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Presented by Berry Braster at Documentation and Training Life Sciences, June 23-26, 2008 in Indianapolis.Products and processes are becoming more complex, while companies worldwide increasingly have to deal with different languages.Although technical documentation is predominantly written in English, it can often be difficult to understand due to its complexity: complex sentence structures, multiple meanings and synonyms easily result in confusion. In addition, many readers’ command of English can fall below the level of those who created the documentation, which especially applies to non-native English speakers.For documents that have to be translated into other languages, one cannot expect the translation to be of great quality if the source file was ambiguous to begin with.As a result, these are often the consequences: * Confused and frustrated readers * Safety risk * Damage during operation or maintenance * Liability claims * High localization costs * Unsatisfactory translations * Higher training support costs * Ineffective customer service * Unanticipated costs as a result of miscommunicationIn this context, clear and effective writing has become more important than ever before.Simplified Technical English (also known as Controlled English) is a method of writing that makes technical English easy to understand. The use of Simplified Technical English stimulates (global) acceptance of technical documentation as it improves readability and prevents misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
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© 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
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 3
Outline
Controlled Language – why? History Benefits Samples of writing rules How to implement
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 4
The risks of not standardizing
Turn off the machines not required
means…
Turn off the machines that are not required, or
Turning off the machines is not required
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 5
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 6
What can go wrong
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 7
Avoid miscommunication
Be unambiguous Be consistent Provide your customer with quality Consider your
audience
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 8
The RisksAfter removing old bolt, new screw may be fitted by proceeding in reverse order, using gloves to avoid injuries by sharp edges of fan blades.
Confused and frustrated readers Safety risk Damage during operation or maintenance Potential for product liability High localization costs Unsatisfactory translations Higher training support costs Ineffective customer service
?
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 9
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
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 10
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 11
Benefits of STE
Reduced time to market Quality assurance and improvement Standardized way of writing Based on an official Specification (ASD-STE100) and
required by others (S1000D and ATA 2200) 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
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 12
Why STE as a basis
As with many high quality, safety and technology standards, STE derives from A&D
STE is a linguistic / international standard
A&D, therefore strict by nature: You don’t have to reinvent the wheel You can be flexible where needed
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 13
Cost Savings
Time saving = cost saving Decreased word count (up to 20%):
decreased volume of manuals Cheaper to translate (up to 40%), print and
maintain Avoid costs resulting from poor
communication: Confusion Recall Lost production time Liability claims
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 14
How to implement
Three steps:1. Create company-specific dictionary
2. Training of writers on writing rules
3. Check your documentation with HyperSTE checker software
• Quality Assurance / Quality Control /Quality Measurement
• Faster product cycle time• Efficient authoring
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 15
Writing Rules
Words Noun phrases Verbs Sentences Procedural vs. descriptive Warning, cautions, notes Punctuation and word counts Writing practices
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 16
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
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 17
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 18
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 19
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 20
Although ‘higher’ is approved, it is not precise enough. HyperSTEinforms the writer to use clear references.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 21
‘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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 22
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 23
HyperSTE informs the writer to use the active voice in procedural writing: ‘when you use the system..’.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 24
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.”
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 25
Words that are not in the dictionary can be added to the user dictionary, and can later be added to the main dictionary.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 26
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 27
Quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC): create a report on a single or multiple files for validation purposes.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 28
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 29
HyperSTE Screengrab #11HyperSTE errors
Create report
Unknown words and unapproved words can be identified quickly to help maintain the dictionary.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 30
HyperSE Screengrab #10HyperSTE errors
Create report
The XML report shows the compliance rating.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 31
Share HyperSTE’s interactive feedback with your colleagues, suppliers, or contractors by exporting to HTML.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 32
HyperSTE Screengrab #12HyperSTE export feedback
You will only need an Internet browser to view the same interactive feedback as the writer.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 33
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 35
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 36
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 37
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.
© 1974-2008 – Tedopres International 38
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