Simplified Technical English

Simplified English is a controlled language, in which the natural English for a specific purpose in a standardized subset is limited. It was developed in the 1980s for maintenance documentation in the aviation and aerospace industry and is now a standard of the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD ). It is not to be confused with Basic English, which was created for general usage.

The purpose of the Simplified English, it is,

• To reduce ambiguity
• To increase the intelligibility for non-native speakers
• To make translations cheaper and easier
• To allow automated translations

Structure and rules

The Simplified English has a fixed vocabulary, in which each term exactly one meaning ( controlled vocabulary ). For example, " (the door buckle) Close the door" may "close" to be used, but not in "Do not go close to the landing gear ( Do not go too close to the chassis ) ." Furthermore, only certain grammatical forms and a defined syntax are allowed.

History and application

Simplified English has been established in the 1980s by the European Association of Aerospace Manufacturers ( AECMA ) as a documentation standard of the air and space industry ( AECMA Simplified English ). The AECMA took over the standard Fokker, who had in turn built him up on previous controlled languages, especially on Caterpillar Fundamental English. 2005 AECMA went on in the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD ), whereby the standard in ASD Simplified Technical English ( STE) has been renamed. It is regulated in the ASD Specification STE100.

Applies Simplified English, among other things for maintenance instructions and modifications of aircraft (Service Bulletins ( SB) and Component Maintainance Manuals (CMM ) ) for their assemblies.