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How to Fix The Technobabble Snafu

 

The Technobabble Snafu

STE, simplified technical english, ASD STE100, controlled language, technical texts, technical documentation, ASD Simplified Technical English Specification, non-native English speakers, ASD-STE100 Rules, ASD-STE100 Issue 7 free download

Some Assembly Required

“STE was developed to help the readers of English-language documentation understand what they read, particularly when these readers are non-native English speakers.” – ASD-STE100

Your product or user manual may need to have the words Some Assembly Required in it.  Since those words often make readers cringe, it would be a pleasant surprise if  the manual were written in Simplified Technical English that virtually anyone can understand. 

Products made in the Republic of SAR (Some Assembly Required) can make the reader afraid of the assembly experience to come.  They are already wondering if they should have gotten an engineering degree so that they could put the product together.  They may also be wondering why they wanted it in the first place.  

When you begin to write your manual, you have a choice:  You can write it for those that do have an engineering degree or one in computer science or you can write your manual in STE, Simplified Technical English.  

It sounds easy but it is not.  But if you don’t consider the STE approach, you may end up with a technobabble snafu on your hands with a rebelling audience that is confused and angry.

Simplified Technical English Might Be the Answer

Creating an STE-compliant document is easy:  Follow the STE writing rules. This sounds simple but it is harder than it looks.  If it were not, there would be many more documents written in this style  The Simplified Technical English Bible is the ASD-STE100, Issue 8, STE Writing Rules.

Using technical jargon is not the issue.  The goal is to write clear, unambiguous text that contains the technical jargon.

 

“Complex technical instructions can be misunderstood and misunderstandings can lead to accidents. STE makes technical texts easy to understand by all readers

Home » Simplified Technical English

Downloads

ASD-STE100, Issue 8

This free download is the full text of the ASD-STE100, Issue 8, International Specification for the Preparation of Technical Documentation in a Controlled Language

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Leveraging STE

Case study of a Simplified Technical English (STE) conversion in the Engineering sector. The conversion was intended to remove the archaic wording and make the text easier to translate and understand. The transformation resulted in reduced cost and better translations.

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Technical Manual Content and Delivery – Our Services

Technology has changed and with it the content, design and delivery of technical documentation has changed.    

Technical Manual Content

  • Customer-Centric Technical Content might include online wikis, knowledge bases, training manuals, user guides, release notes, installation manuals, or repair manuals.
  • Organizational Technical Content might include standard work procedures manuals, employee handbooks, job descriptions, work instructions, installation manuals, or a human machine interface (HMI) on equipment.
  • Marketing Technical Content might include product-based information such as product brochures or videos, white papers, business case studies, infographics, or use cases.
  • IT Technical Content might include technical specifications of a product, glossaries, software development , software guidance, training manuals, or process documentation

 

Technical Information Delivery

 

 


Digitalization and globalization have resulted in a paradigm shift in how technical documentation is created, how it is written and how it is delivered.   

As technology has become available to a broad cross-section of the population, creating and delivering easily-understood technical content is a requirement.  It also must be delivered in many different languages.  While not in the immediate future, the PDF may become obsolete in favor of electronic delivery.  For now, however, both are still used extensively.  

Digital information delivery–in particular mobile–is becoming a standard method for relaying information.  Innovative solutions for doing this are being created all the time and are more focused on user experience than ever before.

 


 

Rule 1.1:  Use This Not That

Rule 1.1

Simplified Technical English (STE) has a controlled general dictionary (part 2) that gives you the words most frequently used in technical writing.

You can also use words that are not in the dictionary if you can include them in the specified categories of technical names and technical verbs.

The dictionary also gives a selection of unapproved words, with examples that show how to use alternative words.

Which Words Can You Use?

You can use words that are:

  • Approved in the dictionary
  • Technical names
  • Technical verbs.

Examples:
The word “use” is an approved word in the dictionary.
The word “engine” is a technical name.
The word “ream” is a technical verb.

