Watch the full workshop: http://www.dozuki.com/resources/register-for-simplified-technical-english Streamline what you say and how you say it. Shumin Chen, Head of Training and Implementation at Shufrans TechDocs, joins us to explain how the controlled language of STE can help your organization. This workshop covers how STE helps you: - Standardize technical writing styles - Provide accurate information to customers - Improve collaboration across facilities - Increase the reusability of content - Obtain cheaper, better, and faster translations - ... and more!

2. SIMPLIFIED TECHNICAL ENGLISH
GUEST EXPERT: SHUMIN CHEN

3. 1. What is STE?
2. Why use STE?
3. STE in action
4. Results of STE
5. Continuing your STE journey
TODAY’S ROADMAP
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

4. What’s your familiarity with STE at this point?
‣ Never heard of it
‣ Heard of it
QUICK POLL!
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S
‣ Tried using it
‣ Actively using it

5. JUGGLING REQUIREMENTS
• Lowering costs
• Shortening time-to-
market
• Decreasing
dependence on
suppliers
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

6. EXPECTATION VS. REALITY
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

7. EXPECTATION VS. REALITY
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

8. EXPECTATION VS. REALITY
We want to stand behind what we do, and make sure we provide a quality product.
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

9. WHY ENGLISH?
• English is the most “global” language
• Technical documentation is mostly written in
English
• English also happens to be a very rich language
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

10. • Confusion
• High translation costs
• Translation quality
• Time-to-market
PROBLEMS WITH STANDARD ENGLISH (I)
• Ineffective training
• Damage to equipment
• Safety issues
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

11. Access to low-cost, and high-quality translations
• An impetus for attempts to simplify English
by doing away with the complex aspects of
standard English.
• Bad translations bad translators?
• ’Replace the gasket.’ ???
PROBLEMS WITH STANDARD ENGLISH (II)
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

12. Conclusion
• Translation quality definitely suffers when
language is not standardized
PROBLEMS WITH STANDARD ENGLISH (II)
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

13. Downtime, ineffective training, damage, injury
• Costs to the airlines, industries, etc
• Technical docs as basis for training materials
• Human factors
PROBLEMS WITH STANDARD ENGLISH (III)
Documentation is a very important means to try and
control, contain, and limit those human errors.!T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

14. Downtime, ineffective training, damage, injury
• Costs to the airlines, industries, etc
• Technical docs as basis for training materials
• Human factors
PROBLEMS WITH STANDARD ENGLISH (III)
Documentation is a very important means to try and
control, contain, and limit those human errors.!T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

15. What types of documentation are you creating?
‣ Service / Repair
‣ Manufacturing Instructions
QUICK POLL!
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S
‣ Training Guides
‣ Customer Product
Support

16. PROBLEMS WITH STANDARD ENGLISH (IV)
An industry example: a page-long procedure
• How to replace the saw blade in a saw bench
“Warning: Before
attempting any of the
above, the power should
have been switched off.”
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

17. • Complete
• Accurate
• Concise
• Convincing
TECHNICAL CONTENT CHECKLIST
• Relevant
• Unambiguous
• Meaningful
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

18. WHERE DID STE COME FROM?
1970: US Federal Government introduced
Plain English for communications with the
public
1982: European Association of Aerospace
(AECMA) develops Simplified English for
aircraft maintenance documentation
2004: AECMA is renamed ASD, Simplified
English becomes Simplified Technical
English (ASD-STE100)
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

19. STE ISN’T JUST FOR A&D
Automotive
• Patria
• Rheinmetall MAN
Military Vehicles
• Sandvik
• SEAT
• Volkswagen
• FNSS Defense
Systems
Aviation
• Air Arabia
• Boeing
• Embraer
• Eurocopter
• FAA
• GMF AeroAsia
• Goodrich
• Lufthansa Systems
• Rolls-Royce
Electronics
• ABB
• Creative
• Huawei
• Philips
• Rohde & Schwarz
• Samsung
IT
• Check Point
• Cisco
• Microsoft
• Radisys
• Watchguard
Machinery
• Black & Decker
• Finn-Power
• HOMAG
• Shikoku Kakoki
• Tetra Pak
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

