RE: Steve Cavanaugh's STE post?

["Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>]

Craig Cardimon wrote: 
 
> "Challenge" is an excellent word for describing STE. I could not have
chosen better. 

We recently started looking into CE (Controlled English) and STE, as
localization draws near. I'm on the periphery, so my exposure has been
limited, but I know there are tools to help. And the limited "base"
vocabulary for CE or STE can/should be expanded with industry-specific,
company-specific, and maybe product-specific supplementary dictionaries.


The apparent leader in the field -- tools, training, etc. -- is Smart
Communications (www.smartny.com). Their Maxit Checker software is
available for FM, Word, ArborText, and XMetal. It seemed pricey, by the
time you pay for additional dictionaries, etc., but pretty slick, and it
can probably pay for itself fairly quickly in reduced translation costs.


Another (much cheaper) possibility for FM users is Language Checker from
cognitas (http://www.cognitas.de/index.php?lang=de&mdir=13&file=4). It
helps to know German -- the main cognitas site has an English-language
version, but there don't seem to be English pages for their software
products. 

You can, however, download a demo version of Language Checker
(http://download.cognitas.de/demos/), and it includes an English help
file, so you can certainly try it out. They respond to English emails,
but not instantly. Not as slick, full-featured, and scalable as MAXit
Checker, but maybe plenty adequate (and more cost-effective) for a
smaller FM-based tech pubs group. 

Disclaimer: I have no connection to either company and limited knowledge
of / experience with their products. YMMV. 

Richard


------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------




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