 

What is ASD-STE100?

ASD-STE100

ASD SIMPLIFIED TECHNICAL ENGLISH
SPECIFICATION ASD-STE100
EUROPEAN UNION TRADE MARK NO. 017966390
INTERNATIONAL SPECIFICATION FOR THE PREPARATION OF TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION IN A CONTROLLED LANGUAGE

According to the ASD-STE100 website, English is the international language of science, technology and human relations. It is also the language of the aerospace and defense industry. However, it is not often the native language of the readers of technical documentation. Many readers have a limited knowledge of English. Complex sentence structure and the large number of meanings and synonyms that many English words have can cause confusion.

On June 30, 1983, in Amsterdam, the AECMA Simplified English Working Group was founded and the AECMA Simplified English project started.

The product of this effort was the AECMA Simplified English Guide (first release in 1986) which, in 2005, became the ASD Simplified Technical English Specification, ASD-STE100.

The success of STE is such that other industries use it beyond its original intended purpose of aerospace maintenance documentation. Interest in STE has also increased dramatically in the areas of language services, professional translation and interpreting, as well as in the academic world.

LEARN MORE HERE

What Are Simplified Technical English Rules?

STE has two parts: a set of writing rules (part 1) and a controlled dictionary (part 2). The writing rules cover aspects of grammar and style. The dictionary gives the general words that a writer can use.

 

Writing Rules

STE addresses difficulties in English comprehension related to complex sentence structures, confusing word forms, and ambiguous vocabulary. 

The Writing Rules differentiate between two types of topics: procedure and description. The Writing Rules also specify restrictions on grammar and style usage. For example, they require writers to:

 

  • Restrict the length of noun clusters to no more than three words
  • Restrict sentence length to no more than 20 words (procedural sentences) or 25 words (descriptive sentences)
  • Restrict paragraphs to no more than 6 sentences (in descriptive text)
  • Avoid slang and jargon while allowing for specific terminology
  • Make instructions as specific as possible
  • Use articles such as “a/an” and “the” wherever possible
  • Use simple verb tenses (past, present, and future)
  • Use active voice
  • Do not use present participles or gerunds (unless part of a Technical Name)
  • Write sequential steps as separate sentences
  • Start a safety instruction (a warning or a caution) with a clear and simple command or condition.

 

Controlled Dictionary

STE has a controlled general dictionary that gives the words that are most frequently used in technical writing.

The approved words were selected because they were simple and easy to recognize. In general, each word has only one meaning and functions as only one part of speech. For example, “to fall” has the approved meaning of “to move down by the force of gravity,” and not “to decrease”. 

When there are several words in English for the same thing (synonyms), STE permits one of these synonyms to the exclusion of the others. For example, STE uses “start” instead of “begin”, “commence”, “initiate”, or “originate”. STE approved meanings and spelling are based on American English (Merriam-Webster’s dictionary).

In addition to its general dictionary, STE permits the use of company-specific or project-oriented technical words (referred to in STE as technical names and technical verbs). These words are related to the categories listed in the respective rules.

Basically, writers can use the approved words in the dictionary as a core vocabulary. But they can also use terms that are usual in their companies or industries and applicable to their projects and products.

 

A key goal in translation is interpreting the author’s intention. Translating a text to or from STE is made easier by reducing sentences to their core intended meaning. This allows STE to be used in the translation of documents into multiple languages at one time, giving a framework of sentence structure that can be more easily altered than standard English to suit the sentence syntax and structure in other languages.

 

 

Why Work With Us?

We are creative, believers in critical thought.  Our layouts are sophisticated and appropriate, effective.  Our work is informative and engaging.  We speak simplified technical English.  Let our technical writing services save you time, money, revisions and failed presentations.

GET IN TOUCH

Do You Need STE Clarity?  Let’s Talk

 

 

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 The Technical Manual:  Instructions for Life or for a Video Game? 

