by Jennifer O Neill When selling products in Europe, how do we decide into which languages we should translate our user documentation? This is a potentially expensive, yet important, question. In an ideal world, we would translate the documentation into the language of every country in which we sell our products. However, not only could [...]
by Jennifer O Neill We often hear about the advantages of being fluent in a second language such as when visiting a foreign country on holiday. It’s easier to eat, drink and be merry when you can speak with those around you. But what about the professional advantages? I’ve been reading a few blogs and [...]
by Jennifer O Neill I oversee the localisation of my company’s video and an important part of the localisation process is the in-country review. This is where the translated material is sent to an individual in the target country to do a linguistic review. The in-country review plays an important role in ensuring the quality [...]
The 2010 STC Board of Directors Election is scheduled to run from 9 March 2010 to 8 April 2010. STC members are eligible to vote if they renew by 28 February 2010. Student members are not eligible to vote in Society-level elections, but they are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the candidates. It may be [...]
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by Jennifer O Neill Although my focus at work is producing documentation for the EMA market (Europe, Middle East and Africa), it’s always interesting to learn about what’s happening in other regional markets. At the 2009 tekom conference in Weisbaden, Germany, a speaker from the Japan Technical Communication Association gave a presentation on frequent problems [...]
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by Jennifer O Neill At the 2009 tekom conference in Weisbaden, Germany, Scott DeLoach of ClickStart Inc. gave an excellent overview of what research has found on the usability of user assistance. Research has found that Users prefer Arial over Verdana and Tahoma. The two latter fonts were developed for onscreen reading. People tend not [...]
A rendezvous with content strategy in Paris in the springtime – it’s the stuff dreams are made of! (Well, for technical communicators, at least!) Mark 15-16 April 2010 on your calendars for the Content Strategy Forum 2010. It’s “where business analysis meets user experience and content development”. Will you be there, too? The program and [...]
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It’s renewal time in STC (and the SIG). Here’s a page of practical information about renewing your STC membership (and a handy “Renew Now!” button). Do you have a colleague or friend who is not a member? Share this page of practical information about joining STC for the first time. Existing members feeling the financial [...]
The call has gone out. From now until Monday, October 5, at 10 AM ET, you can submit your proposals for the STC’s Technical Communication Summit 2010. You may submit more than one proposal, but each must be submitted separately at www.softconference.com/subs/stc/2010/. The Summit will be held 2–5 May 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas [...]
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We’re on the radio! Our profession, that is. Today, August 21, the beeb (BBC Radio 4) is presenting a half-hour documentary on instruction manuals at 11:00am (London time). One of the interviewees is Simon Butler, President of the ISTC. If you are not able to tune in on the BBC at that time, you can [...]