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Thanks so much for this discussion, folks. I have been working for several months to get our management to take this issue seriously, with no luck. It's likely that I'm going to get a panicked phone call in two months or so from a sales rep who has suddenly realized he needs a 200 page manual translated into German. When that comes, I'd like to have as much of this done as possible; you're providing me with a good starting point. Keep it up!
Sarah
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+sstegall=bivio -dot- net -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com on behalf of Patricia Egan
Sent: Wed 1/13/2010 8:57 AM
To: Mike Sawyer
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Tech doc requirements for European markets
Mike,
You might check the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA)
website, www.lisa.org. Otherwise, EU and ISO compliance are essential.
Pat
On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 2:11 PM, Mike Sawyer <mike -at- sawyerhome -dot- net> wrote:
> A client's client (long story) will be expanding sales into several
> European
> countries, and they'd like to know well ahead of time what requirements
> there are for localized technical documentation. So this post isn't
> regarding the translation, per se, but what are the "must-have" items for
> European tech doc from a legal standpoint.
>
> >From what I've been able to learn online of EU and CE materials, we'll
> need
> basic things covered:
>
>
> * Content translated into the official language of the country where
> the product is sold
>
> * Content must provide info on the design and operation of the
> product
>
>
> * Warnings must be included to avoid harm to humans, equipment,
> environment
>
> * Declaration of Conformity must accompany the tech doc (not sure how
> firm this rule is)
>
> * More specific requirements may be specified in a product type CE
> "directive."
>
>
> I've looked in the Techwr-L archives, and found some items referring to
> similar questions, but not all of my questions could be answered there.
> From
> the archives, This is also what I gathered:
>
>
> * There are no real standard warning formats/icons in Europe (except
> maybe in Germany)
>
> * CE isn't like UL, so product and doc isn't formally tested for
> compliance before the product is allowed to be sold. Applying the CE mark
> is
> the manufacturer's declaration that it has ensured the product meets CE
> requirements. It's believed that products are spot-tested/audited for
> compliance, but the audits aren't comprehensive.
>
> Tried to learn something from the STC-International SIG page, but it looks
> defunct.
>
> Does anyone out there have experience in developing content for a U.S.
> manufacturer selling consumer electronics and computer supplies in Europe?
> Here are the questions we're still scratching our heads over:
>
>
> * Are there standard compliance statements that must or should be
> included (like the FCC statements in the U.S.)?
>
> * What is the particular CE directive that would apply to home
> electronics/computer peripherals, and where can it be found? General
> directives we saw mentioned include "Machinery" and "Audio, Video,
> Multimedia Systems & Equipment," but we're also wondering if "Low voltage
> equipment," "Electromagnetic compatibility," "Telecommunications terminal
> equipment" and "Radio and telecommunications terminal equipment" would
> apply. We'd read them on our own, but we couldn't find the directives
> themselves, only references to them.
>
> * Where in tarnation are the directives?
>
> * Are we doomed to release insufficient documentation to their
> European market, and will learn all this by trial & error?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>
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