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The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

• An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
• Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
• Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
• Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

Since 1970, Aerotech has been solving motion control and automation challenges for the most complex applications in the world’s most demanding industries. Aerotech’s depth and breadth of experience reduces technical and business risk and total cost of ownership. Aerotech is the global precision motion control and automation industry leader. Aerotech’s solutions enable manufacturing, testing, and inspection processes on a micrometer and nanometer scale. Aerotech is the only company offering solutions for every motion challenge.

As your precision motion partner, Aerotech works closely with your team to improve your processes, products and productivity. The depth and breadth of their experience means they’ve likely seen your motion challenge before – and they’ve probably already solved it.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining accuracy, safety, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

STE in practice

If this is your first time hearing about STE, the example that follows will hopefully shed more light on the principles and best practices that govern good STE writing. Here is an original piece of text presented in standard English writing:

THE SYNTHETIC LUBRICATING OIL USED IN THIS ENGINE CONTAINS ADDITIVES WHICH, IF ALLOWED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SKIN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS, CAN BE TOXIC THROUGH ABSORPTION.

And here it is again in STE:

THE OIL IS POISONOUS. DO NOT GET THE ENGINE OIL ON YOUR SKIN.  IT CAN GO THROUGH YOUR SKIN AND INTO YOUR BODY.

Making the comparison between the two types of writing above, you will see that the original writing is rather cumbersome in expression. It is also very likely that the person reading this sentence will have difficulties following the writer’s line of thought because of the longer sentence length and unnecessary information included. In contrast, the text written in STE is much more to the point and simply distils what is pertinent to the person doing this work:

1. The oil is poisonous.
2. I must always be careful not to touch oil without protection.

From this example, STE shows us that warnings and cautions must always start with a simple and clear command that is usually substantiated by a reasoning that comes before or after.  A command informs the user about the precautionary measures to take to avoid danger. Presenting information as if it were a general comment in the original writing obscures the importance of the message and is not specific enough.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

What customers are saying.. | Aerotech Inc.

Senior Technical Writer, Aerotech Inc. “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 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. “The introduction provided a well-rounded history of ASD-STE, the types of industries that use it, and how they use it. I now have a better understanding of what ASD-STE is and how our company should be using it.

My favourite writing rule is Rule 1.3 (Use approved words only with their approved meanings.) This rule is the heart of STE. It makes consistency, clarity, and comprehension ubiquitous across all documents regardless of who writes them. It is the main rule that unifies writers with one voice.

My favourite STE verbs are Apply, Attach, Make Sure, and Show. The verb Apply has multiple use cases for our documents. The verb Attach is a great utility verb because common alternatives like “mount” are not approved. The verb “make sure” is extremely helpful in cautions and warnings, also in some procedural steps. Finally, the verb “show” is extremely helpful when I write about background processes and how things work in general.”

Kelly Walsh, Technical Writer, Aerotech Inc. “The course intro was helpful. Shumin used examples, videos, and asked us questions to introduce the material. Knowing that the subject matter could be dry, she tried to counteract that by varying the presentation. The information itself was useful for what we did later in the course.

My favourite rules are the word count rules. That sounds lame, but I tend to write too long of sentences that don’t get to the point. The exercises were really helpful in demonstrating the rules that we had talked about / gone over. I got the most out of doing the exercises and working on the examples that we submitted.

I would definitely recommend the course to someone considering or currently using STE. Shumin catered the course to our needs and familiarity level. She was very knowledgeable and was happy to help us through trouble spots and answer our questions.”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

Since 1921, Komatsu has stood for unrivalled quality and reliability. These defining principles, along with an emphasis on safety, compliance, and social responsibility, remain part of our Komatsu DNA. With each brand and company added to the Komatsu family, we expand our capabilities, leveraging our global teams to push beyond what can be done to create what can be imagined.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining accuracy, safety, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

• An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
• Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
• Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
• Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

STE in practice

If this is your first time hearing about STE, the example that follows will hopefully shed more light on the principles and best practices that govern good STE writing. Here is an original piece of text presented in standard English writing:

THE SYNTHETIC LUBRICATING OIL USED IN THIS ENGINE CONTAINS ADDITIVES WHICH, IF ALLOWED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SKIN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS, CAN BE TOXIC THROUGH ABSORPTION.

