© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 1
Simplified Technical English
Quality Assurance & Standardizationfor Technical Documentation
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 2
Established in 1974
Services for technical documentation, including translations and content management solutions
Offices in Europe, USA, Singapore and Japan
References: Boeing, Black & Decker, Philips, Elekta, IMPAC Medical Systems, Siemens, FAA
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Outline
Controlled Language – why? History Benefits Samples of writing rules How to implement
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The risks of not standardizing
Turn off the engines not required
means…
Turn off the engines that are not required, or
Turning off the engines is not required
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The risks of not standardizing
Clean the turret dome chassis thermal window securing screw threaded holes and the thermal window 16 securing screws of all previously used sealant using solvent.
means…
Clean the screw threaded holes and the 16 securing screws of the thermal window. Use solvent to remove all sealant.
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A call to a help desk
Caller: "Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?"
Operator: "I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand who you are talking about."
Caller: "On page 1, section 5, of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and telephone jack before cleaning. Now, can you give me the number for Jack?"
Operator: "I think you mean the telephone plug-in point on the telephone."
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What can go wrong
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Avoid miscommunication
Be unambiguous Be consistent Provide your
customer with quality
Consider your audience
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The Risks
Confused and frustrated readers High localization costs Bad translations Safety risk Damage Potential for legal liabilities Higher support costs Ineffective customer service
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Simplified Technical English
STE makes technical English easy to understand Writing rules for
grammar and styleKeep it simple, be specific, be consistent
STE generic dictionary (± 900 words)One word = one meaning
Add company-specific terms to dictionary
Technical names (approved)Technical verbs (approved)Non-approved custom words
linked to synonyms
900 approved words (900)2,000 non-approved words linked to synonyms
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Example Before and After Shut down your computer.
If you connect to the Internet through a DSL modem or cable modem, disconnect the power supply to this device.Disconnect from your computer the Ethernet cable that connects your DSL modem, cable modem, or other Internet connection to your computer. Connect this cable to the WAN port (labeled WAN 1) on the firewall.
Connect one end of the straight-through Ethernet cable supplied with your firewall to one of the seven numbered Ethernet ports (labeled 0-6) on the firewall. Connect the other end to the Ethernet port of your computer.
If you connect to the Internet through a DSL modem or cable modem, reconnect the power supply to this device. The indicator lights flash and then stop. The modem is ready for use.Attach the AC adapter to the firewall. Connect the AC adapter to a power source.
The power light on the firewall goes on and the WAN1 indicator lights flash and then stop. The firewall is ready for use.Restart the computer.
During restart, your computer will communicate with the firewall. One pair of the Ethernet port indicator lights flash and then stop. Your computer is now connected to the firewall.
If you circled DHCP Enabled = Yes in the TCP/IP Settings table on page, your firewall is now fully installed. You should be able to test this by opening your Web browser and browsing to your favorite Internet site. However, if you circled DHCP Enabled = No, please continue to enable DHCP on your computer and configure the firewall for a static IP or PPPoE address.
269 Words
Connecting the firewall Use this procedure to connect your firewall Ethernet and power
cables: Shut down your computer. If you use a DSL or cable modem to connect to the Internet,
disconnect its power supply. Find the Ethernet cable between the modem and your computer.
Disconnect this cable from your computer and connect it to the firewall external interface (WAN 1).
Find the Ethernet cable supplied with your firewall. Connect this cable to a trusted interface (0-6) on the firewall. Connect the other end of this cable to the Ethernet interface of your computer.
If you use a DSL or cable modem, connect its power supply. Find the AC adapter supplied with your firewall. Connect the AC
adapter to the firewall and to a power source. The firewall power indicator light comes on and the external
interface indicator lights flash and then come on. The firewall is ready.
WARNING: Only use the AC adapter supplied with the firewall. When the firewall is ready, start your computer.
177 Words
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History1932: BASIC English – Ch. K. Ogden1970: US Federal Government encourages
regulation writers to use Plain English 1972: Caterpillar Fundamental English
(later Caterpillar Technical English)1980: AECMA Simplified English, to improve
the readability of aircraft maintenance manuals: required by aerospace anddefense industries
2004: AECMA becomes ASD2005: AECMA SE renamed to
Specification ASD-STE100(Simplified Technical English)
Companies in various industries are discovering the benefits of Simplified Technical English: automotive, IT, medical equipment, pharmaceutical, etc.
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Benefits of controlled authoring
Reduced time to market Quality assurance and improvement Standardized way of writing Based on an official Specification (ASD-STE100) and
required by others Improved safety Efficient authoring Good customer service Burden on your customer reduced Facilitates content management Facilitates structured authoring (DITA, S1000D) Considerable cost savings Cheaper, faster and better translations
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Why STE as a basis
As with many high quality, safety and technology standards, STE derives from aerospace and defense
STE is a linguistic / international standard
STE is strict by nature: So you don’t have to reinvent the wheel But you can be flexible where needed
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Cost Savings
Reduced time to market – Time saving = cost saving
Decreased word count (up to 20%): decreased volume of manuals
Cheaper to translate (up to 30%), print and maintain
Avoid costs resulting from unclear communication: Liability claims Confusion Recall Lost production time
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How to implement
Three steps:1. Create company-specific dictionary
2. Train writers on writing rules
3. Check your documentation with HyperSTE checker software
• Quality Assurance / Quality Control /Quality Measurement
• Faster time to market• Efficient authoring
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Writing Rules
Words Noun phrases Verbs Sentences Procedural vs. descriptive Warning, cautions, notes Punctuation and word counts Writing practices
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HyperSTE - featuresComply with corporate style guide, standardize way of writing
Customizable for all industries, including pharmaceutical and medical
Customizable and configurable to your technical documentation needs
Distinguishes different types of text, e.g. procedural vs. descriptive text
Allows rules to be added or disabled (e.g. incorporate company style guides, check for correct use of terminology only, allow for step by step conversion of legacy data, etc.)
