Hello, everyone!

[Nancy Lookabaugh <starlady -at- EARTHLINK -dot- NET>]

Hello, everyone!

I'm a new subscriber to the list.  I was poking around on the 'net,
looking for information about European writing styles, standards when I
happened upon the address.  Very happy to be here!

I've been tech writing since 1979, focusing mainly on financial
institutions.

And now for my question...

I work for an international company whose offices are in the U.S. and
The Netherlands.  All of our business/training is conducted in English,
and clients span the globe.

The user guides we inherited had been written by our Dutch co-workers,
and they were, at best, unusable.  Logical flow was missing, sentences
were long and cumbersome, many explanations were either absent or
lacking adequate background material for a novice user, and the pages
had little white space.

We have redesigned all the user guides, adopting the information mapping
approach. Our Dutch co-workers do not like the new format at all (nor do
they like the American spelling, phrasing, etc.)  They have suggested
that we adopt a European standard, but have supplied no information
beyond that.

Before we launch another rewriting campaign, we'd like to know what
standards/formats are used in the U.K.  Suggestions, anyone?

Thanks!

Nancy

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