 

Deconstructing the Technical Manual:  What Is It?

A technical manual rarely provides guidance on how you should live your life. It does not tell you how to raise your kids but can help you understand their video console game.  Some technical manuals do this successfully, some don’t.  Definitions of a technical manual are as varied as the types of technical manuals.

technical manual

[′tek·nə·kəl ‚man·yə·wəl]

publication containing detailed information on technical procedures, including instructions on the operation, handling, maintenance, and repair of equipment. – McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Technical manuals are written for end users who did not code or create the product or process.  While they might have some knowledge of how the product or process works, they need more detailed information.  This could be in the form of a product brochure or detailed operating instructions or repair procedures.  Most of this audience simply wants more information on topics such as the product, how to install or operate it or how to repair it.

Over time, the definition of a technical manual has broadened to include many aspects of technical documentation.  It has the simple purpose of making it simple for the end-user to understand the technicality of using a product or service. Technical manuals contain instructions for installation, use, maintenance, and steps for effective deployment of equipment.

Avoiding the Technobabble Snafu

Technical Manual Sample

 

 

 

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Some Assembly Required

Your product or user manual may need to have the words Some Assembly Required in it.  Since those words often make readers cringe, it would be a pleasant surprise if  the manual were written in Simplified Technical English that virtually anyone can understand. 

Products made in the Republic of SAR (Some Assembly Required) can make the reader afraid of the assembly experience to come.  They are already wondering if they should have gotten an engineering degree so that they could put the product together.  They may also be wondering why they wanted it in the first place.  

When you begin to write your manual, you have a choice:  You can write it for those that do have an engineering degree or one in computer science or you can write your manual so it is easily understood by your intended audience.  

Technical manuals are written for end users who did not code or create the product or process.  While they might have some knowledge of how the product or process works, they need more detailed information.  This could be in the form of a product brochure or detailed operating instructions or repair procedures.  Most of this audience simply wants more information on topics such as the product, how to install or operate it or how to maintain and repair it.  The technobabble snafu can be avoided when technical documentation is clear, presented in engaging form and unambiguous enough to be thoroughly understood by anyone in the target audience.

When they were first created, technical manuals were in fact way too technical for the common user to comprehend.

The Technical Manual Then (1949) and Now (2022)


Binac Manual

Technical Manuals 1949 and 2022

In 1949, the first technical technical manual was published by Joseph Chapline, who wrote a user manual for the computer he developed, the BINAC, (Operating and Maintenance Manual for the BINAC). Style and content are shown in the image at left.  Technical manual content and delivery technology, not even imagined in 1949, can now be part of an end-user experience.  

AR Manual

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Above is an image from an augmented reality technical manual.   This method involves overlaying the text and images with augmented reality technology.

 

 

 

 

Technical Manual Content and Delivery

Technology has changed and with it the content, design and delivery of technical documentation has changed.   

Technical Manual Content

  • Customer-Centric Technical Content might include online wikis, knowledge bases, training manuals, user guides, release notes, installation manuals, or repair manuals.
  • Organizational Technical Content might include standard work procedures manuals, employee handbooks, job descriptions, work instructions, installation manuals, or a human machine interface (HMI) on equipment.
  • Marketing Technical Content might include product-based information such as product brochures or videos, white papers, business case studies, infographics, or use cases.
  • IT Technical Content might include technical specifications of a product, glossaries, software development , software guidance, training manuals, or process documentation

 

Technical Information Delivery

 

 


Digitalization and globalization have resulted in a paradigm shift in how technical documentation is created, how it is written and how it is delivered.   

As technology has become available to a broad cross-section of the population, creating and delivering easily-understood technical content is a requirement.  It also must be delivered in many different languages.  While not in the immediate future, the PDF may become obsolete in favor of electronic delivery.  For now, however, both are still used extensively.  

Digital information delivery–in particular mobile–is becoming a standard method for relaying information.  Innovative solutions for doing this are being created all the time and are more focused on user experience than ever before.

