atw: Re: Simplified English for mining industry documentation

The following industries use simplified English:
Aerospace, military, software, automotive, machinery, electrical equipment, 
semiconductor, medical, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, government, oil 
and gas, railroads, banking, finance, process control, test and 
measurement, Information Technology (IT), consumer electronics, fitness 
equipment.

Tedopres specializes in Simplified English and has developed a "checker" 
software.
http://www.simplifiedenglish.net/en/hyperste/

You can order a free book describing Simplified English and Simplified 
Graphics from Tedopres at:
http://www.simplifiedenglish.net/en/contact_us/
I have the 2004 version (2nd edition) of their book - it's very nicely done 
and you can't beat the "price".

Samples:
http://www.tedopres.com/en/products-services/simplified-technical-english/
http://www.simplifiedenglish.net/en/controlled_english/
http://www.simplifiedenglish.net/en/plain_language/

AECMA was initiated by the European Association for Aerospace, Catepiller 
developed CTE and ILSAM.
The European Defence Industries Group (EDIG), the European Space Industry 
(EUROSPACE ) and AECMA all merged and became ASD.

"The main objective of a controlled language is to make technical text easy 
to understand.
Simplified Technical English standardizes vocabulary and style, aiming to 
improve consistency, eliminate ambiguity and reduce complexity. A 
controlled language also provides objective criteria for quality control. 
Simplified Technical English includes a general dictionary and a set of 
writing rules. In addition to the general vocabulary, companies can define 
their own Technical Names (terminology)."

"Simplified Technical English is derived from an aerospace and defense 
standard, which applies to almost all standards that we know today, as 
these industries are subject to the highest levels of quality and safety 
and involve technology from most industries.
    * Simplified Technical English is an international standard, as it was 
designed by companies worldwide to make technical text easy to understand 
by both native and non-native English speakers.
    * Because Simplified Technical English is based on an aerospace and 
defense standard, it is strict by nature with 57 writing rules and a 
limited vocabulary of approx. 900 approved words and approx. 2,000 
non-approved words with assigned synonyms. This is good news for companies 
in any industry, as they can use a well-maintained standard and will not 
have to 'reinvent the wheel'. Instead, they can be more flexible, according 
to their requirements.

The basic principles of Simplified Technical English are a controlled 
vocabulary and a set of grammatical rules. Originally intended for the 
aerospace and military industries (ASD-STE100), Simplified Technical 
English can be applied to all fields of industry.

The main characteristics of Simplified Technical English are:
    * Simplified grammar and style rules
    * A limited set of approved words with restricted meanings
    * A thesaurus of unapproved terms and suggested alternatives
    * Guidelines for adding new technical words to the approved vocabulary

Furthermore, Simplified Technical English requires writers to:
    * Use the active voice
    * Use articles wherever possible
    * Use simple verb tenses
    * Use language and terminology consistently
    * Avoid lengthy compound words
    * Use relatively short sentences"
Sources:
http://www.tedopres.com/en/products-services/simplified-technical-english/

History of:
http://www.simplifiedenglish.net/en/ste/what_is_simplified_technical_english.asp

The basic principles of Simplified English are very similar to how we used 
to construct tech docs for easy translation into foreign languages, before 
it became a "formal, controlled language".

Hope that give you a bit of a leg up.
Kinds Regards,
MNMary

On 6/19/2008 6:17:43 PM, austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
 > Hi austechies,
 >
 > Does anyone know if a simplified English is used anywhere in the mining
 > industry in Australia .By "simplified English" I mean a controlled 
sub-set
of English vocabulary and grammar from which technical writers in the
industry shall not deviate. The European Aerospace industry has one; Boeing
has one; and Caterpillar was, I think, the first to develop one.

Cheers

Geoffrey Marnell
Principal Consultant
Abelard Consulting Pty Ltd
T: (+61 3) 9596 3456 

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