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:: FAQ
GENERAL
What is ASD
Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100)?
ASD-STE100 is a set of writing rules and basic vocabulary for writing
technical documentation, so that it is easy to understand by all users
and avoids misunderstandings.
ASD-STE100 has a set of approximately 60 Writing Rules that range
from rules about the use of words to rules about layout, sentence length,
and how to write Warnings and Cautions.
The basic vocabulary contains general words, such as
“disconnect”, “general”, “hold”, and
“sharp”, that you need to make sentences.
Besides these general words in the Dictionary, you can use two
additional families of words, called
“Technical Names (TN)” and “Technical Verbs
(TV)”.
ASD-STE100 (which is not “technical jargon”) does not
control TNs (for example, words such as “bolt”,
“grease”, and “corrosion”), or TVs (such as
“drill”, “anneal”, and “upload”). It
simply helps you decide, through its categorization, whether a word can
be a TN or a TV. Then, company policies or projects will define their
preferences.
What is the AeroSpace and
Defence Industries Association of Europe
(ASD)?
The AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe, ASD,
represents the aeronautics, space, defence and security industries (in Europe) in all matters of common interest with the
objective of promoting and supporting the competitive development of the
sector. ASD pursues joint industry actions, which require to be dealt
with on a European level or which concern issues of an agreed
trans-national nature, and generates common industry positions.
ASD has 32 member associations in 21 countries across Europe and represents over 2000 companies with a
further 80 000 suppliers, many of which are Small and Medium Enterprises
(SME). The industry sectors employ around 638 000 people.
The ASD Secretariat is based in Brussels
and has an office in Paris.
For more information, please visit www.asd-europe.org
Who created ASD-STE100? And
why?
ASD-STE100 was started way back in 1979. At that time, there were
far more aircraft manufacturers than there are today, and, although they
all wrote in English to the same ATA Specification (known as ATA 100 at
the time), their writing styles were very different. There was
documentation written in American English (Boeing, Douglas,
Lockheed…), in British English (Hawker Siddeley, British Aircraft
Corporation, …) and by companies whose native language was not
English (Fokker, Aeritalia, and some of the companies that formed Airbus
at the time, for example).
On top of that, some European airlines had to translate parts of their
maintenance documentation into their local language for their mechanics
to be able to understand it.
This was a source of problems for the European airline industry and led
them to approach AECMA in 1979, to ask the manufacturers to investigate
the possibility of using a controlled form of English – and of
course, of all manufacturers using the same! After investigation into
types of controlled languages that existed in other industries, AECMA
decided to produce its own controlled English, and in 1983, set up a project
group, under the leadership of Fokker. The project was not limited to
European industry, though. The American aerospace industry, through the
AIA (Aerospace Industries Association of America) was invited to
participate, especially as some AIA companies had already done some
standardization along the same lines.
The result of this collaborative work was a
Guide, known as the AECMA Simplified English Guide. This Guide is now a
Specification and in 2004, after the merger of AECMA with two other
associations to form ASD,
changed its name to become ASD Simplified Technical English,
Specification ASD-STE100.
Why does any industry need
ASD-STE100?
ASD-STE100 addresses difficulties in English
comprehension related to complex sentence structures, confusing word
forms, and ambiguous vocabulary. ASD-STE100 was created for the aerospace
industry (because English is the international language of this
industry), but the benefits of ASD-STE100 are applicable to all
industries, even those in which the native language is English.
Who needs to write in
ASD-STE100?
ASD-STE100 was developed to make aircraft maintenance
documentation easier to read, so authors of such documentation use it
when they write these procedures.
It is not a language that you can use for “non-technical”
writing, for example international correspondence. However, although it
was originally designed for the aircraft industry, it can be used in
other areas, such as for land and sea vehicles, as detailed in S1000D
Specification (www.s1000d.org).
Why aren’t all technical
documents written in ASD-STE100?
The aerospace industry designed ASD-STE100 to
improve their procedures and descriptive text in maintenance documents.
ASD-STE100 can improve maintenance documentation in other industries, but
it is possible that some documents (for example, those which are
analytical, descriptive, or legalistic in nature) will not get this same
benefit. Contracts and standards such as the ATA Specification i2200 and
S1000D require the use of ASD-STE100 in the documents they regulate, but
there is no requirement for all technical documents.
THE SPECIFICATION
How can I get a
copy of Specification ASD-STE100?
The associations below distribute the Specification:
ASD-STAN
Avenue de Tervuren 270, 1150 Brussels,
Belgium
Telephone: +32 2 775 81 26 - Fax: +32 2 763 35 65
E-mail: contact@asd-stan.org / sales@asd-stan.org
Air Transport Association (ATA) of America, Inc.
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20004-1707
U.S.A.
Tel: (1) 202 626 4000 (Main)
Fax: (1) 202 626-4181(Main)
Email: ata@air-transport.org
You can also order the Specification electronically
via the ATA web site at http://www.air-transport.org
How is the ASD-STE100
specification maintained?
The ASD SIMPLIFIED TECHNICAL ENGLISH
Specification
is maintained by the ASD Simplified Technical English Maintenance Group
(STEMG).
This group consists of representatives from ASD
member countries in Europe, from the AIA in the US and the AIA-C in Canada.
In addition, the STEMG has associate members representing the users
(airlines and militaries).
When will the next issue of
Specification ASD-STE100 be published?
The next issue (i.e. ISSUE 5) will be available in April 2010.
Why is the
Specification ASD-STE100 itself not written in ASD-STE100?
ASD-STE100 is not required to be
written in STE since it is not a Maintenance Technical Manual giving
information and instructions to maintenance operators. It is
a document telling authors how to write manuals related to
maintenance. However, expressions, wording and examples obey the spirit
of the ASD-STE100 Writing Rules: they are simple, clear, and easy to
understand.
Who do I complain to about
ASD-STE100?
All queries should be sent to the STEMG. If you
have a National Coordinator in your Country, you should send the queries
directly to him/her. If there is no National Coordinator, queries should
be addressed to the Chairman of the STEMG or at info@asd-ste100.org.
How can I make suggestions to
improve ASD-STE100?
This Specification is intended for technical writers and
editors. It needs feedback from
its users if it is to continue to improve. There is a Change Form in this web
site to write your recommendation or change proposals. You may send the Change Form to
National Coordinator in your Country or at info@asd-ste100.org.
The ASD STEMG has a record of all Change Forms produced and their
assessments. The Change Forms are discussed within the STEMG and, if approved, the changes are included
in the next issue of the Specification. The originators of the Change
Forms are always notified of the assessments and decisions taken. When
the Change Forms are rejected, the reason(s) for the rejection are also
explained to the originator.
Simplified
Technical English, ASD-STE100, is a Copyright and a Trademark of ASD, Brussels, Belgium
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