 


 

The Technical Manual in its Simplest Form


A Wordless Manual

A Successful Technical Manual: the IKEA Billy Bookcase Assembly Manual

If it takes an advanced degree to read it, then it must be meaningful.   Right?  Not necessarily.  Einstein suggested that:

“If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough.”  

You cannot get much simpler than a wordless manual and one of the most effective set of technical manuals is in fact wordless:  the IKEA assembly manuals.   There are few complaints that IKEA’s technical manuals are not easily understood or that furniture cannot be assembled when they are used. 

 While there are not many types of manuals that lend themselves to wordless instruction, it does work for IKEA.

Technical Manual Considerations

Whether the technical manual is a human machine interface (HMI) on a CNC machine or the installation instructions for a garbage disposal, there are certain basic planning and content elements that are common to all.  

 

Planning Considerations

Topic-based authoring is a concept well worth considering for development of technical documentation.  This approach is particularly suited to technical manuals.  The alternative, a collaborative approach, works well in most situations.  It just so happens that topic-based authoring enables writers of technical material to create reusable, flexible information modules cost-effectively.  

 

Select Pre-Development Questions
  • Who is the intended audience?
  • Is the delivery method electronic or print?
  • Will the development approach be collaborative or topic-based authoring?
  • Where is the information about the product, service or process located?
  • Who will be the subject matter expert–the writer or a staff member or both?
  • What is the structure–table of contents?
  • What graphics will be used?
  • How will the contents be laid out?
  • What will be the style and design?

Authoring Considerations

If you understand thoroughly what you are writing about, you will be able to present it in clear, concise, unambiguous terms to readers.

Topic-Based Authoring
This is a modular approach to content creation which supports content reuse, content management, and the dynamic assembly of personalized information.

At a high level, topic-based authoring is simple. Rather than writing a “book” as one long document, you write a bunch of small chunks of information – “topics” – that can be strung together to create that “book”.  – Neil Perlin

Collaborative Authoring
Collaborative authoring is a method of creating content with the involvement of several authors. It is a flexible process where content can be created more quickly and with better quality.  Technical writers can create content simultaneously: each tech writer is working on certain topics. Technical writers can also create content in a certain sequence. 

 

 

Technical Manual Sample

Case study sample of a Simplified Technical English (STE) conversion intended to remove the archaic wording and make the text easier to translate and understand. The transformation resulted in reduced cost and better translations.

 

 

 

 

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The Simplicity of an Effective Technical Manual

“Complex technical instructions can be misunderstood and misunderstandings can lead to accidents. STE makes technical texts easy to understand by all readers

Simplified Technical English Transformation

Simplicity is arguably one of the most desirable traits of an effective technical manual.  Simplified Technical English may be what you need if your document has a wide, diverse audience.  

Creating Technical Manuals in Simplified Technical English (STE)

Einstein would have liked STE and the STE Writing Rules. He knew that clarity is often sacrificed for complexity.   But he also knew that there is a limit to how far things can be simplified.  STE Writing Rules show how to use those rules to make what we write as simple as possible but no simpler. 

If it takes an advanced degree to read it, then it must be meaningful.   Right?  Not necessarily.  Einstein suggested:

“If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough.”

Einstein could not have anticipated the technological innovation or medical advancements or discoveries in physics that have occurred in the last century.  Technical documentation of QuickBooks’ coding in C++ will likely be important information for a programmer.  But a technical description of how to use QuickBooks to generate a profit and loss statement is likely to be much more important to an end user who may have no idea what C++ is or that it is a programming language.

 

 

Why Work With Us?

We are creative, believers in critical thought.  Our technical documentation layouts are sophisticated and appropriate, effective.  Our work is informative and engaging.  We become subject matter expert partners: our technical writing services save you time, money, revisions and failed presentations.

