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
I have a great pleasure to work with Shumin Chen on a number of complex technical translation projects. She is very talented, efficient and dependable, making sure to meet and exceed the customer's expectations.
Anouar Koutchoukali Owner, A Propos Vertaalbureau
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 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.
Thuraya Al Mehrzi Production Engineer, NIMR Automotive
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
Frans has rare skills in global demand - indeed when I met him he was spending much of his time crossing oceans to find creative foreign language solutions for his clients' advanced technical publications challenges. Frans has a special knack for understanding the Asian markets and his brilliant decision to develop business out of Singapore should serve him well regardless of the economic climate. I wish him all the best of success.
Tim Gottschalk Consultant, Boeing
Working with Shumin is a great pleasure because of her professional approach. Her knowledge of STE is excellent and with her pragmatic approach she helps companies to improve. Our trainees rated Shumin all with excellent. If you consider to train your staff in STE, I highly recommend Shumin.
Henk Wijnands Founding Partner & Commercial Director, Foxiz BV
The presentation on rules clarified a lot of things of which I was unaware. I have a much better understanding of how to format lists with colons, when to use obey vs. comply, and the differences between notes, cautions, and warnings. Moving forward, I will be able to utilize the ASD-STE rules more effectively to write better documents.
I appreciated the exercises completed in this workshop because they helped me immediately practice and enforce the ASD-STE rules. I like the fact that they were timed. Writing under time-constraints forced me to think quickly and fully concentrate on my writing.
I will definitely recommend this training to writers of many fields, especially technical fields. The material, presentation, and instructor are fantastic. I learned a lot about ASD-STE. Even though I’ve been using this writing convention for almost eight years, formal training brought much clarity and comprehension that I had not previously realized. I now know that an aptitude for writing and a copy of the STE rules is a good start, but not enough. This course takes your understanding to a professional level!
Lauren Gelli Senior Technical Writer, Aerotech Inc.
Shumin gave us a an all-rounded presentation to Simplified Technical English. Personally, rule 1.3: To use only approved words with their approved meaning holds the key to successful controlled language implementation. Rules 3.4, 3.6, 4.1, 5.3, and 5.5 are also among my favourites. The approved verb TO MAKE SURE THAT can come in very handy for technical writers as well. The presentation of STE rules offers quite a detailed overview that includes not only language rules but good, old technical authoring principles in general. It has been very helpful for us to learn and understand the concept of STE. I have found Shumin to be very competent in STE and will defnitely recommend her course!
Eric, Head of Corporate Technical Documentation (CTD) Schindler
Shumin gave a two-day ASD-STE100 training to standardize and improve the language used by technical authoring personnel. I learnt a great deal in terms of advantageous STE writing rules for the authoring of technical manuals. Thank you once again for the excellent training!
Fatih Ülger Product Support Engineer, FNSS Defence Systems