20. THE STE FRAMEWORK
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

21. THE STE FRAMEWORK
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

22. 65 writing rules
Rule 1.1: Only use approved words (unique to STE)
General vocabulary
Approved and non-approved synonyms
Guidelines for customer-specific terms
Technical names and verbs
Most important and universal standard for technical English
THE STE FRAMEWORK
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

23. Consistency
Standardised way of
writing
Quality improvement
Cost savings
Time savings due to
less rework or editing
REDUCING COST & CONFUSION (I)
Same rules, same words
Consistent manual
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

24. REDUCING COST & CONFUSION (II)
• Provide accurate information to the reader
• Facilitate re-use and Content Management
• Cheaper, faster and better translations
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

25. Rule 1.1 Only use approved words.
Do not write: Visually inspect the engine nacelle.
Write: Do a visual inspection of the heat exchanger.
or
Examine the heat exchanger for damage.
THE RULES (I)
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

26. THE RULES (I)
Do not write: Fluorescent-penetrant inspect the
membrane.
Write: Do a fluorescent-penetrant inspection of the
membrane.
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

27. X difficult to process
X Impossible to translate
X Awkward
THE RULES (II)
Example: Boeing 747 aircraft maintenance manual
‘to fluorescent penetrant inspect’
‘to infrared-ly inspect’
‘to ultrasonic-ly inspect’
‘to non-destructive-ly inspect’
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

28. THE RULES (II)
Example: Boeing 747 aircraft maintenance manual
‘do a fluorescent penetrant inspection’
‘do an infrared inspection’
‘do an ultrasonic inspection’
‘do a non-destructive inspection’
√ Same sentence structure
√ Only the adjective will change
√ Familiar phrasing
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

29. MEDICAL DEVICE EXAMPLE
Note: The patient must be able to be
moved.
Control panel
Both the C-arm stand and the monitor cart
have a control panel. The two control
panels always show the same screen,
enabling you to use them for system
operation.
Depending on the selected function,
other controls (buttons, input boxes,
displays, etc.) will appear on the control
panel screen.
The Vision Center control panel is
designed as a touch screen. For system
operation, just press the desired button
or option directly on the touch screen.
Note: Make sure that it is safe to move
the patient.
Control panel
The C-arm stand and the monitor cart each
have a control panel screen. These
screens show the same control panel.
Each panel lets you operate the system.
The panels have different controls for
different functions.
The control panel is a touch screen. To
operate the system, touch the correct
button or option.
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

30. EMOTIONAL CONTEXT
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

31. Step 1 — Display Assembly
• If your display glass is cracked, keep further
breakage contained and prevent bodily harm
during your repair by taping the glass.
• Lay overlapping strips of clear packing tape
over the iPhone's display until the whole face
is covered.
Note: This will keep glass shards contained and
provide structural integrity when prying and
lifting the display.
Warning: Wear safety glasses to protect your
eyes from any glass shaken free during the
repair.
OPTIMIZING TECHNICAL CONTENT
How to replace the iPhone 5c power button
Step 1 — Display Assembly
• If there are cracks in your display glass, use
tape to prevent more damage and possible
injuries.
• Make a cover for the full display glass area
with overlapping strips of clear tape.
Note: This will keep glass shards together and
give structural integrity when you move the
display.
Warning: Use safety glasses for eye protection
during the repair.
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