And here it is again in STE:

THE OIL IS POISONOUS. DO NOT GET THE ENGINE OIL ON YOUR SKIN.  IT CAN GO THROUGH YOUR SKIN AND INTO YOUR BODY.

Making the comparison between the two types of writing above, you will see that the original writing is rather cumbersome in expression. It is also very likely that the person reading this sentence will have difficulties following the writer’s line of thought because of the longer sentence length and unnecessary information included. In contrast, the text written in STE is much more to the point and simply distils what is pertinent to the person doing this work:

1. The oil is poisonous.
2. I must always be careful not to touch oil without protection.

From this example, STE shows us that warnings and cautions must always start with a simple and clear command that is usually substantiated by a reasoning that comes before or after.  A command informs the user about the precautionary measures to take to avoid danger. Presenting information as if it were a general comment in the original writing obscures the importance of the message and is not specific enough.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

What customers are saying.. | Komatsu Mining

Keiko Kawamura, In-house translator, Komatsu Ltd. “I was really satisfied with Shumin Chen‘s easy-to-understand explanation and delivery on the subject of Simplified English. My favourites are “Rule 4.1 Write short and clear sentences.” and “Rule 4.3 Use a vertical list for complex test.” because we can change our long and ambiguous sentences drastically for the better! It was great to have this kind of opportunity to rewrite our documents as a core team because we were able to rediscover gaps between our documentation and STE to be bridged. The rewriting workshop was totally up to my expectations. Shumin, we, all of us, very much appreciate your support! We are very satisfied with your training and eager to learn more about the STE Specification going forward.”

Leonard Smith, Technical writer, Komatsu Mining Corporation “The trainer felt competent and confident in her delivery on the subject matter Simplified English (STE) and its wider application in the industry. The introduction to the STE specification has been very useful for my understanding and application at work. In terms of STE writing rules that demonstrate flexibility, rule 1.6 – Use a word that is unapproved in the dictionary only when it is s technical name or part of a technical name lets us incorporate technical names and verbs unique to Komatsu Mining to be used as part of our industry- and project-specific terminology.

As STE is a new way of writing for us, it is too early to make a judgement at this point. I enjoyed the training, and standards were aligned with expectations. The rewriting exercise was challenging as we had to think in STE terms, the exercise was a learning experience based on our own material which we related to. Shumin, I enjoyed your course, thank you for helping me better understand!”

Kenichi Nagashima, Simplified Technical English (STE) evangelist, Komatsu Ltd. “As the global coordinator who creates and spreads rules to write Simplified English in our company, I am fully aware of the benefits of STE and have found the trainer’s delivery on the subject matter to be very useful. Because I am not a writer, it is difficult to remember all STE rules. When there are any other important rules, rule 3.6 which promotes the use of active voice in procedural sentences making sentences easy to understand is my favourite rule. The rewriting workshop was very useful for me in two ways. I could recognise that the quality of our documents is not satisfactory, and I learned how to make them better. I feel that Shumin Chen has great ability to rewrite sentences in our field (construction equipment), and it is very likely that I will want to recommend this course to others.”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

AMADA Automation Europe Ltd. is committed in the delivery of superior automation solutions for material handling. We believe that Occupational Health and Safety is an important quality indicator. Our vision is that everyone should be able to work and retire healthy. This is achieved by continuously and systematically improving an already safe and secure working environment. It is the basis of all our operations.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining safety, accuracy, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

• An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
• Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
• Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
• Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

STE in practice

If this is your first time hearing about STE, the example that follows will hopefully shed more light on the principles and best practices that govern good STE writing. Here is an original piece of text presented in standard English writing:

THE SYNTHETIC LUBRICATING OIL USED IN THIS ENGINE CONTAINS ADDITIVES WHICH, IF ALLOWED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SKIN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS, CAN BE TOXIC THROUGH ABSORPTION.