GET IN TOUCH

 

 

STE Writing Rules, Section 1 - Words, Rule 1.3, approved words, Simplified Technical English, Writing for Results, technicalwritingexpert.com
Updated November 15, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

STE Rule 1.3

 

What Is Rule 1.3?

Use this, not that, STE Approved Words and Not Approved Words, Rule 1.3, technicalwritingexperts.com

Rule 1.3 is important yet it is not exceptional.  It is like many others in  Section 1 of the STE Writing Rules.  But it is a good example of how the rules work.  While the rule sounds straightforward enough, memorizing it is sometimes easier than following it.

Rule 1.3:  Use This, Not That

Keep to the approved meaning of a word in the Dictionary. Do not use the word with any other meaning.
Example

“Follow” means “come after”. It does not mean “obey”
Non-STE: Follow the safety instructions.
STE: Obey the safety instructions.

But you can write

STE: Follow the green lights to the nearest staircase.

STE: Do the instructions that follow:

So How Do You Follow Rule 1.3?

 

 

Rule 1.3 Sample Use

Original – Non STE

The synthetic lubricating oil used in this engine contains additives which, if allowed to come into contact with the skin for prolonged periods, can be toxic through absorption.

 

Revision – STE Procedural Compliant

The oil is poisonous. Do not get the engine oil on your skin.  It can go through your skin and into your body.

Find out if we can help you:  Contact us.  If you don’t ask, we can’t help you.

 

Analysis

The synthetic lubricating oil used in this engine contains additives which, if allowed to come into contact with the skin for prolonged periods, can be toxic through absorption.

STE Writing Rules, Section 1 - Words, Rule 1.3, approved words, Simplified Technical English, ASD

Why Use the STE Writing Rules?

No Technobabble

Quite simply, STE eliminates Technobabble.

STE addresses difficulties in English comprehension related to complex sentence structures, confusing word forms, and ambiguous vocabulary. 

Even the best product is only as good as its documentation and technical data, which allow the customer to use it safely and effectively. Documentation is a vital and integral part of your product.

Most crucially, the documentation needs to do its part to ensure the safe and correct use of the product by providing complete, accurate and effective information. Simplified Technical English (STE) can help you meet documentation compliance requirements, and can also increase the efficiency and productivity of your employees.

 

 

Benefits of Using STE
  • ASD-STE100, S1000D and ATA iSpec 2200

  • Reduce ambiguity

  • Improve the clarity of technical writing, especially procedural writing

  • Improve comprehension for people whose first language is not English

  • Make human translation easier, faster, and more cost effective

  • Facilitate computer-assisted translation and machine translation

  • Improve reliability and safety by reducing the probability of errors in maintenance and assembly.

In Plain English

Public Law 111–274
111th Congress

Plain Writing Act of 2010

Plain Writing Act of 2010, Public Law 111-274, STE Writing Rules, George Orwell Six Writing Rules, Section 1 - Words, Rule 1.3, approved words, Simplified Technical English, ASD, user manual, product manual

 
The Act

To enhance citizen access to Government information and services by establishing that Government documents issued to the public must be written clearly, and for other purposes.

 

Purpose

The purpose of this Act was to improve the effectiveness and accountability of Federal agencies to the public by promoting clear Government communication that the public can understand and
use.

Even the federal government has made an attempt to simplify the English used in documents.  In an effort to produce documentation that was unambiguous and could be clearly understood by readers, the government enacted the Plain Writing Act of 2010.  This legislation required federal agencies to use plain writing in every covered document that the agency issues or substantially revises.

The Plain Writing Act defines plain language as:

 

Writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience.

Language that is plain to one set of readers may not be plain to others. Material is in plain language if your audience can:

 

  • Find what they need
  • Understand what they find the first time they read or hear it
  • Use what they find to meet their need.

The government has developed templateschecklists, and in-depth writing guidelines to help writers create communications in plain language.

 

PLAINLANGUAGE.GOV

What Are Simplified Technical English Rules?