32. Step 1 — Display Assembly
• If your display glass is cracked, keep further
breakage contained and prevent bodily harm
during your repair by taping the glass.
• Lay overlapping strips of clear packing tape
over the iPhone's display until the whole face
is covered.
Note: This will keep glass shards contained and
provide structural integrity when prying and
lifting the display.
Warning: Wear safety glasses to protect your
eyes from any glass shaken free during the
repair.
OPTIMIZING TECHNICAL CONTENT
How to replace the iPhone 5c power button
(77 words) (64 words, <17%)Step 1 — Display Assembly
• If there are cracks in your display glass, use
tape to prevent more damage and possible
injuries.
• Make a cover for the full display glass area
with overlapping strips of clear tape.
Note: This will keep glass shards together and
give structural integrity when you move the
display.
Warning: Use safety glasses for eye protection
during the repair.
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

33. Step 3 — iSclack Opening Procedure
The next two steps demonstrate using the iSclack,
a great tool for safely opening the iPhone 5c that
we recommend for anyone doing more than one
repair on an iPhone 5, 5s, or 5c. If you aren't using
the iSclack, skip to Step 5.
• Close the handle on the iSclack, opening the
suction-cup jaws.
• Place the bottom of your iPhone in between the
suction cups, against the plastic depth gauge.
• The top suction cup should rest just above the
home button.
• Open the handles to close the jaws of the
iSclack. Center the suction cups and press them
firmly onto the top and bottom of the iPhone.
OPTIMIZING TECHNICAL CONTENT
Step 3 — iSclack Opening Procedure
If you do not use the iSclack, go to Step 5. Steps
3 and 4 show you how to use the iSclack to
open the iPhone 5c safely. If you will do more
than one repair, we recommend this tool.
• Close the iSclack handles to open the suction-
cup jaws.
• Place the bottom of your iPhone between the
suction cups, against the plastic depth gauge.
• The top suction cup must be just above the
home button.
• Open the handles to close the jaws. Align the
suction cups with the center, then push them
tightly onto the top and bottom of the iPhone.
How to replace the iPhone 5c power button
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

34. Step 3 — iSclack Opening Procedure
The next two steps demonstrate using the iSclack,
a great tool for safely opening the iPhone 5c that
we recommend for anyone doing more than one
repair on an iPhone 5, 5s, or 5c. If you aren't using
the iSclack, skip to Step 5.
• Close the handle on the iSclack, opening the
suction-cup jaws.
• Place the bottom of your iPhone in between the
suction cups, against the plastic depth gauge.
• The top suction cup should rest just above the
home button.
• Open the handles to close the jaws of the
iSclack. Center the suction cups and press them
firmly onto the top and bottom of the iPhone.
OPTIMIZING TECHNICAL CONTENT
Step 3 — iSclack Opening Procedure
If you do not use the iSclack, go to Step 5. Steps
3 and 4 show you how to use the iSclack to
open the iPhone 5c safely. If you will do more
than one repair, we recommend this tool.
• Close the iSclack handles to open the
suction-cup jaws.
• Put the bottom of your iPhone between the
suction cups, against the plastic depth gauge.
• The top suction cup must be just above the
home button.
• Open the handles to close the jaws. Align the
suction cups with the center, then push them
tightly onto the top and bottom of the iPhone.
How to replace the iPhone 5c power button
(113 words) (110 words)
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

35. Step 4
• Hold onto your iPhone securely and close the
handle of the iSclack to separate the suction
cups, pulling the front panel up from the rear
case.
• The iSclack is designed to safely open your
iPhone just enough to separate the pieces, but
not enough to damage anycables.
• Peel the two suction cups off your iPhone.
• Skip the next three steps and continue on to
Step 8.
OPTIMIZING TECHNICAL CONTENT
Step 4
• Hold your iPhone tightly and close the
iSclack handles. The suction cup at the top
will pull the front panel up from the rear
case.
• The iSclack can safely open your iPhone
without damage to the cables.
• Peel the two suction cups from your iPhone.
• Go to Step 8.
How to replace the iPhone 5c power button
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