And here it is again in STE:

THE OIL IS POISONOUS. DO NOT GET THE ENGINE OIL ON YOUR SKIN.  IT CAN GO THROUGH YOUR SKIN AND INTO YOUR BODY.

Making the comparison between the two types of writing above, you will see that the original writing is rather cumbersome in expression. It is also very likely that the person reading this sentence will have difficulties following the writer’s line of thought because of the longer sentence length and unnecessary information included. In contrast, the text written in STE is much more to the point and simply distils what is pertinent to the person doing this work:

1. The oil is poisonous.
2. I must always be careful not to touch oil without protection.

From this example, STE shows us that warnings and cautions must always start with a simple and clear command that is usually substantiated by a reasoning that comes before or after.  A command informs the user about the precautionary measures to take to avoid danger. Presenting information as if it were a general comment in the original writing obscures the importance of the message and is not specific enough.

What customers are saying.. | AMADA Automation

Rasmus Kempe, Technical writer, AMADA automation Ltd “The trainer is well informed on the subject at hand, professional, and to the point. The rule for splitting up noun clusters is such an easy fix (even for standard English) to make text more readable and understandable. Exercise and practice are the only way to learn. This is especially true for this kind of relearning the way we are taught to write in school. I think it was good that real-time assistance was rendered to both teams in an effective manner. I certainly would recommend this course to technical writers and documentation managers who are looking to improve the quality and clarity of their written documentation!”

Jonas Ena, AMADA Automation Europe Ltd “The introduction to Simplified Technical English was very information and highly educative. Writing rule 1.1 to only use approved STE words in the dictionary is a powerful tool that facilitates STE implementation. The rewriting workshop was well managed and lived up to our expectations. I’d recommend this training to anyone who plans to introduce clear writing to their documentation using the principles of Simplified English.”

Ronny Flink, Machine Safety Expert and Documentation foreman, Amada Automation “The introduction to Simplified Technical English has been most useful for my understanding of what the specification entails and how it can be applied to our daily work. The trainer’s delivery on the subject matter has been very good. To use only STE valid words is an easy to remember technical writing rule that also yields the greatest benefit for our documentation processes. Overall, the presentation style was clear and easy to understand, and I would most definitely recommend this course to colleagues who wish to implement a robust documentation support work culture within their organisations.”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

Hiab loader cranes promise safety, cost efficiency and reliable performance. World class safety features keep operators safe and in control, minimising risk to individuals or the environment. State-of-the-art design and build is covered by Hiab’s service and maintenance contracts that guarantee the longevity of your investment.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining safety, accuracy, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

• An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
• Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
• Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
• Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

STE in practice

If this is your first time hearing about STE, the example that follows will hopefully shed more light on the principles and best practices that govern good STE writing. Here is an original piece of text presented in standard English writing:

THE SYNTHETIC LUBRICATING OIL USED IN THIS ENGINE CONTAINS ADDITIVES WHICH, IF ALLOWED TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE SKIN FOR PROLONGED PERIODS, CAN BE TOXIC THROUGH ABSORPTION.

And here it is again in STE:

THE OIL IS POISONOUS. DO NOT GET THE ENGINE OIL ON YOUR SKIN.  IT CAN GO THROUGH YOUR SKIN AND INTO YOUR BODY.

Making the comparison between the two types of writing above, you will see that the original writing is rather cumbersome in expression. It is also very likely that the person reading this sentence will have difficulties following the writer’s line of thought because of the longer sentence length and unnecessary information included. In contrast, the text written in STE is much more to the point and simply distils what is pertinent to the person doing this work:

1. The oil is poisonous.
2. I must always be careful not to touch oil without protection.

From this example, STE shows us that warnings and cautions must always start with a simple and clear command that is usually substantiated by a reasoning that comes before or after.  A command informs the user about the precautionary measures to take to avoid danger. Presenting information as if it were a general comment in the original writing obscures the importance of the message and is not specific enough.

