Lavacon panel with Poppy Quintal, Berry Braster, and Sherri Sotnick. Discussed Simplified Technical English, Controlled Language, and provided a case study of Elekta's implementation using HyperSTE and changes to their content development processes.
Stilo ACI LavaCon 2015 presentation - Converting legacy content to DITA - it'...Stilo International
Case Study presentation proposal for LavaCon 2015 conference, October 18-21 in New Orleans.
Abstract: Many companies shy away from implementing DITA due to the false perception that converting legacy content to the DITA standard is expensive and tedious.
In this case study, Pamela Noreault from ACI Worldwide (the market leader in banking and payments software products) and Les Burnham from Stilo International will share a first-hand look at how ACI approached the task of converting 85,000 pages of legacy content as an integral part of their DITA implementation project.
Pam and Les will share insightful tips, tricks, best practices and valuable metrics, providing a better understanding of what it takes to convert content to DITA and the realization that it really isn’t rocket science!
Stilo ACI LavaCon 2015 presentation - Converting legacy content to DITA - it'...Stilo International
Case Study presentation proposal for LavaCon 2015 conference, October 18-21 in New Orleans.
Abstract: Many companies shy away from implementing DITA due to the false perception that converting legacy content to the DITA standard is expensive and tedious.
In this case study, Pamela Noreault from ACI Worldwide (the market leader in banking and payments software products) and Les Burnham from Stilo International will share a first-hand look at how ACI approached the task of converting 85,000 pages of legacy content as an integral part of their DITA implementation project.
Pam and Les will share insightful tips, tricks, best practices and valuable metrics, providing a better understanding of what it takes to convert content to DITA and the realization that it really isn’t rocket science!
Classification of Arabic Questions Using Multinomial naive Bayes and Suppo...Waheeb Ahmed
Question classification plays a very important role in Question Answering systems. It gives a label to a
question depending on the type of the question. This label will be used by the Answer Extraction module to
extract the correct answer. Since there are variety of Natural Language Questions, the task of classifying different
questions becomes hard and challenging. Very limited research has been done on classifying Arabic Questions
using Machine Learning Techniques. In this paper, we used Support Vector Machines(SVM) and Multinomial
Naive Bayes(MNB) to classify Questions. The types of questions classified includes Who, What, Where, When,
How many, How much, How and Why. The labels that will be given to these questions respectively are
Person/Definition, Location, Time/date, Number/Count, Quantity, Manner and Reason. The SVM showed higher
accurate results than MNB. The dataset consisted of 300 questions from the Arabic Wikipedia. The precision of
both the SVM and the MNB is equivalent to precision of 1. The achieved F1 measure for SVM is .97 and for the
MNB is .95 which is a promising result.
One year ago Mark found himself in a mental fog, battling the "tip of my tongue" problem. Using his experience with single subject research design and self-tracking he tackled this tough issue head on.
Tatjana Brzulović Stanisavljević held a presentation "Digital rights management" at the Serbian Library Association’s 10th International conference "The World and European Horizons of Librarianship in Digital Age", October 2011
Here is the history of the big granite ball that has stood on a hill top overlooking Grass Lake in White Lake Twp. Michigan (NOT near Ann Arbor). A very large heirloom for the descendants of Justin Robert Clary.
STC19, Content in the Age of Machines: Implementing Controlled Language as Pa...Katherine Brown-Hoekstra
The Internet of Things, automation, chatbots, augmented and virtual reality, machine translation, among other innovations, are driving companies to develop content that is easily digestible by both humans and machines. To accomplish this feat, we need to incorporate controlled language and terminology management into our content strategies and information architectures. Implementing controlled language should be a strategic, multidisciplinary decision that is based on a holistic analysis of your terminology and content creation efforts.
We discussed ways to build the business case for controlled language and incorporate it into your content strategies.
STC Summit 2017: Feeling overwhelmed? Stuck? Less productive than you want to be? Join us in discovering five productivity hacks that you can implement today that will help you be more productive! Today's technology allows us to get more done faster, but this increased efficiency often comes at the price of time to think deeply about what we are doing. Being busy and efficient does not necessarily mean that we are being productive. According to Michael Hyatt and others, true productivity is doing the right things well. Productivity is what sets apart the stellar performers from the merely good ones. Being able to manage your time and knowing how to filter out the busy work from the truly important sets you apart from your peers.
