Use of simplified or controlled English?

["Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

David Versdahl is seriously considering <<... the use of simplified or
controlled English. Our international audience continues to grow and we want
to make certain that our message is clearly understood and this seems a
reasonable approach.>>

Some larger companies (Caterpillar and Boeing included, I believe) have
found this approach to be quite effective, particularly when combined with
translation memory systems. The topic has been discussed here on techwr-l
(check the archives at www.raycomm.com) and in several STC publications over
the years.

<<Our research has uncovered a number of approaches and companies that
purvey products, standards, and approaches to the process.>>

Depending on how sophisticated your needs are, you may need a full-blown
"solution". But sometimes all that's required is a style guide and
vocabulary list that reminds your writers and editors about the preferred
terms to use, and the will to be consistent in using these terms. We do this
informally at FERIC, where our subject is forestry engineering and biology;
maintaining consistency in terminology is an important part of my job as
editor, and it greatly simplifies the task of translation both for me and
for our French translator.

<<Does it meet not only the needs of your customers but you and the rest of
your staff?>>

So far, we've received excellent ongoing feedback on the quality of our
writing. This leads me to assume that we're doing something right. <g> One
thing that's important before you begin is to find out what terms are used
preferentially in _your_ industry, and standardize on those terms; you're
not doing the reader any favors if you pick a nonstandard term and use it
consistently. Readers shouldn't have to learn new usage just to understand
your product.

--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
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