RE: you or he/it

["Sam Stuhlman" <Sam -dot- Stuhlman -at- w7optics -dot- com>]

<snip... Snip>

We now have a new Japanese Project Leader who wishes me to create a
completely new, FORMAL format, eliminating you, sprinkling it/he
liberally, and generally, creating a document that (in my opinion
only) would be very difficult to read through, especially for our Target
Audience. (Admininstrative IT personnel)

<snip.. Snip>
This is a cultural question.

North and South Americans and Western Europeans seem to prefer an
informal, active voice publication. Few of us read or use the
documentation (regardless of what your users tell you). 

Asians, on the other hand, tend to read the manuals. Many in China,
Japan, Korea, and Japan understand written English much better than
spoken, so they've adapted to looking in the book for answers. Chinese,
Japanese, and Korean users seem to prefer a more formal "feel" to user
documentation. It isn't any better or worse--it's a cultural difference
that we often need to take into account. 

Always remember, your customers FUND your paycheck, but your manager
decides whether you continue to get it. 

sam
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