Classification of Arabic Questions Using Multinomial naive Bayes and Suppo...Waheeb Ahmed
Question classification plays a very important role in Question Answering systems. It gives a label to a
question depending on the type of the question. This label will be used by the Answer Extraction module to
extract the correct answer. Since there are variety of Natural Language Questions, the task of classifying different
questions becomes hard and challenging. Very limited research has been done on classifying Arabic Questions
using Machine Learning Techniques. In this paper, we used Support Vector Machines(SVM) and Multinomial
Naive Bayes(MNB) to classify Questions. The types of questions classified includes Who, What, Where, When,
How many, How much, How and Why. The labels that will be given to these questions respectively are
Person/Definition, Location, Time/date, Number/Count, Quantity, Manner and Reason. The SVM showed higher
accurate results than MNB. The dataset consisted of 300 questions from the Arabic Wikipedia. The precision of
both the SVM and the MNB is equivalent to precision of 1. The achieved F1 measure for SVM is .97 and for the
MNB is .95 which is a promising result.
One year ago Mark found himself in a mental fog, battling the "tip of my tongue" problem. Using his experience with single subject research design and self-tracking he tackled this tough issue head on.
Tatjana Brzulović Stanisavljević held a presentation "Digital rights management" at the Serbian Library Association’s 10th International conference "The World and European Horizons of Librarianship in Digital Age", October 2011
Here is the history of the big granite ball that has stood on a hill top overlooking Grass Lake in White Lake Twp. Michigan (NOT near Ann Arbor). A very large heirloom for the descendants of Justin Robert Clary.
STC19, Content in the Age of Machines: Implementing Controlled Language as Pa...Katherine Brown-Hoekstra
The Internet of Things, automation, chatbots, augmented and virtual reality, machine translation, among other innovations, are driving companies to develop content that is easily digestible by both humans and machines. To accomplish this feat, we need to incorporate controlled language and terminology management into our content strategies and information architectures. Implementing controlled language should be a strategic, multidisciplinary decision that is based on a holistic analysis of your terminology and content creation efforts.
We discussed ways to build the business case for controlled language and incorporate it into your content strategies.
STC Summit 2017: Feeling overwhelmed? Stuck? Less productive than you want to be? Join us in discovering five productivity hacks that you can implement today that will help you be more productive! Today's technology allows us to get more done faster, but this increased efficiency often comes at the price of time to think deeply about what we are doing. Being busy and efficient does not necessarily mean that we are being productive. According to Michael Hyatt and others, true productivity is doing the right things well. Productivity is what sets apart the stellar performers from the merely good ones. Being able to manage your time and knowing how to filter out the busy work from the truly important sets you apart from your peers.
Using Controlled Language to Improve Content Re-Use and Global-ReadinessKatherine Brown-Hoekstra
View on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0nMLXtoK0hY
Mindful and enlightened TCs working in a CMS environment maximize re-use and create global-ready content that meets their audiences’ needs while reducing costs and improving efficiency. Controlled Language, implemented correctly, can help you achieve these goals. However, many companies implement Simplified Technical English or other controlled language initiatives, but struggle to maximize the benefits, or discover issues with the human side of change management. In this presentation, we will discuss best practices for implementing controlled language, identify some potential challenges, provide recommendations for working around them.
After the presentation, participants will have a better understanding of these concepts:
--Best practices for implementing controlled language
--Risk mitigation and the importance of pilot projects
--Effect of implementing controlled language on your TMs
--Benefits and ROI of controlled language
(Co-presented with Jack Molisani) Negotiation. Just saying the word makes many people quake in terror or withdraw in discomfort because it feels adversarial to them. But, change the word to collaboration and people smile and lean in to hear more. And yet, that is what negotiation really is-collaborative problemsolving. You have something someone else needs and they have something you need. Identifying how each person can get their needs
met in a way that satisfies both parties is the core of what negotiation is all about. In this energetic workshop, we will change the way you look at negotiation, give you some tools that you can use immediately, and opportunities to practice your new skills.
At this workshop, you will gain the following:
• Understanding of how to negotiate and when
• Techniques for effectively negotiating
• Practice in these types of negotiations:
-- Salary
-- Vendor
-- Client
Most things that we do, professionally and personally, require us to obtain information and cooperation from the people around us. One of the keys to getting the information or cooperation is the ability to ask the right questions and to analyze the current situation in light of where you want to be. This interactive workshop will discuss principles of appreciative inquiry and provide a safe place to practice these skills.
