Rule 1.3: Use approved words only with their approved meanings and rule 1.4: Use only the approved forms of verbs and adjectives are rules that left an impression on me. But it is difficult to have a favourite rule as you need something from all the rules we touched upon. The STE writing rules were presented well and I cannot think of any way to do this better. Overall, exercises were well balanced between how much each person had to do. More crucially is that people understand each question.
Erik Madsen Head of Maintenance Support, Maersk Drilling
The introduction to Simplified Technical English (STE) was simple to follow and understand. Rule 1.4 to use only the approved forms of verbs and adjectives from the STE dictionary is something that I appreciate very much. Applying the rules faithfully was a challenging albeit enjoyable process. There is a lot of good writing rules to learn here. I've found the exercises to be very useful for learning reinforcement, and they have helped me to apply STE rules in a more efficient manner and I've gained a much better understanding of STE as a result. Shumin's training methodology is easy to follow, and she offers us great technical writing advice and has simplified the process for us. Every aspect of this training is a 10/10 for me.
Nour Bazuhair Engineer Trainee, NIMR Automotive
One of my favorite STE writing rules is the use of active voice. This rule is easy to implement when using word document. I like your energy when you teach and when you answer our questions. Thank you and it was a fun, clear course to go through with! All the best to you, Shumin!
Master TCLoc Programme in Technical Communication and Localisation 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
This ASD-STE100 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. The exercises in this course are certainly helped overcome my learning curve. STE should be the standard for any technical content written. Shumin comes across as a highly experienced STE trainer. I will recommend this STE training workshop to my colleagues!
Bert Riemens, Technical Author/ Document Management Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding
Keep doing what you’re doing - it’s a good subject and a very helpful class! I like the list of approved words. This could really help clarify and harmonize the writing in an organization. My other favourite STE rule being: Do not write noun clusters of more than 3 nouns. It helps when reading and writing texts also outside of STE.
TCLoc Master's Programme Student University of Strasbourg
My fave STE Rule 3.6 - Active voice, as it is easy to spot and I like to figure out how to transform the sentence from active into passive voice I also liked working with the dictionary and finding and replacing words, I guess that's Rule 1.2. Yes - great information! Definitely an interesting course delivered by Shumin. Simplified Technical English Rules 1.2 and 1.3 were challenging because to always apply the intended meaning of a word and to use it as the approved part of speech and to select the correct words present in the dictionary can be tricky, but it's the activity I liked the most.
Student at Master's TCLOoc in Technical Communication & Localisation. University of Strasbourg
The introduction to ASD-STE100 has offered me some helpful insights into the theoretical background of this technical language standard. The STE rules are governed a logical flow of technical information. I would certainly recommend this course to writers who are interested in changing the way of technical writing with buy-in from the company. Overall, I have enjoyed Shumin's presentation!
Markus Burri, Project Manager ZetaVision GmbH
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
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
