Simplified Technical English (STE) Case Study: Decreasing Translation Costs with STE
Thread poster: INSTRKTIV
INSTRKTIV
INSTRKTIV
Germany
Local time: 12:46
Mar 31, 2016

Hey guys, I just published this article about how Simplified Technical English helps you (or your client) saving on translations costs and improving content quality. I call it the Thumbs Up Technique. I wanted to share a very very short version here. You can find the full article on my INSTRKTIV website.

There are just three steps that make up The Thumbs Up Technique:

Step 1: Delete any non-relevant information and determine only relevant information.
Step 2: Go t
... See more
Hey guys, I just published this article about how Simplified Technical English helps you (or your client) saving on translations costs and improving content quality. I call it the Thumbs Up Technique. I wanted to share a very very short version here. You can find the full article on my INSTRKTIV website.

There are just three steps that make up The Thumbs Up Technique:

Step 1: Delete any non-relevant information and determine only relevant information.
Step 2: Go to THUMBS UP STE Tool (see original blog article) and check the approved meaning of your nouns, verbs etc.
Step 3: Modify your sentences into simple and comprehensible language, based on the suggestions made by the THUMBS UP STE Tool.

Cheers,

Ferry
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Jean Lachaud
Jean Lachaud  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:46
English to French
+ ...
Has been around a long time Apr 1, 2016

Simplified English is, indeed, a good thing for technical material. It has been around for several decades.

It is (was?) used in large companies (Boeing, Caterpillar, among others) requiring translations into a bunch of languages.

But it has not really caught on in smaller companies, here in the USA.

Judging from what has been passing through my (virtual) desk in the past 25 years, technical writing in the USA suffers from the same problems as translation:
... See more
Simplified English is, indeed, a good thing for technical material. It has been around for several decades.

It is (was?) used in large companies (Boeing, Caterpillar, among others) requiring translations into a bunch of languages.

But it has not really caught on in smaller companies, here in the USA.

Judging from what has been passing through my (virtual) desk in the past 25 years, technical writing in the USA suffers from the same problems as translation: underpaid, underqualified free-lancers hastily churning out poorly written, unchecked copy, and things are getting worse, not better. Apparently, none of these "writers" know or care about as simple a thing as spell-checking, let alone grammar, style, consistency and terminology.
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INSTRKTIV
INSTRKTIV
Germany
Local time: 12:46
TOPIC STARTER
Documentation quality is getting more important Apr 2, 2016

I agree that it does not always get the attention it should have, but I also see that more and more companies start seeing the importance of good documenation and translation.

After all the effort that a company has put into developing a good product and good marketing, you especially do not want when your customer consults the user manual to be a negative experience!

What I do see however, is that documentation for (mainly consumer) products that need to be translated
... See more
I agree that it does not always get the attention it should have, but I also see that more and more companies start seeing the importance of good documenation and translation.

After all the effort that a company has put into developing a good product and good marketing, you especially do not want when your customer consults the user manual to be a negative experience!

What I do see however, is that documentation for (mainly consumer) products that need to be translated to 24 languages are on time pressure.
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Simplified Technical English (STE) Case Study: Decreasing Translation Costs with STE







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