Note: I plan to turn this into a 4-hour workshop.
Within the last 25 years, everything about the way we do our work and interact with our colleagues has changed more than in the previous 100+ years, and the changes keep coming with no signs of slowing down. Can you imagine sending a memo to your colleague today? When is the last time you sent a fax? Every day, we collectively create more data than we did from the dawn of civilization through circa 2003. The data comes in so many formats, from 140-character tweets to infographics. How do we choose the right format for the right audience at the right time? There are so many moving parts. As communicators, we play a key role in helping society make sense of new technologies, a wealth of data, and a never-ending flow of content. We are vital parts of the organizations we work for; without us, companies would struggle to sell and support their products, and users would suffer in their experiences with company’s products. The challenge is that, when we do our jobs well, it’s transparent to the user; people only notice our work when they are having issues. But we know how good communication happens: we analyze the audience and focus on their needs, we research and research until we solve their problems, we design well-crafted and easy-to-use content in the format the audience needs it.
Our mission in this time of change: to explore the limits of content creation and curation, to seek out new ways to build and make use of intelligent content, to boldly work across disciplines and use our powers for good.
In the space between technical communication and localization lies global content strategy. The skills required by localization and technical communication complement each other, but it can be a bit confusing to know when to engage which team. After this session, you will have a better understanding of when to engage with localization and what questions to ask as you develop your global content strategy.
As technical communicators, we touch every product, process, and service on this planet (and off of it). Without us, governments would fall, inventors would have a hard time getting their products to users, and patients would die. In short, no product, process, or service would function very well. Yet, because our work is part of the infrastructure, we often don’t hear about how we’re doing until something goes wrong.
Kit Brown-Hoekstra takes a look at how we can act as catalysts for positive change in the world, just by doing our jobs well. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines a catalyst as “an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.” During this talk, we will look at different kinds of change,and how we, as technical communicators, can influence and change processes to make our world a better place.
Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing—it’s how we deal with the conflict that can become a problem. Often, when good projects fail, it’s because the team dynamics weren’t functioning well, or the team didn’t do adequate (or appropriate) change management. Unfortunately, there is no magic wand we can wave to fix these problems. It takes commitment, perseverance, and a sense of humor. Join us for a lively discussion on the do’s and don’ts of resolving conflict, as well as some things you can do to prevent conflict from arising in the first place.
When you are a small business owner, it's easy to get caught up in doing the work. This presentation shows you how to take a step back and think about what work you want to do and how you want to go about it. (Given as a webinar to the STC CIC SIG
Discussed how to pull localization upstream in the content development process by integrating the two processes into the overall product development lifecycle.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technologies, XML continues to play a vital role in structuring, storing, and transporting data across diverse systems. The recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) present new methodologies for enhancing XML development workflows, introducing efficiency, automation, and intelligent capabilities. This presentation will outline the scope and perspective of utilizing AI in XML development. The potential benefits and the possible pitfalls will be highlighted, providing a balanced view of the subject.
We will explore the capabilities of AI in understanding XML markup languages and autonomously creating structured XML content. Additionally, we will examine the capacity of AI to enrich plain text with appropriate XML markup. Practical examples and methodological guidelines will be provided to elucidate how AI can be effectively prompted to interpret and generate accurate XML markup.
Further emphasis will be placed on the role of AI in developing XSLT, or schemas such as XSD and Schematron. We will address the techniques and strategies adopted to create prompts for generating code, explaining code, or refactoring the code, and the results achieved.
The discussion will extend to how AI can be used to transform XML content. In particular, the focus will be on the use of AI XPath extension functions in XSLT, Schematron, Schematron Quick Fixes, or for XML content refactoring.
The presentation aims to deliver a comprehensive overview of AI usage in XML development, providing attendees with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions. Whether you’re at the early stages of adopting AI or considering integrating it in advanced XML development, this presentation will cover all levels of expertise.
By highlighting the potential advantages and challenges of integrating AI with XML development tools and languages, the presentation seeks to inspire thoughtful conversation around the future of XML development. We’ll not only delve into the technical aspects of AI-powered XML development but also discuss practical implications and possible future directions.
How to Get CNIC Information System with Paksim Ga.pptxdanishmna97
Pakdata Cf is a groundbreaking system designed to streamline and facilitate access to CNIC information. This innovative platform leverages advanced technology to provide users with efficient and secure access to their CNIC details.