STE has two parts: a set of writing rules (part 1) and a controlled dictionary (part 2). The writing rules cover aspects of grammar and style. The dictionary gives the general words that a writer can use.

 

Writing Rules

The Writing Rules differentiate between two types of topics: procedure and description. The Writing Rules also specify restrictions on grammar and style usage. For example, they require writers to:

 

  • Restrict the length of noun clusters to no more than three words
  • Restrict sentence length to no more than 20 words (procedural sentences) or 25 words (descriptive sentences)
  • Restrict paragraphs to no more than 6 sentences (in descriptive text)
  • Avoid slang and jargon while allowing for specific terminology
  • Make instructions as specific as possible
  • Use articles such as “a/an” and “the” wherever possible
  • Use simple verb tenses (past, present, and future)
  • Use active voice
  • Do not use present participles or gerunds (unless part of a Technical Name)
  • Write sequential steps as separate sentences
  • Start a safety instruction (a warning or a caution) with a clear and simple command or condition.

 

Controlled Dictionary

STE has a controlled general dictionary that gives the words that are most frequently used in technical writing.

The approved words were selected because they were simple and easy to recognize. In general, each word has only one meaning and functions as only one part of speech. For example, “to fall” has the approved meaning of “to move down by the force of gravity,” and not “to decrease”. 

When there are several words in English for the same thing (synonyms), STE permits one of these synonyms to the exclusion of the others. For example, STE uses “start” instead of “begin”, “commence”, “initiate”, or “originate”. STE approved meanings and spelling are based on American English (Merriam-Webster’s dictionary).

In addition to its general dictionary, STE permits the use of company-specific or project-oriented technical words (referred to in STE as technical names and technical verbs). These words are related to the categories listed in the respective rules.

Basically, writers can use the approved words in the dictionary as a core vocabulary. But they can also use terms that are usual in their companies or industries and applicable to their projects and products.

 

STE Downloads

ASD-STE100, Issue 8

This free download is the full text of the ASD-STE100, Issue 8, the most recent revision, International Specification for the Preparation of Technical Documentation in a Controlled Language

Leveraging STE

Case study of a Simplified Technical English (STE) conversion in the Engineering sector. The conversion was intended to remove the archaic wording and make the text easier to translate and understand. The transformation resulted in reduced cost and better translations.

Orwellian Writing Rules and Creativity

Creativity need not be sacrificed for the sake of clear text.  George Orwell, who had his own set of STE rules to write by, left us proof of that.

 

“The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for HateWeek. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran.” – 

George Orwell, 1984

 

Arguably one of the most famous books ever written, 1984 was the product of an incredibly creative mind. But George Orwell was also acutely aware that he needed to address and engage his audience in plain English. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU was such a powerful image, captured with vivid brushstrokes,  that it became part of our cultural lexicon as a description for intrusive government.

STE Writing Rules, George Orwell Six Writing Rules, Section 1 - Words, Rule 1.3, approved words, Simplified Technical English, ASD

 

George Orwell’s Six Writing Rules

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

(ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do.

(iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

(iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active.

(v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

(vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

 

“To write or even speak English is not a science but an art. There are no reliable words. Whoever writes English is involved in a struggle that never lets up even for a sentence. He is struggling against vagueness, against obscurity, against the lure of the decorative adjective, against the encroachment of Latin and Greek, and, above all, against the worn-out phrases and dead metaphors with which the language is cluttered up.” –

George Orwell

A key goal in translation is interpreting the author’s intention. Translating a text to or from STE is made easier by reducing sentences to their core intended meaning. This allows STE to be used in the translation of documents into multiple languages at one time, giving a framework of sentence structure that can be more easily altered than standard English to suit the sentence syntax and structure in other languages.

 

 

 

 

Why Work With Us?

We are creative, believers in critical thought.  Our layouts are sophisticated and appropriate, effective.  Our work is informative and engaging.  Let our technical writing services save you time, money, revisions and failed presentations.

GET IN TOUCH