Profile management: apply different sets of rules to different parts or types of documents
Supports semantic checking
Quality Assurance: create reports for quality measurement
Exports interactive feedback to HTML: allow suppliers and contractors to access HyperSTE feedback interactively
Converts units of measurement, US English to UK English and vice versa
Dictionary Maintenance Tool available: manage your dictionary
Available as a plug-in for Arbortext Epic Editor, Adobe FrameMaker, XMetaL, Microsoft Word and as a PDF checker
Supports the use of multiple dictionaries
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HyperSTE Screengrab # 1EPIC document
HyperSTE is available as a plug-in for Epic, FrameMaker, Word,XMetal and as a stand-alone checker for PDF files.
Interactive check in Epic: check an element or the entire document.
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You have the option to select which language you would like to receive interactive feedback in.
Available languages for interactive feedback: English (US or UK), French, German, Spanish, Portuguese (BR), Russian, Japanese and Bahasa Indonesia.
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HyperSTE Screengrab #5HyperSTE errors
wrong spelling/capitalization
HyperSTE: in addition to writing rules, HyperSTE checks for the correct use of terminology. In this case, “ma-osc module” is misspelled.
HyperSTE provides linguistic feedback: ma-osc module is a singular noun and has approved forms.
Origin: which dictionary is loaded.
Messsages: HyperSTE provides feedback on which error occurs, which rule applies and approved forms.
Semantic information: definition of the approved form.
List of unknown words in the document.
Suggested correction: by clicking on ‘update document’ the incorrect word will be replaced with the suggested correction, and the sentence will automatically be rechecked.
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Although ‘higher’ is approved, it is not precise enough. HyperSTEinforms the writer to use clear references.
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‘acceptable’ is not clear enough. HyperSTE gives several suggestions.In this context, the word ‘permitted’ is the best option.
Synonyms: by clicking on each synonym you will be given a definition, as well as a non-approved sentence and an approved sentence. This will help the writer to determine the correct word.
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Do not use the ‘genitive s’. HyperSTE suggests either ‘systemperformance’ or ‘performance of the system’.
Synonyms: either use the phrase performance of the system or the noun system performance.
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HyperSTE informs the writer to use the active voice in procedural writing: ‘when you use the system..’.
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Warnings must start with a simple and clear command.
The writer knows the correct command: “Warning: do not touch the housing because it can be hot.”
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Words that are not in the dictionary can be added to the user dictionary, and can later be added to the main dictionary.
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HyperSTE supports semantic checking: approved words only have one approved meaning.
Wrong meaning: although ‘follow’ is an approved word, it is not allowed here as it has the wrong approved meaning.
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Quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC): create a report on a single or multiple files for validation purposes.
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HyperSE Screengrab #9HyperSTE errors
Create report
Statistics are provided in an Excel or XML sheet. Click on a rule to see which sentences include the error.
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HyperSTE Screengrab #11HyperSTE errors
Create report
Unknown words and unapproved words can be identified quickly to help maintain the dictionary.
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HyperSE Screengrab #10HyperSTE errors
Create report
The XML report shows the compliance rating.
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Share HyperSTE’s interactive feedback with your colleagues, suppliers, or contractors by exporting to HTML.
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HyperSTE Screengrab #12HyperSTE export feedback
You will only need an Internet browser to view the same interactive feedback as the writer.
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HyperSTE allows you to automatically convert between units of measurement: metric to non-metric and visa versa.
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HyperSTE settings menu: configure text rules to meet your authoring requirements.
HyperSTE checks for over 57 rules on terminology and grammar: words, nouns, verbs, numbers, punctuation, sentences, paragraphs, warnings/cautions/notes and part of speech.
HyperSTE allows you to automatically convert between American English and British English.
Select or unflag the rules to meet your business needs.
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Determine the sentence length for procedural and descriptive writing. If you want to omit certain rules, you can do soby simply not selecting them.
HyperSTE complies with ASD Simplified Technical English (aerospace and defense standard), but also includes corporate style guide rules, and can easily be customized to any industry.
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HyperSTE supports the use of multiple dictionaries: in addition to the primary ‘company’ dictionary, you can create project-specific dictionaries.
Additonal dictionaries can include company, product, project, or customer specific technical names.
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Create profiles to apply different sets of rules to different parts or types of documents.
Profile manager: by simply loading a profile all predetermined settings (such as which rules, which dictionaries and which types of text should be checked according to which rules) will automatically be loaded.
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Thank you
For more information, please contact:
Tedopres, Inc.
1705 S. Capital of Texas Hwy, Suite 500
Austin, Texas 78746
USA
Tel: +1 512 306 8601
Fax: +1 512 306 9320
E-mail: [email protected]
or visit our website at:
www.simplifiedenglish.net