Climate Impact of Software Testing at Nordic Testing DaysKari Kakkonen
My slides at Nordic Testing Days 6.6.2024
Climate impact / sustainability of software testing discussed on the talk. ICT and testing must carry their part of global responsibility to help with the climat warming. We can minimize the carbon footprint but we can also have a carbon handprint, a positive impact on the climate. Quality characteristics can be added with sustainability, and then measured continuously. Test environments can be used less, and in smaller scale and on demand. Test techniques can be used in optimizing or minimizing number of tests. Test automation can be used to speed up testing.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Unlocking Productivity: Leveraging the Potential of Copilot in Microsoft 365, a presentation by Christoforos Vlachos, Senior Solutions Manager – Modern Workplace, Uni Systems
Observability Concepts EVERY Developer Should Know -- DeveloperWeek Europe.pdfPaige Cruz
Monitoring and observability aren’t traditionally found in software curriculums and many of us cobble this knowledge together from whatever vendor or ecosystem we were first introduced to and whatever is a part of your current company’s observability stack.
While the dev and ops silo continues to crumble….many organizations still relegate monitoring & observability as the purview of ops, infra and SRE teams. This is a mistake - achieving a highly observable system requires collaboration up and down the stack.
I, a former op, would like to extend an invitation to all application developers to join the observability party will share these foundational concepts to build on:
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
In his public lecture, Christian Timmerer provides insights into the fascinating history of video streaming, starting from its humble beginnings before YouTube to the groundbreaking technologies that now dominate platforms like Netflix and ORF ON. Timmerer also presents provocative contributions of his own that have significantly influenced the industry. He concludes by looking at future challenges and invites the audience to join in a discussion.
GraphSummit Singapore | The Future of Agility: Supercharging Digital Transfor...Neo4j
Leonard Jayamohan, Partner & Generative AI Lead, Deloitte
This keynote will reveal how Deloitte leverages Neo4j’s graph power for groundbreaking digital twin solutions, achieving a staggering 100x performance boost. Discover the essential role knowledge graphs play in successful generative AI implementations. Plus, get an exclusive look at an innovative Neo4j + Generative AI solution Deloitte is developing in-house.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
A tale of scale & speed: How the US Navy is enabling software delivery from l...sonjaschweigert1
Rapid and secure feature delivery is a goal across every application team and every branch of the DoD. The Navy’s DevSecOps platform, Party Barge, has achieved:
- Reduction in onboarding time from 5 weeks to 1 day
- Improved developer experience and productivity through actionable findings and reduction of false positives
- Maintenance of superior security standards and inherent policy enforcement with Authorization to Operate (ATO)
Development teams can ship efficiently and ensure applications are cyber ready for Navy Authorizing Officials (AOs). In this webinar, Sigma Defense and Anchore will give attendees a look behind the scenes and demo secure pipeline automation and security artifacts that speed up application ATO and time to production.
We will cover:
- How to remove silos in DevSecOps
- How to build efficient development pipeline roles and component templates
- How to deliver security artifacts that matter for ATO’s (SBOMs, vulnerability reports, and policy evidence)
- How to streamline operations with automated policy checks on container images
Goodbye Windows 11: Make Way for Nitrux Linux 3.5.0!SOFTTECHHUB
As the digital landscape continually evolves, operating systems play a critical role in shaping user experiences and productivity. The launch of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0 marks a significant milestone, offering a robust alternative to traditional systems such as Windows 11. This article delves into the essence of Nitrux Linux 3.5.0, exploring its unique features, advantages, and how it stands as a compelling choice for both casual users and tech enthusiasts.
GridMate - End to end testing is a critical piece to ensure quality and avoid...ThomasParaiso2
End to end testing is a critical piece to ensure quality and avoid regressions. In this session, we share our journey building an E2E testing pipeline for GridMate components (LWC and Aura) using Cypress, JSForce, FakerJS…
Threats to mobile devices are more prevalent and increasing in scope and complexity. Users of mobile devices desire to take full advantage of the features
available on those devices, but many of the features provide convenience and capability but sacrifice security. This best practices guide outlines steps the users can take to better protect personal devices and information.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 6DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 6. In this session, we will cover Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI.
UiPath Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI webinar offers an in-depth exploration of leveraging cutting-edge technologies for test automation within the UiPath platform. Attendees will delve into the integration of generative AI, a test automation solution, with Open AI advanced natural language processing capabilities.
