Standards & Consultancy

At Shufrans, we work according to international technical documentation standards such as S1000D, S2000M, ATA-iSpec 2200 and Shipdex, while having the flexibility to deal with your specific requirements.

Technical Writing

An important aspect of content development is technical writing. At Shufrans TechDocs, we focus on clarity in documentation. Therefore, we ensure that language is not an obstacle for users to read and understand the information to be conveyed.

Simplified Technical English

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is an international writing standard that helps to make technical documentation less ambiguous, easier to understand and faster to translate.

Certified ASD-STE100 Training

We are the global leader in ASD-STE100 training and consultancy. Our certified Simplified Technical English training workshops are conducted by seasoned industry experts.

Best STE rules for my learning are: - Use simple verb tenses - Put commands first in warnings and cautions - Use active voice - Do not use present participles or gerund.

TCLoc Master's Student University of Strasbourg
Clear presentation style and a very knowledgeable introduction to STE by Shumin! Great practical exercises where certainly the lessons are clear 🙂 The STE rule presentation was also a 10/10 for me and my favourite is rule 2.1: Do not make noun clusters of more than three nouns which is one of the best ways to eliminate ambiguity! If I could fix one thing that would have the biggest impact on our manuals, it would be this!

Trish York Linguistic Services Manager, Medtronic
I would rate the introduction to ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English an 8 out of 10. Base on the STE presentation on rules, my favourite would be Rule 2.3 where you use an article (the, a, or an) or a demonstrative adjective (this, these) before a noun. The STE exercises provided in this workshop were of a very high standard and I would rate them 9/10. In terms of trainer evaluation, I would rate Shumin's training an 8 out of 10.

Rutger van Alphen de Veer Technical Writer, MAHLE Group
The course was quite challenging for me intellectually, in the way that there were a lot of rules to take in in order to be able to apply them to the text given in the assignement. To spot the errors in the text and choose the correct rule for the problem wasn't always easy, but I thought the assignment itself, i.e. the practical application of the theory, was an effective way to evaluate the learning curve of the student. To cut a long story short, yes, I think the content and the assessment are appropriate. After what I have learned in the course, it seems appropriate and relevant for technical communicators to know STE at a professional level!

Master's Student, TCLoc Master in Technical Communication & Localisation University of Strasbourg
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
"No phrasal verbs" is my favorite rule. Forming phrasal verbs in the English language remains as one of my biggest challenges in English grammar. STE Rule 9.3 makes it easier for me to fully understand technical English sentences.

TCLoc Master's Student Technical Communication and Localization
Thanks for this course. I learned a lot and would have liked to spend more time improving these skills. My takeaway? Simplify and remove whatever is unnecessary.

TCLoc Master's Student University of Strasbourg
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
I've worked with Shumin Chen when she was a Localization Program Manager for large projects into multiple languages. She was always very professional and confident. I would work with her again in the future.

Ulisses Bognar Account Manager, All Tasks
Frans was both consultant and trainer to my authoring team as we developed a version of STE specifically targeted for the information technology sector. His tremendous experience in the field and passion for conferring that knowledge to our writers was instrumental in our success in adapting the authoring process as well as the documentation itself. In the long run, controlled authoring initiatives are only as good as the writers themselves and the enthusiasm with which they adopt the changed working environment. I believe Frans was critical in assisting with the cultural reformation of my team. Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity

Karen Toast Conger Director, Product Training & Publications, WatchGuard Technologies Inc.