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>From the translation company I work with (we translate into 18+ languages on a regular basis):
"As an old broken translator at heart, I always prefer
things to be spelled out. But the angle brackets are
perfectly understandable..."
>From the SUN Read Me First Style Guide, p. 227:
===========
"After you have explained how menus work, streamline the process by saying 'Choose Paste from the Edit menu' or 'From the Edit menu, choose Paste.'
Alternatively, you can use an arrow symbol to show the menu selection. For example, 'Choose Edit > Paste.'"
===========
It seems to be a matter of personal preference. However, instead of using the angle bracket, they used an arrow character (e.g. à (apply webdings font if it's not showing).
Surprisingly, I couldn't find anything on this particular subject in "International Technical Communication" by Nancy Hoft. Maybe someone else who has the book can locate relevant info in it?
My personal preference is to explain the use of the angle brackets in the "About this Document" section, and then use them, as it does remove a lot of wordiness. I've never been informed of an instance in our docs where the shorter method was not understandable or caused a problem.
*************************
Carla Martinek, Translation Coordinator/Editor
Zebra Technologies Corporation
333 Corporate Woods Parkway, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
tel: 847.793.5616 fax: 847.821.1795
cmartinek -at- zebra -dot- com
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