Throughout the session, participants will discover how this synergy empowers testers to automate repetitive tasks, enhance testing accuracy, and expedite the software testing life cycle. Topics covered include the seamless integration process, practical use cases, and the benefits of harnessing AI-driven automation for UiPath testing initiatives. By attending this webinar, testers, and automation professionals can gain valuable insights into harnessing the power of AI to optimize their test automation workflows within the UiPath ecosystem, ultimately driving efficiency and quality in software development processes.
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into integrating generative AI.
2. Understanding how this integration enhances test automation within the UiPath platform
3. Practical demonstrations
4. Exploration of real-world use cases illustrating the benefits of AI-driven test automation for UiPath
Topics covered:
What is generative AI
Test Automation with generative AI and Open AI.
UiPath integration with generative AI
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
2. Agenda
Context (@kitcomgenesis)
Specification (@tech_editor)
Tools (@tedopres, @berrybraster)
Implementation (sherri.sotnick@elekta.com)
Note: We included more slides here than we presented, just in case you missed the discussion.
4. About English
Number of English words: 1,009,753*
*As of May 24, 2011 according to the Global Language Monitor
http://www.languagemonitor.com/no-of-words/
5. Number of Native Speakers*
1. Chinese: 1.2 billion
2. Spanish: 329 million
3. English: 328 million
4. Arabic: 221 million
10. German: 90.3 million
16. French: 67.8 million
*As of 2009, from Ethnologue.com
http://www.ethnologue.com/ethno_docs/distribution.asp?by=size
8. Comprehension
Basic Oral: 2,000 words
Basic Written: 3,000 words
Basic Technical: 4-5,000 words
University-Level Text: 10,000 words
Fluency: 20,000 words
Native speaker (adult): 30-40,000 words
From http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd518.pdf
11. ASD Simplified Technical English
ASD Simplified Technical English is a Controlled Language
(a subset of conventional English).
"I tell people who've never heard of CL (Controlled Language) that
it's PL (Plain Language) with marching boots on."
Avi Arditti
Features Editor
Features Editor
Special English Service
Special English Service
Voice of America
Voice of America
12. ASD Simplified Technical English
History of the Specification
History of the Specification
1986 -- Feb 15
1986 Feb 15 First release
First release Included Writing Rules (Part 1) and
Included Writing Rules (Part 1) and
the Dictionary (Part 2).
the Dictionary (Part 2).
1986 Sep 15
1986 Sep 15 Change 1
Change 1
1987 Jun 01
1987 Jun 01 Change 2
Change 2 Addition of examples of function
Addition of examples of function
words and nouns (Part 3).
words and nouns (Part 3).
1988 Jun 15
1988 Jun 15 Change 3
Change 3 Addition of examples of verbs (Part 3).
Addition of examples of verbs (Part 3).
1988 Dec 30
1988 Dec 30 Change 4
Change 4 Addition of examples of adjectives and
Addition of examples of adjectives and
adverbs (Part 3).
adverbs (Part 3).
1989 Dec 01
1989 Dec 01 Change 5
Change 5 Reformatted version of Change 4.
Reformatted version of Change 4.
1995 Sep 15
1995 Sep 15 Issue 1
Issue 1 Guide completely revised and a new issue
Guide completely revised and a new issue
released. Original Part 2 deleted and Part 3
released. Original Part 2 deleted and Part 3
renumbered to Part 2.
renumbered to Part 2.
1998 Jan 15
1998 Jan 15 Issue 1, Rev 1
Issue 1, Rev 1 Updates and amendments.
Updates and amendments.
2001 Jan 15
2001 Jan 15 Issue 1, Rev 2
Issue 1, Rev 2 Updates and amendments.
Updates and amendments.
2004 Jan 15
2004 Jan 15 Issue 2
Issue 2 Guide completely revised and new issue released.
Guide completely revised and new issue released.
2005 Jan 15
2005 Jan 15 Issue 3
Issue 3 New issue as ASD-STE 100TM Pending
New issue as ASD-STE 100TM Pending
2007 Jan 15
2007 Jan 15 Issue 4
Issue 4 Specification completely revised.
Specification completely revised.
2010 Apr 15
2010 Apr 15 Issue 5
Issue 5 Specification completely revised.
Specification completely revised.
13. ASD Simplified Technical English
What is ASD Simplified Technical English?
ASD STE is an international standard.
ASD STE is an international standard.
