- breadcrumb:
- e-magazine
- information development
TermWiki: A new collaborative terminology management solution
The development of TermWiki provides organizations with an open-source, easy-to-use environment for managing terminology. Uwe Muegge explains the benefits of this system and how it works.
tekom study: Cost and effectiveness of terminology work
The subject of terminology work often causes controversial discussions within companies. Some look at it mainly from a cost and investment related angle, whereas for others terminology work is a definite must in order to achieve an improvement in quality and efficiency. To solve this conflict tekom conducted a cost and effectiveness study on terminology work.
Internationalizing Code: Early involvement and education of localization experts is key
Internationalization of code – and how developers can work better with localization experts – was the subject of a recent panel discussion in Silicon Valley hosted by Rubric, Inc. The event, the seventh Rubric Birds of a Feather discussion, was intended to bring localization and internationalization professionals together to hear industry leaders discuss an important industry topic and to network with their peers.
A global look at cloud computing
We have seen revolutionary computing technologies come about roughly once each decade in the modern era of computing since around 1945, when computing came to mean computations performed by a machine, not by man. From the mainframe era of the 1960s to the advent of minicomputers in the 1970s, the personal computer (PC) in the 1980s, the growth of the internet and the web in the 1990s, and the explosion of cell phones and other smart, web-connected devices in the past ten years, computing has been reinvented in many ways over time.
Keys to producing user-friendly manuals for the Japanese market
In today’s Japanese market, winning the customer’s trust in one’s company and products requires placing ever more attention to after-sales service. For instance, the corporate image is often determined by the quality and reliability of the after-sales service when problems occur after buying a product. With a wide variety of products to choose from, helpful and comprehensive operation manuals are a particularly important aspect of after-sales service. This article highlights points to be considered when producing printed operation manuals for the Japanese market. In addition, it provides concrete examples to illustrate these points.
Using social media in technical communication
In our daily activities, we see an increase of information exchange, both in our personal and professional lives. Social media like forums, blogs and wikis have a great impact on the user, turning him from content consumer into content producer. A large number of today’s content users, belonging to various professions and walks of life, have started to dig deep into online information sources. Apart from their regular profession of writing user manuals, technical writers are also becoming increasingly keen on writing information in social media applications.
Improving documentation through controlled language and terminology
In 2008, Konica Minolta introduced controlled English and Japanese to their authoring and editing processes in order to make documentation more consistent. The process sent the team through an in-depth analysis of existing documents and helped the company to become more quality-focused.
Automated translation for technical documentation – Can it deliver what it promises?
In the past few years, there has been a growing interest in using automated translation in a business environment. In the past, automated translation was mostly implemented in government and defense areas, but nowadays there’s also a great interest from corporations that see the value automated translation can contribute to their organization. Let’s take a look at the different uses of automated translation, how it adds value to technical publications and how your teams can prepare content for automated translation.
Improving software usability through embedded user assistance
Integrating user assistance into the software interface is one of the best ways to increase the usability of your software application and thus make your customers more satisfied and successful. However, embedded help has the reputation of being difficult to develop and execute. Let’s take a look at a solution that makes it possible to quickly include an embedded, dynamic help pane in a software interface.
The growing sector of technical communication in India
Over the past decades, technical communication in India has grown from an unknown profession to an indispensable part of many industries and sectors. A testimony to the maturity and significance of this professional field is the tremendous growth of the so-called TWIN community, representing the Technical Communicators of India.
Designing Japanese documents
In order to provide guidance to those involved in the preparation of documents for the Japanese market, a special Japanese layout taskforce has developed the “Requirements for Japanese Text Layout”. Here is an insight into the content.
What information developers can learn from software developers
The shift in information development from a narrative to a modular writing style reflects the established shift towards modularization of source code. What can information developers learn from software developers? What are the challenges and benefits of the modular approach?
Controlled language – does my company need it?
Controlled languages use basis writing rules to simplify sentence structure. Here is how they work and how your company can benefit from introducing a controlled language.
Comprehensibility as an economic factor
How can you guarantee a clearly understandable user manual? Is it even possible to measure the quality of technical documents or does comprehensibility merely depend on the reader? To answer these questions for the Porsche AG, content analysis provider semiotis³ developed a model to help measure the quality of documents.
Change Management – an underestimated success factor
Although the creation and translation of technical documents are essential parts of the product lifecycle they still play a subordinate role in most international organizations. Many companies are therefore leaving these tasks to an outsourcing provider. To ensure a smooth collaboration and guarantee high quality technical documents, the outsourcing process needs to be planned and supported thoroughly.
More with less: the 80/20 rule of PM
Every project manager has probably thought at some point, “If only I had more time, I would be better at my job.” Unfortunately, most of us aren’t lucky enough to be given more time to do our jobs. Time is usually the project constraint that is the least flexible. We are constantly forced to prioritize our work, but don’t always make the right choices.
Dispelling the myths of machine translation
It is not surprising that myths, half-truths, and misunderstandings abound regarding machine translation: It seems as if the experience most players in the translation field have with this technology does not go beyond toying a little with one of the free online translation tools. Almost every week, I come across an article informing its readers either that machine translation is and always will be a complete waste of time or that machine translation, while being a waste of time today, might actually be useful some time in the distant future. In the hope of setting the record straight, here is a closer look at some of the most common myths about machine translation.
Authoring teams become more geographically dispersed
Working with people from around the globe has become common practice for both authoring teams and technical documentation professionals. A recent survey conducted by SDL investigated the development of global authoring. The results were compared to surveys from 2007 and 2006. They reveal trends in working methods and shed light on the effects of globalization on global authoring.
Quality manuals for quality products
Under the European law, the user manual is an integral part of the product. Faulty instructions or lacking safety information may lead to unforeseen liability claims. Several standards and directives give guidance on how to fulfill safety requirements, but also regulate design, use of language and information architecture of any high-quality manual.