My favorite STE writing rules:
* Rule 1.9 and Rule 1.10
When you must select a technical name, use one which is short and easy to understand. Both rules ensure a better understanding of technical contents.
* Rule 3.6
Do not use a past participle with a helping verb to make a complex verb. Past tenses may be adequate for marketing texts due to stylistic reasons, but not for technical contents, where precision and clarity play a major role.
* Rule 5.1
Keep procedural sentences as short as possible. The description of procedures in technical manuals has to be as simple as possible to avoid confusing the reader.
TCLoc Master's Student University of Strasbourg
The course was intellectually challenging and stimulating. "Less is more" as an STE principle is something that I quite like :). For a beginner, there is quite a lot of material to process, and study in a short time. On the plus side, Shumin presented the material intelligibly and gave sufficient number of examples during her lectures. Her presentations were very well-prepared, and I enjoyed her classes. 🙂
TCLoc Master's Student Technical Communication and Localization
The introduction to ASD-STE100 seemed very relaxed at first, but there is a lot of information. Also I had some knowledge of STE, so it was quite interesting to see the responses of other participants. When it come to writing short sentences in STE and verbs like "MAKE SURE", "OBEY", "SHOW" are STE preferences that I lean towards. I've appreciated the the exercises demonstrated flexibility and offered us an opportunity to discuss alternative solutions during this training. For someone who will be confronted with STE, I highly recommend Shumin and the services of Shufrans TechDocs.
LeAnne Platt, Principal Technical Author, Schindler Management
Shumin introduced the very interesting concept of a controlled language in the form of Simplified Technical English (STE). My favourite STE rule is to use approved words from the dictionary only as the part of speech given. In the two-day duration, we were able to familiarise ourselves with all the STE rules as well as practical steps for implementation of this controlled language standard. Shumin is very capable of explaining STE concepts in a brief but accurate manner, giving us easy access to a highly technical subject. Love the humour you inject in between lines!
Top Qualities: Concise, Personable, Knowledgeable
Lycke Koersen Marketing Coordinator, Maats Pipeline Equipment
Airbus is widely known to have strict STE quality checks that are difficult to meet for outside suppliers. Learning how to optimally use a documentation standard like ASD-STE100 is a substantial boost to our technical writing team’s capabilities and significantly improved our compliance rating!
Raja Sureshbabu Global Head of Aerospace Vertical, Tata Consultancy Services
The introduction to ASD-STE100 was good and informative for someone like me with zero knowledge of the STE standard before. Rule 6.3 in STE writing summarizes the best of what I can take with me. There was quite a lot from the STE exercises to consume regarding grammar. Nevertheless, the worksheets were very good and helpful. I gained quite a lot of knowledge from them and they were the best part of this training workshop. Shumin was very professional and sharp as a razor. The best takeaway for me from her workshop is to give more thought to how I build my sentences rather than focussing on specific 'allowed' or 'approved' words.
Jeppe Friis Technical Inspector, Maersk Drilling Maintenance Support
Shumin is a supportive and approachable manager, colleague and friend. She possesses excellent linguistic, communication and presentation skills. She is able to communicate well and is eloquent on the international platform and is able to exercise professional inter-cultural sensitivities.
Dennis Yeo Learning Advocate, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
I found all the STE rules to be highly beneficial for my work and certainly look forward to start applying Simplified English rules by using the ASD-STE100 specification. The two-day workshop conducted by Shumin has taught me how to use the STE rules correctly and apply them in the appropriate context. Everything has been explained very clearly.
Tina Kosman Safety Engineer, De Boer Machines
This course shares a good overview of structure, purpose, history, and contextual information about STE. The limited vocabulary and restricted list of words, short sentence constructions, active voice, and imperative verb usage are valuable takeaways messages to act upon in Simplified English. The examples used in this training are quite realistic and it is very likely that I will recommend this STE training to someone else.
Roland Kiser, Terminology Coordinator, Schindler
TAI hired Frans to work with our experienced team and help them to improve their ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English skills. Frans helped us to identify areas for improvement both in our own documents and in those supplied by our customers and partners. At the end of the training, we all had learned simple yet effective methods to improve the quality, readability and compliance of our writing. Most importantly, we learned how to scrutinize text for commonly made mistakes and how to balance compliance with optimum readability. We enjoyed working with Frans, who has a pleasant personality and an open mind. I am happy to recommend him to any company that wants to improve its documentation, be it for compliance reasons or to facilitate translation. Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, Good Value
Halil Kan, Logistics Specialist, Turkish Aerospace Industries TAI/TUSAS