It is a concise, precise, and limited use of the English language, which
It is a concise, precise, and limited use of the English language, which
reduces ambiguity and increases readability and comprehension.
reduces ambiguity and increases readability and comprehension.
It was originally created by the aerospace industry to produce technical
It was originally created by the aerospace industry to produce technical
manuals and other documentation needed for aircraft support and
manuals and other documentation needed for aircraft support and
maintenance.
maintenance.
But this specification has also been adopted and adapted by other technical
But this specification has also been adopted and adapted by other technical
industries (including telecommunications, computer hardware, medical
industries (including telecommunications, computer hardware, medical
technology, transportation, and government).
technology, transportation, and government).
It has a defined set of grammar, style and syntax rules, and a restricted
It has a defined set of grammar, style and syntax rules, and a restricted
vocabulary that you must use when you write in ASD STE.
vocabulary that you must use when you write in ASD STE.
14. ASD Simplified Technical English
STE has:
A restricted base vocabulary (approximately 1,000 words)
A large set of Technical Names and Technical Verbs
(unlimited in number and user-defined)
Restrictions on grammar and style (approximately 65 rules)
15. ASD Simplified Technical English
Why do we need ASD Simplified Technical English?
(Or any Controlled Language for that matter?)
18. The Increasing Number of Non-English (mother-tongue) Speaking
Customers
Non-English Speaking English Speaking
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FINNAIR O/Y TRANSAVIA HOLLAND B.V.
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IBERIA - LINEAS AEREAS DE ESPANA, S.A. TURKISH AIRLINES CO. (TURK HAVA YOLLARI)
INDIAN AIRLINES CORPORATION VARIG-VIAC AO AEREA RIO-GRANDENSE S.A.
INEX ADRIA AVIOPROMET VASP-VIAC AO AEREA SAO PAULO S.A.
IRIAN AIR - IRAN NATIONAL AIRLINES CORP. VIASA-NENEZOLANA INT. L OF AVIACION, S.A.
20. ASD Simplified Technical English
Too many words.
Too many meanings.
Too many synonyms, homonyms and
homophones.
Too much grammatical/syntactical variety,
which allows us to “say” the same thing in many
different ways.
21. ASD Simplified Technical English
Why do we need Simplified Technical English?
Put the same part back
or substitute a new part?
ASD STE Dictionary
“Replace the part...”
approved definition for
REPLACE:
To remove an item and to
install a new or serviceable
item in its place.
22. ASD Simplified Technical English
ASD STE gets rid of “unclear” writing
Ambiguous Complex
Words Grammar Incomplete
Slang/jargon Sentences
23. ASD Simplified Technical English
Simplified Technical English (STE), was
originally developed to help the users of
English-language documentation (more
specifically, non-native English speakers
working with English documentation) quickly
and accurately understand what they read.
24. ASD Simplified Technical English
However, studies have shown that the benefits
(speed of task completion, reduced error rates,
etc.) are also statistically significant for
native English speakers.
25. ASD Simplified Technical English
What Are the Benefits of Using Simplified Technical English?
Increased safety and efficiency
Reduced legal liability
Fewer customer complaints/questions
26. ASD Simplified Technical English
Benefits of STE:
Encourages good writing practices and eliminates vague
Encourages good writing practices and eliminates vague
and ambiguous statements by forcing the writer to use:
and ambiguous statements by forcing the writer to use:
• shorter text
• shorter text
• clearer writing habits
• clearer writing habits
• more precise narratives
• more precise narratives
Limits the variety of words
Limits the variety of words
• (ex: FOLLOW means "to come after in a
• (ex: FOLLOW means "to come after in a
sequence" and not "to do what the rules tell you”
sequence" and not "to do what the rules tell you”
i.e. OBEY)
i.e. OBEY)
Gives a standard for grammatical construction (reduces
Gives a standard for grammatical construction (reduces
personal styles)
personal styles)
Eliminates "verbiage" (needless accumulation of words)
Eliminates "verbiage" (needless accumulation of words)
27. ASD Simplified Technical English
Benefits of ASD STE – Translation
Manuals written in ASD STE are easier to translate.
The defined syntax and vocabulary of STE facilitates
computers-assisted translation as well as human
translation.
28. ASD Simplified Technical English
How does Simplified Technical English work?
