Presentation on elements of writing in Simplified Technical English

1. Simplified Technical English
Bernadette Koontz….
Society for Technical Communication Summit
May, 2014

2. What Is Simplified Technical
English (STE100)?
An international writing specification
STE100 defined by the AeroSpace and
Defence Industries Association of Europe
(ASD) which uses a finite number of
specified verbs and terminology that can
be understood globally for documentation
pertaining to land, sea and air equipment
and applications.

3. Controlled Language
The limited vocabulary, verb choice, and
style are intended as a controlled
language that can be more uniformly
understood by other nationalities without
ambiguities and complexities associated
with the full English language

4. Rationale/Benefit of STE
By limiting the lexicon to a finite set of
verbs, the goal is to decrease ambiguity
and nuances across languages for easier,
uniform, and cost effective- translations.

5. Mandated
Some entities have mandated that document
deliverables produced by vendors be written in STE.
Examples include:
• Airbus imposes a very stiff $1 million penalty if a vendor
does not write documents for Airbus in STE.
• The U.S. Army requires their equipment documentation
to be written in STE
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

6. Limited Verbs
Limited set of verbs to choose from, it is a
confining, challenging type of writing with
many constraints.

7. Examples of STE Rules
• Short sentences in active voice (usually
starts with an action command type
verb…e.g. Complete, Examine, Enable,
Put, Do, etc.)
• Use only verbs on approved verb list
• One topic or idea per sentence
• Avoid use of gerunds (words ending in
“ing”)

8. STE Software Checker Tools &
Services
• Etteplan/tedopres HyperSTE – Checker Software
http://www.simplifiedenglish.net/
http://www.tedopres.com/hyperste-simplified-technical-english
• SMART Communication MAXit Checker Software
http://www.smartny.com/simplifiedenglish.htm
• TechScribe Service (United Kingdom)
http://www.techscribe.co.uk/techw/asd-simplified-technical-english.htm

9. ASD
ASD Web address: http://www.asd-stan.org
ASD-STAN-Standardization:
Avenue de Tervuren 270
B-1150 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 775 8126
Fax: +32 2 775 8131