What customers are saying.. | HIAB Loader Cranes

VICTOR MARTINEZ YAGÜE, Certified STE Masterclass participant, Hiab Cranes SL “During the introduction to Simplified Technical English STE, Shumin explained to us the relevance of using a controlled English standard and how this could improve our documentation quality. We reviewed and discussed several STE and non-STE examples to help reinforce our learning and memory. Although the rewriting process of our documents was arduous, the trainer tried to make the learning process as enjoyable as possible. Overall, I liked the rewriting workshop and working group review because we got to apply our learning and practised writing in STE a lot. I’d most likely recommend this course to technical writers who are looking to advance, polish, or refine their STE writing skills as part of their career progression.”

Mauro Rovinetti, Technical Data Manager, Hiab – Effer loader cranes “The trainer’s delivery and introduction to Simplified English is very good as she helped us understand what the specification entails and its relevance to my work. The training workshop and overall delivery of Simplified Technical English content has been simply explained, yet complete and exhaustive. Clear English writing is the way to go also for a non-native English speaking audience who may have difficulty understanding the language at times.”

Ricardo Belsue, Technical Support & Documentation Engineer, HIAB Loader Cranes “The introduction to Simplified Technical English was quite useful for my understanding of what the specification entails and how it can be applied to our daily work, with very good materials shared during the workshop. I like STE rule.3.6 Use of active voice. Because sometimes it is not easy to identify when to use active or passive voice, mainly for non-native english speakers. With this rule, it makes more clear when you have to write technical texts.”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

Presentation description

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is the international standard for accurate and efficient documentation. STE helps to make technical documentation easy to understand by standardising vocabulary, grammar, and style while letting users control their specific terminology. It includes a set of approximately 53 technical writing rules and a basic general vocabulary dictionary of approximately 900 approved words for writing technical documentation.
May 4th 2021 marks the release of Issue 8 of the Simplified Technical English (STE) specification. A few salient points worth considering, and in the words of the STE Maintenance Group Chair: – Issue 8 concludes the global review process that started with Issue 7 in 2017. While Issue 7, mainly focused on the technical writing rules of STE, Issue 8 is dedicated to the improvement of the sentence examples provided in Simplified English. – There are 706 revised words that correspond to 32% of the total number of dictionary word entries. The sentence examples in the new issue are much easier for technical writers to relate to as the focus is on the correct replacement of unapproved words with related approved words or suitable sentence constructions in STE. – This is also the first time since 1983 that changes are driven by users who actively participated in the general review of the pre-release version. 140 revised words to be exact!

Agenda

1. Welcome and short introduction
2. Simplified Technical English as the basis for your global documentation needs by Shumin Chen
3. Q&A

The event is open to everyone interested in tekom Denmark. The event language is English.
When you sign up for the event, you agree to us recording the meeting via our meeting platform.

About the Speaker

Since 2006, Ms Shumin Chen has been working as a consultant with customers in various industries worldwide: aerospace & defence, banking, consumer products, healthcare, IT, medical, and fitness equipment. She has helped many companies with their documentation needs, based on standards where possible, and is widely regarded as a leading expert in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English training, aviation documentation and multilingual documentation.
Ms Chen now heads the ASD-STE100 training arm of Shufrans TechDocs in Singapore. In her current role, Ms Chen continues to focus on the practical implementation of international standards to facilitate the efficient creation and management of multilingual documentation.

Programme Highlights

About the Speaker

Since 2006, Ms Shumin Chen has been working as a consultant with customers in various industries worldwide: aerospace & defence, banking, consumer products, healthcare, IT, medical, and fitness equipment. She has helped many companies with their documentation needs, based on standards where possible, and is widely regarded as a leading expert in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English training, aviation documentation and multilingual documentation.

Ms Chen now heads the ASD-STE100 training arm of Shufrans TechDocs in Singapore. In her current role, Ms Chen continues to focus on the practical implementation of international standards to facilitate the efficient creation and management of multilingual documentation.