Limits the variety of words
Uses common, everyday English words
Establishes one meaning per word
Emphasizes good writing practices
Standardizes grammatical constructions
29. ASD Simplified Technical English
Example (non-STE)
It is equally important that there should be no
seasonal changes in the procedures, as,
although aircraft fuel system icing due to water
contamination is more often met with in winter,
it can be equally dangerous during the summer
months.
30. ASD Simplified Technical English
Example (in ASD STE)
Use the same procedures all the time because
water in the fuel system can freeze during
summer or winter.
31. While covering pouches, smear bright
yellow on the shadow below the pouches,
gently whap until dizzy.
46. Simplified Technical English
at Elekta
Phase One in the successful
implementation of a global content
management system
Sherri Sotnick
Manager, Media Services/Documentation, BASS
*Graphics and some information contributed by my Elekta colleague,
Nick Rowlands, Information Systems Architect, SE&D, BAOS
47. About Elekta
• World leader in clinical solutions for image-guided
radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery.
• We have Documentation teams in the UK, US/Canada, DE,
and SW.
• Our Business Area develops software products that ensure
an efficient clinical environment streamlining all activities
related to patient care – from diagnosis and treatment to
follow-up – giving clinicians more time to focus on
patients.
48. About Elekta
• Improve, prolong and save lives by providing clinical solutions
for treating cancer and brain disorders
• Founded in 1972 by the late Lars Leksell, Professor of
Neurosurgery at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden
• Today, Elekta’s clinical solutions and information systems are
used in over 5,000 hospitals globally
• Everyday more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis,
treatment or follow-up with the help of an Elekta product
49. Demanding times
• Elekta was changing–organizationally
and technologically
• Growth, acquisition, and changing
regulatory landscape
• Elekta was investing heavily in
technology in a competitive high-tech
market
• Internal issues were driving the need
to take advantage of new
technologies for
information development
50. Major issues driving the need for change
• The mountain of words continues to grow
• Translation costs escalate proportionately
• Information is difficult to maintain, reuse, and consume
• Different versions of the same information across different
documents
• Foreign language users find content difficult to understand
51. Major issues driving the need for change
Recent statistic (Jan 2010)
Total words translated 5,459,906 (07 to 09); of which 1,855,959
were translated in the last three months
52. Developing the documentation strategy
• Research and benchmarking
– How do we modernize of our documentation processes to provide users with the
information they want in the format they require?
– How do we respond to the increasing and
changing responsibility of documentation
departments?
• Analyzing the results from leading analysts
*The Aberdeen Group
*The Gilbane reports
*The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators
53. Analyzing the results
• Key findings based on trends reported by industry analysts
– Provide authoring assistance at content creation to promote localization-ready content
– Provide centralized terminology management that defines repeatable words and phrases
for monolingual and multilingual authoring
– Distribute structured document and content management tools to technical authors
– Provide 3D visualization and design-based illustration tools to technical illustrators
– Deploy translation memory technology to localize product documentation
– Utilize 3D publishing technology to increase graphical communication
– Track information reuse to check for documentation readability
54. Documentation strategy starts to take shape
• Simplified Technical English
• Structured Authoring and XML
• Component Content Management
55. Taking a Three-Phase Approach
– Elekta Approved Simplified English (EASE)
Develop
– Reduce word count by approximately 30%
– Improve readability and avoid confusion
– Structured Authoring and XML
Deploy
– Modularize information and share modules and topics between documents
(knowledge bases) to maximize reuse
– Apply XML to facilitate the sharing of structured data across different systems
– Content Management
Deliver
– A single-source data repository to optimize information reuse and translation
management
– Multiple output for Print, PDF, Help, and Web
56. Making it a global strategy
• Global Information Management (GIM)
– A strategic approach to the management of information that ensures all aspects
of our business follow a single consistent path for delivering information
globally, through the intelligent combination of people, processes, and
technologies.
