Products and processes are becoming more complex, while companies worldwide increasingly have to deal with different languages.

Although technical documentation is predominantly written in English, it can often be difficult to understand due to its complexity: complex sentence structures, multiple meanings and synonyms easily result in confusion. In addition, many readers’ command of English can fall below the level of those who created the documentation, which especially applies to non-native English speakers.

For documents that have to be translated into other languages, one cannot expect the translation to be of great quality if the source file was ambiguous to begin with.

As a result, these are often the consequences:

• Confused and frustrated readers
• Safety risk
• Damage during operation or maintenance
• Liability claims
• High localization costs
• Unsatisfactory translations
• Higher training support costs
• Ineffective customer service
• Unanticipated costs as a result of miscommunication

In this context, clear and effective writing has become more important than ever before.

Simplified Technical English (also known as Controlled English) is a method of writing that makes technical English easy to understand. The use of Simplified Technical English stimulates (global) acceptance of technical documentation as it improves readability and prevents misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

Benefits of Simplified Technical English

• Standardization of technical writing
• Quality assurance for technical documentation
• Efficient authoring and editing
• Reduction of errors, misunderstandings and safety risks
• Reduced time to market
• Easier to reuse, translate and maintain
• Cost savings due to reduced risk of safety, damage and liability claims
• Lower product lifecycle cost
• Content management: Simplified Technical English facilitates CMS through optimum reusability of content that is clear and concise

Translation and Localization

The industry is increasingly serving a global audience. One of the results of having a global presence has been that certain countries require technical manuals in their native language. Using Simplified Technical English as a source for translations into languages such as Japanese, Arabic and Korean will dramatically improve the turnaround time while reducing the overall cost. For translations, savings could add up to 40% per language, while substantially increasing the quality of the translation.

Conclusion
Simplified Technical English is a long-term and comprehensive initiative designed to standardize the way technical publications are written. It facilitates globalization in a reliable, cost-effective and efficient way, and facilitates content management through optimum reusability.