process managers
Operation managers
Product managers
Programme managers
Project managers
Quality assurance managers
Safety inspection engineers
Service & Maintenance managers
Supply chain managers
Technical administrators
Technical documentation consultants
Technical information managers
Technical linguists
Technical publications managers
Technology services advisors
Technical writers
Translation managers
Translators
Trainer’s qualifications
Ms. Shumin Chen, principal trainer & consultant at Shufrans TechDocs received her professional on-the-job training in the field of STE under the tutelage of Dr Frans Wijma, a linguist and documentation expert. Together as an experienced global team, they provided their combined knowledge and dedication to benefit customers worldwide. To date, they have provided training and consultancy services to over 180 companies. Shufrans TechDocs is the only company with such vast experience in providing certified STE training.
Shumin has supported various companies with their STE and other documentation needs, based on standards where possible. Although STE was developed for the aerospace industry, more specifically for aircraft maintenance documentation, Shumin found that it made a lot of sense to apply the same principles to other industries and types of documents as well. Few -if any- changes to the specification are necessary to adapt STE to industries ranging from machinery to IT, automotive to medical equipment.
Suffice to say, STE is a controlled English language standard with a proven track record that spans more than 30 years.
Besides helping technical writing professionals achieve compliance with a well established technical writing standard, Shumin also finds STE the most versatile standard to try and get hold, get in control of our technical English communications.
This training workshop is hosted by Citec Finland, our preferred training partner in Finland.