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

• An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
• Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
• Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
• Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

HUMAN Gesellschaft für Biochemica und Diagnostica mbH is a global player in the in vitro diagnostics industry. For almost 50 years HUMAN’ success in the healthcare sector is is based on three pillars: A broad and constantly growing portfolio of in vitro diagnostic products with Quality Made in Germany, outstanding worldwide available service, support and supply capabilities and a grown culture of partnership with our distribution partners in more than 160 countries. HUMAN’s product philosophy calls for the utmost in reliability and quality as well as timely product availability.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining accuracy, safety, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

What customers are saying.. | HUMAN Diagnostics Worldwide

K.Ilkenhans, Documentation / Quality Management “Training delivery is clear and easy to understand, even with English as my second language. The approved words & meanings that are used for procedural & descriptive writing in STE makes it easier to shorten and organise our texts. Most importantly, the improved comprehensibility for end-users to understand technical content is now made possible using STE as we try to minimise complaints based on information misunderstandings. This is a great course to attend and has really helped us improve our texts. I’d most definitely recommend this course to anyone who wants to apply STE principles to their daily work.”

Eniza Gutic, Employee / Quality Management “Our Trainer Shumin did an excellent job. She spoke clearly and understandably..and in case if you did not understand something she patiently explained it again. I always had the feeling I could ask her anything again and again. A big thanks for the excellent training we had. The workshop met my expectations, and to “Make instructions as specific as possible” in STE – .. will help shorten our sentences and focus only on the essentials.”

Rosenver Yepez Arrieta, Team Coordinator Technical Translations & Documentation, HUMAN Gesellschaft für Biochemica und Diagnostica mbH “I’ve found the introduction to Simplified Technical English (STE) very useful, good, and understandable. During the STE presentation on writing rules and application, all the STE technical writing rules are necessary in my field of work and I do not have a favourite rule after all. As this was an internal group training, the fact that the trainer has customised the workshop to meet our needs was perfect! Thank you very much for the training! It is very likely so that I will recommend Shufrans’ STE training workshop to others.”

Sarah Desroches, Technical Translator, HUMAN Gesellschaft für Biochemica und Diagnostica mbH “Precise with helpful examples and figures were provided during the introduction to Simplified Technical English (STE). In terms of STE writing rules and application, I find it great that one definition only corresponds to one verb (or another part of speech), it can prevent a lot of ambiguous situations. Vertical lists are really useful to improve comprehension as well.. After studying the STE rules and sentence examples during the classroom training, it was much easier to see which rules I have assimilated and which ones I still needed to work on with the rewriting workshop, so this was a really good exercise for all of us to work on!”

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

The role of technical authors and technical documentation managers

Technical writers are the go-between for subject-matter-experts (SMEs), engineers, designers and the end-users of documentation. Consequently, the responsibility of creating effective documentation falls on technical authors who will then endeavour to send out a clear, unambiguous, and user-friendly message about their products and line of services.

At the level of global information management, technical writing professionals should consider short-term tactics and longer-term strategies to overcome the following:

• An ever-increasing volume of words to write and translate
• Snowballing translation and documentation management costs
• Overlapping information across different versions of similar document types
• Low comprehension levels for the English language jargon.

Simplified Technical English as part of your content strategy

M-Files is an intelligent information management platform that helps companies make smart connections across the business and automate critical business processes, while at the same time keeping information secured and controlled.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language that is used to write technical manuals in such a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. To put it across plainly, STE is a form of controlled language that is guided by 53 technical writing rules that were put together by a committee of linguists, engineers, and manufacturers who established over the years that these writing rules made sense and allowed them to re-write any of their existing documentation based on these rules, making their documentation easier to understand, while maintaining accuracy, safety, and validity.

Develop, deploy, and deliver documentation with STE

The STE specification also includes a core vocabulary of around 930 approved words and 1500 non-approved words that let technical authors write just about everything that they need for for procedural and descriptive texts. Therefore, the use of approved words, compliance with the standard, and a language quality checker tool to complement your content strategy efforts is akin to pooling your most valuable resources where people, internal processes, and innovative technologies become more aligned.

An innovative approach to consider for your global documentation landscape

Over the last three decades, STE has emerged as a rather important and universal standard for technical English. Predictably, as a result of language standardisation, STE helps us to achieve a number of benefits. Technical writers become more consistent on a word level. This starts with the simple fact that we are going to use the same word whenever we refer to the same thing, so that means an improved level of consistency and consequently quality improvements.