36. Step 4
• Hold onto your iPhone securely and close the
handle of the iSclack to separate the suction
cups, pulling the front panel up from the rear
case.
• The iSclack is designed to safely open your
iPhone just enough to separate the pieces, but
not enough to damage anycables.
• Peel the two suction cups off your iPhone.
• Skip the next three steps and continue on to
Step 8.
OPTIMISING TECHNICAL CONTENT
Step 4
• Hold your iPhone tightly and close the
iSclack handles. The suction cup at the top
will pull the front panel up from the rear
case.
• The iSclack can safely open your iPhone
without damage to the cables.
• Peel the two suction cups from your iPhone.
• Go to Step 8.
How to replace the iPhone 5c power button
(74 words) (51 words, 31%)
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

37. RESULTS OF EMBRACING STE
current
with STE
with STE
terms translatability readability volume
-70%
+67%
+42%
-25%
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

38. YOUR STE JOURNEY
Training
Resources
Consultancy
Dictionary
building
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

39. Company-specific terminology
Based on text mining on existing documentation to find
company-specific terms
Average size of custom dictionary is approx. 2000 words
STE only allows the use of approved words,
i.e. documented, unique and unambiguous words
Customer can maintain dictionary
YOUR STE JOURNEY - DICTIONARY
Dictionary
building
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

40. Resources
ASD-STE100 Specification Issue 6
WWW.ASD-STE100.NET
WWW.ASD-STE100.SOLUTIONS
WWW.SHUFRANS-TECHDOCS.COM
STE sample texts, international workshops
FAQ library, free STE doc analysis
Articles about STE on our website & LinkedIN.
YOUR STE JOURNEY - RESOURCES
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

41. Resources
ASD-STE100 Specification Issue 6
WWW.ASD-STE100.NET
WWW.ASD-STE100.SOLUTIONS
WWW.SHUFRANS-TECHDOCS.COM
STE sample texts, international workshops
FAQ library, free STE doc analysis
Articles about STE on our website & LinkedIN.
YOUR STE JOURNEY - RESOURCES
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

42. Resources
ASD-STE100 Specification Issue 6
WWW.ASD-STE100.NET
WWW.ASD-STE100.SOLUTIONS
WWW.SHUFRANS-TECHDOCS.COM
STE sample texts, international workshops
FAQ library, free STE doc analysis
Articles about STE on our website & LinkedIN.
YOUR STE JOURNEY - RESOURCES
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

43. Resources
ASD-STE100 Specification Issue 6
WWW.ASD-STE100.NET
WWW.ASD-STE100.SOLUTIONS
WWW.SHUFRANS-TECHDOCS.COM
STE sample texts, international workshops
FAQ library, free STE doc analysis
Articles about STE on our website & LinkedIN.
YOUR STE JOURNEY - RESOURCES
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

44. Resources
ASD-STE100 Specification Issue 6
WWW.ASD-STE100.NET
WWW.ASD-STE100.SOLUTIONS
WWW.SHUFRANS-TECHDOCS.COM
STE sample texts, international workshops
FAQ library, free STE doc analysis
Articles about STE on our website & LinkedIN.
YOUR STE JOURNEY - RESOURCES
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

45. Training is necessary to learn the rules, how to apply
them in practice and how to avoid common pitfalls
2 - 3 days on-site or shared classes worldwide
Dedicated training group size up to 12 participants
Approaches towards writing, rewriting, updating
YOUR STE JOURNEY - TRAINING
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

46. Implementation & consultancy
Editing & proofreading services
STE continuous improvement
YOUR STE JOURNEY - CONSULTANCY
Consultancy
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

47. International standards: ASD-STE100, S1000D, DITA
Copywriting, technical writing
Multilingual documentation
ABOUT SHUFRANS TECHDOCS
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S

48. THANK YOU
shumin@shufrans-techdocs.com
SEND ME
YOUR
QUESTIONS!
T H E W O R K S H O P S E R I E S