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
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
I attended a two-day ASD-STE100 training workshop by Shumin. She presented the materials clearly and succinctly with sound and logical written examples. There was a good balance of worksheet exercises and individual rewriting tasks. We explored certain topics and asked critical questions related to standard technical writing practices which were well discussed during this workshop. Shumin seems like a kind and well-educated trainer who has an answer for every question. Top Qualities: Personable, Expert, Good Value
Frank Omvlee Technical Publication Engineer, B/E Aerospace
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
Lufthansa Systems FlightNav Inc. Zürich recommends the professional and qualified ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English training provided by Dr. Frans Wijma from Shufra Consultancy
Juergen Kuhnhenn Head of Lido/RouteManual Standards bei Lufthansa Systems
TAI hired Frans to work with our experienced team and help them to improve their ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English skills. Frans helped us to identify areas for improvement both in our own documents and in those supplied by our customers and partners. At the end of the training, we all had learned simple yet effective methods to improve the quality, readability and compliance of our writing. Most importantly, we learned how to scrutinize text for commonly made mistakes and how to balance compliance with optimum readability. We enjoyed working with Frans, who has a pleasant personality and an open mind. I am happy to recommend him to any company that wants to improve its documentation, be it for compliance reasons or to facilitate translation. Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, Good Value
Halil Kan, Logistics Specialist, Turkish Aerospace Industries TAI/TUSAS
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
Frans' expertise in simplified English and teaching it to non-English speakers is of great help for aviation community. His high level of experience, professionalism and integrity together with an excellent knowledge of several languages are a true gift for those working with him. I strongly recommend him and endorse him. Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity
Vladimir Karakusevic Boeing, USA
The introduction to ASD-STE100 was good and informative for someone like me with zero knowledge of the STE standard before. Rule 6.3 in STE writing summarizes the best of what I can take with me. There was quite a lot from the STE exercises to consume regarding grammar. Nevertheless, the worksheets were very good and helpful. I gained quite a lot of knowledge from them and they were the best part of this training workshop. Shumin was very professional and sharp as a razor. The best takeaway for me from her workshop is to give more thought to how I build my sentences rather than focussing on specific 'allowed' or 'approved' words.
Jeppe Friis Technical Inspector, Maersk Drilling Maintenance Support
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 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
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