Where can I learn more about STE?

Shufrans TechDocs regularly hosts online training workshops for technical writers, SMEs, and engineers at different time zones for your convenience. To learn more about our diverse course offerings and workshop customisations that we can do for you and your global technical documentation team, speak to us today!

What customers are saying.. | M-Files

Jenna Lehtimäki, Technical Writer, M-Files Oy “The introduction to STE, summary exercises, and case studies were well-presented and didn’t take too much time. The STE writing rules and application were accompanied by many examples. The training also covered effective exercises related to STE that were of interest to the group.

The rewriting workshop was well managed and we got good support from the trainer. However, I thought that we would have more time for the rewriting part. Fortunately, we have the 90 days support so it is possible to continue rewriting and still get feedback from the trainer.

Thank you for the training! I would indeed recommend this course to all technical writers.”

Rosa Kirves, Junior Technical Writer, M-files “As a tech writer with a background in translations, I am familiar with what the Simplified Technical English writing specification entails and how it can be applied to my work. The training delivery by Shumin was very clear and easy to follow. Complex verb structures are unconsciously introduced into our technical content, and people tend to use it more often than not. Hence, rule 3.4 of STE really helps me get rid of this complicated grammatical tense to ensure a simpler sentence construction for improved user readability in our enterprise content.”

Raine Välimäki, Lead Technical Writer, M-Files Corporation “The course introduction and summary exercises were easy to understand, organised, and credible. As a whole, the rewriting workshop was, extremely useful and at the end of the day, probably the most beneficial part of the course. I can’t think of anything other to mention here, other than offering my sincere thanks for a very high quality course!”

 

Laura Säily, Junior Technical Writer, M-files “The introduction to Simplified Technical English (STE) was very useful for my understanding of what the international writing specification entails and how it can be applied to our daily work. Where writing rules are concerned, removing noun clusters in our technical content is an important aspect that I will consider as it is easy to spot and correct with many potential benefits in the short term and longer run. This is a technical writing course that I’d very most likely recommend to others in the technical writing industry.”

Simplified Technical English (STE) or ASD-STE100 is a controlled technical English language that is used to write technical manuals in a way that they can be more easily understood by an international audience. Often a formal requirement for aircraft and defence maintenance documentation, STE can easily be adapted to all technical industries and beyond. 

This STC webinar explores the usability of Simplified Technical English outside of maintenance documentation. We will discuss industry examples that demonstrate the versatility of this documentation standard that has been in active use since the 1980s.

As a very simple example, one of our customers actually makes coffee machines.  Coffee machines seem to have nothing to do with aircraft. However, 98% of passenger aircraft actually have coffee machines on board, and they need their documentation in Simplified English. Now, if this coffee machine happens to be in an office, or in a medical practitioner’s practice, or in a cafeteria, would it require documentation that is all that different from the documentation on board an aircraft? No, because if anything at all, we just restrict the rules a little bit less. Aerospace tends to be a little bit more restrictive, we just relax the rules a little bit for other industries.

Programme Highlights

1. The applicability of Simplified Technical English across different industries
2. How STE is different from company style guides
3. STE case studies from different industries.
4. STE writing rules 
5. Customising vocabulary & terminology 
6. Reaping the benefits of STE.
7. STE in a nutshell
8. Implementing STE with minimal disruption to on-going production and existing documentation
9. Ensuring a seamless transition to STE writing at work.

About the Speaker

Since 2006, Ms Shumin Chen has been working as a consultant with customers in various industries worldwide: aerospace & defence, banking, consumer products, healthcare, IT, medical, and fitness equipment. She has helped many companies with their documentation needs, based on standards where possible, and is widely regarded as a leading expert in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English training, aviation documentation and multilingual documentation.

Ms Chen now heads the ASD-STE100 training arm of Shufrans TechDocs in Singapore. In her current role, Ms Chen continues to focus on the practical implementation of international standards to facilitate the efficient creation and management of multilingual documentation.