Frans gave our group of three teams training in Simplified Technical English. He was engaging as a speaker and really made the 2-day training enjoyable and worthwhile. I didn't think we all could use the new ways of writing and thinking that he was teaching, but everyone got on board right away. We continue to use the skills that Frans taught us, with the same type of enthusiasm he brought to the group during training. This was probably the best training I've had at Check Point, in either technical or professional subjects. Top Qualities: Personable, Expert, Creative

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. By shrinking the size of my vocabulary, I am effectively using only one word for one purpose. With STE, my goal is to focus on what I would like to communicate effectively, rather than to simply place information into a template.

Rules about noun clusters (no more than 3 words, use of hypens and use of articles/demonstrative adjectives) and sentences (use of short sentences with a max. of 20 words without contractions and write only one instruction per sentence, but also use of vertical lists and connecting words) are definitely my favourite ones! The first session with you was interesting and carried out well! Overall, however, you did a very good job, rescheduling the assignment until we finished the TCTrainNet course, and I enjoyed attending your live meetings!

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

The training on Simplified Technical English is a completely unique experience received so far for me. I found it to be extremely helpful for documentation writers. Section 3 of the STE Specification which deals with verbs and section 4 on how to sentence construction in STE were useful from a personal perspective. The course exercises were interactive and had a practical side to them. They help us compare our current standard of writing to an improved version in STE. I highly recommend this training to my colleagues also in the other divisions and offices.

The trainer's delivery was exceptional, making complex material clear and engaging. The masterclass discussions were fast-paced and insightful, reflecting the well-prepared audience. The rewriting workshop was meticulously organized and provided practical application of the principles. Overall, the experience exceeded expectations. The Simplified Technical English Masterclass was highly valuable. It offered directly applicable knowledge, clear presentation, and practical exercises. This transformative course will empower me to create clearer technical documents. I highly recommend it to colleagues." Ampelmann Operations The Ampelmann system is an offshore personnel transfer system which was founded in 2008 as a spin-off of the Delft University of Technology. The motion compensation platform allows access from a moving vessel to offshore structures, even in high wave conditions. Ampelmann currently operates 55 systems worldwide, transferring offshore crew from various types of vessels to offshore oil & gas platforms, offshore turbines, FPSOs, and all other fixed and floating structures at sea.

Shumin gave a good introduction to Simplified Technical English. Instead of writing long sentences that are difficult to read, I prefer the STE rule of presenting long sentences in a list that makes it much easier to understand the work that is required to be completed. The STE exercises were pretty engaging, and this is particularly so for day 2 of the rewriting workshop that gave the team a lot of insight into our documentation. Trainees also had the opportunity to replace many unapproved standard English words with STE ones that helped us better appreciate the application of STE rules in a real-world context. This is a training that I have rated 10/10 for.

I find that STE rule 2.1 extremely useful in technical documentation to avoid ambiguity. Rule 3.6 is one of my favorites because you need to master well syntax and language to always avoid passive voice. It was a good excercise, thanks Shumin for this interesting and challenging topic!

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.

I worked with Frans on a project for translation for technical manuals. It was a pleasure to work with him and he was very professional. He responded to our queries quickly and informatively and he was an asset to have on the project, as he has a vast knowledge of technical translation. Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, On Time.