Personally, it became clearer to me that STE is a language that one can learn to pick up. This includes the standard vocabulary and customised dictionary that is built for every company or product. In other words, STE is a ‘way of life’ in the field of technical writing and documentation. The ASD-STE100 exercises covered a wide spectrum of topics from choosing between approved and non-approved words to recreating documentation in STE. Shumin expertly guided us from classroom learning mode to real-life practical application of STE rules. The materials that she presented were informative and very convincing. Top Qualities: Practical, Convincing, Informative
Martin Broekhuis Technical Editor, Webasto
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
Shumin gave an excellent introduction to the concept of ASD-STE100 as an international writing standard in documentation. The most relevant STE rules for my industry are those related to WARNINGS, CAUTIONS, AND NOTES. The STE exercises in this workshop are very helpful for letting me put those rules into actual practice. Some of the exercises I find pretty challenging as well. I would very much recommend Shumin's training workshop to any professional out there whose work scope encompasses clear, concise, and unambiguous communication.
Hawa Suria, Technical Data Consultant Brunei Shell Petroleum
Good explanation with history and background of STE to illustrate the importance of using STE in the aircraft industry. Rule 6.1: To give information gradually is my favourite. My favourite verbs are DO, PREPARE, REPLACE, REMOVE and STOP.
I am now conscious of writing in shorter sentences for better clarity and getting the point across. Before STE100, I tend to include too much information for fear that the message was misinterpreted. These verbs are commonly used and I agree that the intrinsic meaning of these are sufficient to get the message across efficiently.
There were good practice sessions to reinforce the essence of the respective rules. I would most certainly recommend Simplified Technical English as a standard to maintenance related fields since I personally do not like to read instructions in a disorganized manner.
JD Hong Maintenance Superintendent, Maersk Drilling
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
I've found all the rules introduced in this workshop equally valuable and applicable in my field of work. The ASD-STE100 Specification is very useful for searching examples and finding STE compliant alternatives. It was also great that we has such a large number of practical exercises. Personally, it would be more valuable to have more context available. This helps us judge how to apply STE optimally. Thank you Shumin! Your workshop was concise, clear, and pragmatic. I also liked the occasional humour! 🙂
Diane Goodrick, Information Architect/ Author Trainer Schindler Managment AG
STE Rule 1.3 Use approved words only with their approved meaning is my go-to rule. My favourite STE verbs are “examine”, “measure” and “make sure”. I always use the non-approved verbs of “check” and “inspect” before. I highly recommend this course to other people. If most people write with STE, technical work steps will become clearer and easier for understanding.
Kevin Zhao Kai Vibration Analyst, Maersk Drilling
This Simplified Technical English (STE) workshop has equipped me with the right kind of STE knowledge and skill sets to move forward confidently in my role as a technical writing team leader. I am glad that I was able to attend this course!
Team Leader Technical Writing, Hansem EUG
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.
Mehmet Emin Ozmen Manufacturing Engineer, FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş.
Great information and yes defnitely a very interesting course! I think it was a fair amount of work given the tight timeframe of TCLoc. At a personal level, I really enjoyed the class and would have loved to have more online workshops where we discuss several exercises.
Master's Student, TCLoc Master's Course 2018 University of Strasbourg