• Simply put…
– GIM is a strategy to change the way we
develop, deploy, and deliver information… globally
57. Our GIM solution
• HyperSTE from Tedopres for Elekta Approved Simplified English
• DITA for structured authoring and XML
• DITA CMS from IXIASOFT for the component content management
system
– Integrated XMAX authoring tool
– Output for PDF through FM server
– Customization to incorporate
metadata/taxonomy into UI
– Integration of HyperSTE functionality
into XMAX in development
58. Phase One: Elekta-Approved Simplified English
• Adapting and implementing industry-standard Simplified English
– Provide authoring assistance at content creation to promote localization-ready
content
– Provide centralized terminology management that defines repeatable words and
phrases for monolingual and multilingual authoring
• Strategic response
– Elekta Approved Simplified English (EASE)
– Reduce word count by approximately 30%
– Improve readability and avoid confusion
59. Getting started: EASE Training and Planning
• Assembled a Core Global Information Management Team
• Completed Tedopres’ Train the Trainer course
• Adapted the training for Elekta products and the medical
device industry
• Agreed on a staggered approach to implementation among BAs
• Trained Doc teams globally on EASE and HyperSTE
60. Planning our EASE implementation
• How to build and maintain a global
dictionary
• How to implement without disrupting
productivity
• How does this change our current doc
processes
61. Overcoming challenges
• Tech writers and SMEs were
highly skeptical about
adhering to a precise
vocabulary
Some tech writers said that Simplified Technical
English would inhibit their creativity.
Skeptical SMEs said that Simplified Technical English
would be too restrictive and affect technical accuracy.
62. Simplifying a language is not an easy task …
• Tech writers and SMEs can be emotionally
attached to specific words
• Under deadline pressure, some tech
writers tend to focus on replacing terms
and not on re-writing per STE rules
• SMEs in different regions use different
industry-specific terms
• Collaboration on terminology
management is challenging among doc
teams in different regions
64. Best Practice: Collaboration
• Make building the terminology lists a collaborative effort
– Adopt simple, effective methods for the Tech Writers to build the
terminology lists and solicit input from SMEs
– Have SMEs validate all lists
• Continued development of STE skills for writing teams
– Conduct monthly one-hour STE workshops
(Webex for remote teams)
• Provide learning aides
– E.g. Create Quick Reference
Cards for accepted verbs
65. Best Practice: Collaboration
• Establish vehicles of communication for remote Tech Writing
teams to resolve STE issues together:
– We created an EASE wikki and #EASE email list, which work well.
• Assemble a core team to review terms and determine which
ones to add to the global dictionary
– We also created guidelines to qualify
terms.
• Measure progress and
share results
66. Example of Metric to reinforce the benefits
• Real life examples; XVI
A clinical team in the UK and a junior
author accepted the challenge to
restructure a User Manual while
ensuring that all the new functionality
was included and without
compromising and indeed improving
the overall quality and customer
experience. This resulted in a clear
reduction in size.
“This is indeed a great achievement, well done and sincere thanks to the team,” direct quote from a
Senior Vice President in Oncology Business Line Management
67. Best Practices: Company-Specific Dictionary
• Reinforce the objective for consistent terminology company-wide
One Word = One Meaning = One part of speech
• Create and adhere to global
guidelines for maintaining the
dictionary
• Update create your company
style guide based on the STE
writing rules.
68. Best Practices: Company-Specific Dictionary
• Get started by building a solid Existing documentation
base dictionary using:
– Existing documentation
– Glossaries
– Translation terminology lists
• Make sure Tech Writers and SMEs Terminology list
collaborate on terminology lists
• Distribute terminology lists to all
SMEs for final validation before
adding terms to the dictionary
Company dictionary
Approved and non-approved words
69. Best Practices: Company-Specific Dictionary
• Reinforce the objective for consistent terminology company-wide
One Word = One Meaning = One part of speech
• Create and adhere to global
guidelines for maintaining the
dictionary
• Update create your company
style guide based on the STE
writing rules.
70. Best Practices: Company-Specific Dictionary
• Create STE task force that meets regularly
– Review terminology lists in all BAs before adding terms to main
dictionary
– Establish company-wide awareness and understanding
– Promote company-wide terminology management
71. Best Practices: Company-Specific Dictionary
• Set the expectation that building the company-wide dictionary
will be ongoing
– Communicating progress regularly
• Apply STE to legacy documentation
based on business needs
• Create work instructions and
guidelines for the tech writers to
ensure incremental progress
– in building the dictionary
– in updating legacy documentation
72. Benefits realized: already saving $$$
• Total translation budget for FY2011 = $824K; with GIM we
expect to achieve savings of up to 40%
• As shown in the metric, a 66% COGs reduction in print cost per
manual
• Also shown in the metric, a 30% page count reduction and 20%
word count reduction in a user manual
73. Additional benefits
• Saves costs resulting from poor communication, which can
lead to:
– Confusion
– Lost production time
– Service calls
• Easier to manage, access, integrate, and reuse content