I have worked with Frans for a number of years now, first as a collaborator and later, alas, as a competitor. I have no hesitation in recommending him for his abilities as a linguist, polyglot, and technical innovator. In addition, he is an accomplished speaker, and a great salesman for his products. As someone who works closely with the ASD Simplified Technical English writing standard, I have been impressed with the breadth and depth of his knowledge of that subject. He is a world leader in the implementation of Controlled Language processes. So I am very happy to endorse him.
Rick Wojcik Associate Technical Fellow, Boeing
Both the introduction to Simplified Technical English and presentation of technical writing rules were great and received a 9 out of 10 score from me. I have very much enjoyed this face-to-face workshop session with Shumin CHEN and in terms of her training evaluation it is a 9 out of 10 again for me!
Adrienne Brieffies Technical Writer, Alfa Laval
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
Shumin possesses an in-depth knowledge of the English language and of Simplified Technical English (STE). We covered a lot of ground in the area of STE within a short time!
Berry Jansen Senior Technical Author, Triview
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.
Juliette Grant International CH-47 Logistics Specialist, Boeing
I was at first skeptical of the advantages that STE will bring as it seemed to have mainly been used in the aerospace & defence industry. This intensive three-day training course has changed my opinion and certainly helped to sharpen my technical writing skills tremendously! Top Qualitites: Cheaper, faster, and better translations.
Brian Cho Head of Language Services Division, HansemEUG
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!
Master's student, TCLoc Programme University of Strasbourg
The information presented was clear and succinct. Exercises provided helped me understand and grasp the concept of Simplified English from the very beginning of the training. A 10/10 rating from me. When it comes to rules about Simplified English writing, I very much like the use of active voice, having a list of approved verbs as a useful resource, and the encouraged use of pronouns (you, we, it, them). To me, clear rules are the bedrock of consistent text and document creation.
I've found the STE exercises very useful since the examples in them are well focussed and cover issues we encounter in our daily work. Overall, I have found this training workshop to be well-structured, Shumin came well prepared, was well organised, clear & an easy speaker to follow. Thank you for the great training!
Sylvia Helfenstein Technical author, proofreader, Penpoint Text Editing Services GmbH
The ASD-STE100 workshop conducted by Shufrans TechDocs made for a very good introduction to STE for new as well as intermediate users of the STE writing standard. The presentation on rules was very clear and I liked the emphasis on the fact that the rules are weighted and how one can use them flexibly. The exercises completed during this training were good and provided real world examples in technical writing in a practical way. I'd very likely recommend this course to someone else. This course is a must for any new technical writers or technical publication employees.
Neil Winson Technical Writer, Airbus Helicopters
The course provided a strong foundation in Simplified Technical English. While the core principles were familiar, the emphasis on practical application was invaluable. I particularly appreciated the concise and clear writing style promoted throughout the training.
However, to truly maximize the learning experience, additional time for hands-on exercises and in-depth discussions would be beneficial. Prior exposure to the writing rules could have optimized class time for more interactive learning and focused question-and-answer sessions.
Despite these suggestions, the trainer's expertise and engaging delivery significantly enhanced the overall experience. The course content was well-structured and informative, providing a solid understanding of STE principles. I would confidently recommend this course to colleagues seeking to improve their technical writing skills.
Lotta, Technical Writer Jula AB