Re: Tech doc requirements for European markets

[Patricia Egan <capdev -dot- communications -at- gmail -dot- com>]

Mike,

You might check the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA)
website, www.lisa.org. Otherwise, EU and ISO compliance are essential.

Pat

On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 2:11 PM, Mike Sawyer <mike -at- sawyerhome -dot- net> wrote:

> A client's client (long story) will be expanding sales into several
> European
> countries, and they'd like to know well ahead of time what requirements
> there are for localized technical documentation. So this post isn't
> regarding the translation, per se, but what are the "must-have" items for
> European tech doc from a legal standpoint.
>
> >From what I've been able to learn online of EU and CE materials, we'll
> need
> basic things covered:
>
>
> *       Content translated into the official language of the country where
> the product is sold
>
> *       Content must provide info on the design and operation of the
> product
>
>
> *       Warnings must be included to avoid harm to humans, equipment,
> environment
>
> *       Declaration of Conformity must accompany the tech doc (not sure how
> firm this rule is)
>
> *       More specific requirements may be specified in a product type CE
> "directive."
>
>
> I've looked in the Techwr-L archives, and found some items referring to
> similar questions, but not all of my questions could be answered there.
> From
> the archives, This is also what I gathered:
>
>
> *       There are no real standard warning formats/icons in Europe (except
> maybe in Germany)
>
> *       CE isn't like UL, so product and doc isn't formally tested for
> compliance before the product is allowed to be sold. Applying the CE mark
> is
> the manufacturer's declaration that it has ensured the product meets CE
> requirements. It's believed that products are spot-tested/audited for
> compliance, but the audits aren't comprehensive.
>
> Tried to learn something from the STC-International SIG page, but it looks
> defunct.
>
> Does anyone out there have experience in developing content for a U.S.
> manufacturer selling consumer electronics and computer supplies in Europe?
> Here are the questions we're still scratching our heads over:
>
>
> *       Are there standard compliance statements that must or should be
> included (like the FCC statements in the U.S.)?
>
> *       What is the particular CE directive that would apply to home
> electronics/computer peripherals, and where can it be found? General
> directives we saw mentioned include "Machinery" and "Audio, Video,
> Multimedia Systems & Equipment," but we're also wondering if "Low voltage
> equipment," "Electromagnetic compatibility," "Telecommunications terminal
> equipment" and "Radio and telecommunications terminal equipment" would
> apply. We'd read them on our own, but we couldn't find the directives
> themselves, only references to them.
>
> *       Where in tarnation are the directives?
>
> *       Are we doomed to release insufficient documentation to their
> European market, and will learn all this by trial & error?
>
> Thank you,
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Patricia Egan
P. O. Box 194391
San Francisco, CA 94119-4391
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