Shumin introduced the very interesting concept of a controlled language in the form of Simplified Technical English (STE). My favourite STE rule is to use approved words from the dictionary only as the part of speech given. In the two-day duration, we were able to familiarise ourselves with all the STE rules as well as practical steps for implementation of this controlled language standard. Shumin is very capable of explaining STE concepts in a brief but accurate manner, giving us easy access to a highly technical subject. Love the humour you inject in between lines! Top Qualities: Concise, Personable, Knowledgeable

I attended Frans's training course in Simplified Technical English in June 2010 and I am very glad I did. Apart from being an engaging speaker and managing to enunciate 57 and a half writing rules in three hours without boring you for a second, Frans is a brilliant technically-minded linguist - a rare find. The ease with which he can turn convoluted (or downright bad) material into crystal-clear technical writing, at first sight and without hesitation, didn't cease to amaze me throughout the training sessions. Frans is personable, flexible, an extremely knowledgeable scholar and an excellent teacher. The two days spent in training with him definitely enriched my skill set. I can wholeheartedly recommend him, as an efficient trainer, enthralling presenter, and leading documentation expert. Top qualities: Personable, Expert, Creative

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

The introduction was a good and concise way to familiarize yourself with STE basics. I’ve a background in plain language, so for example the rule on noun clusters makes perfect sense. I’m all about simplification, so substituting verbs like “eliminate” for verbs like “remove” or “stop” will be my new quest. The STE exercises were helpful in getting to grasp with STE during the training workshop. I'd very likely recommend this course to anyone planning to introduce STE as it’s got a great practical angle.

I fully appreciate the advantages and benefits of implementing international language standards to our documentation. My favourite technical English writing rule is to only use company-approved terminology in addition to the general vocabulary that is offered by the Simplified Technical English specification. The technical English writing rules were clearly presented during this webinar. Overall, I have found this webinar to be useful for my work and Shumin responded well to all my questions and clarified the doubts I had before taking this course.

Frans has demonstrated that he is an expert in restricted languages and in particular ASD Simplified Technical English (STE). He has given successful presentations on the subject at S1000D User Forums that were very well received. He is an expert in developing systems that check conformance to restricted English standards.

Best STE rules for my learning are: - Use simple verb tenses - Put commands first in warnings and cautions - Use active voice - Do not use present participles or gerund.

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.

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.

The trainer's delivery was exceptional, making complex material clear and engaging. The masterclass discussions were fast-paced and insightful, reflecting the well-prepared audience. The rewriting workshop was meticulously organized and provided practical application of the principles. Overall, the experience exceeded expectations. The Simplified Technical English Masterclass was highly valuable. It offered directly applicable knowledge, clear presentation, and practical exercises. This transformative course will empower me to create clearer technical documents. I highly recommend it to colleagues." Ampelmann Operations The Ampelmann system is an offshore personnel transfer system which was founded in 2008 as a spin-off of the Delft University of Technology. The motion compensation platform allows access from a moving vessel to offshore structures, even in high wave conditions. Ampelmann currently operates 55 systems worldwide, transferring offshore crew from various types of vessels to offshore oil & gas platforms, offshore turbines, FPSOs, and all other fixed and floating structures at sea.