Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation

The Cost of Inadequate User Guides 
The consequences of inadequate user guides should not be underestimated. 
Approximately half of all product returns and complaints in Germany arise 
as a result of bad instructions. Frequently, customers end up damaging 
products themselves because they lose patience with bad user guides and re-
sort to “creative” and sometimes unorthodox methods to get their products 
to work (Cognitas 2003a). The resulting damage and compensation 
amounts to some €500 million each year in Germany alone (
ibid.
). This is 
due in large part to changes in European Union laws governing product li-
ability. European Resolution 
C411 
states that
…inadequate operating instructions may affect the presentation of prod-
ucts and may be a factor to be taken into account together with all other 
pertinent circumstances in considering whether goods are defective 
(Council of the European Union 1998:1) 
This resolution goes on to say that in the light of the wider range of prod-
ucts and the advances being made in technology… 
…operating instructions for technical consumer goods are often per-
ceived by consumers as inadequate, both because they are unclear and 
present language difficulties, owing to faulty translations or to the use
of
terms which are too complex, and because they lack structure and 
have inadequate content. 
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Technical Communication 
Tackling the Problem of Poor User Guides
The requirements in this resolution have filtered down into national laws. 
For example, in early 2002, Germany’s product liability law (
Produk-
thaftungsgesetz
) was overhauled with
the result that user guides are regarded
as a part of the product and as such, any defects or faults they contain are
regarded as product defects which can result in the rejection or with
drawal of the product (Heino 1992:111). In addition, where a product is
damaged or destroyed as a result of a user following instructions contained 
in an inadequate user guide, the manufacturer or retailer is obliged to provide
a replacement (Cognitas 2003b). 
To counteract the problem of poor user guides, the European Union has 
codified what it believes to be the essential characteristics of “good” user 
guides. Resolution C411 (Council of the European Union 1998) sets out, 
among other things, a series of criteria under the following headings, which 
the Council of Europe believes will make for more effective user docu-
mentation: 
Development of documentation
: all relevant laws, standards and guide-
lines should be consulted and the document must comply with their re-
quirements 
Content of documents
: the content of documents should be structured 
logically and reflect real use; warnings and cautionary information must 
be clearly distinguishable from the main document content 
Separate documents for different models
: unless the procedures involved 
in using functions are identical, separate documents must be produced 
for different models or variations of products 
Safety and warning instructions
: must be clear and easily accessible 
Document language
: user documentation must be available in a user’s 
own language 
Style and layout
: should ensure clear and readable documents 
The overall aim of this is to produce high quality documentation which 
will provide customers with “adequate user information to ensure proper 
and complete use of the product” (Council of the European Union 
1998:1). Other regulatory and legislative tools governing the production 
and provision of user guides include: 
EN 62079
. “Preparation of instructions - Structuring, content and pres-
entation”
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Software User Guides & Quality
EN 292-2 
“Safety of machinery. Basic concepts, general principles for 
design”
VDI 4500-2 
“Technical documentation - Internal technical product 
documentation” 
These standards and guidelines have gone some way towards ensuring bet-
ter user guides are provided to users. One initiative, based in part on these 
regulations, is the 
DOCcert
certification scheme develo ped in 1993 by
tekom
and 
TÜV
in Germany ( Jung and Becker 2003). This is a quality
assurance and certification programme aimed at ensuring documentation is 
effective, complete
and facilitates the safe use of products. The certification 
process tests documentation for comprehensibility, completeness and safety 
and takes place in three stages.
The first stage involves examining relevant laws, standards and guidelines 
such as those mentioned above and ensuring that the documentation complies 
with their requirements. The second stage involves testing the documen
tation on the basis of a series of criteria such as accuracy, comprehensibility,
layout, readability etc. The final stage involves hands-on usability testing
with users. Successful documentation is then certified by 
TÜV
and
can bear
the 
TÜV
-approved logo. 
These initiatives notwithstanding, it is clear that work on improving the 
quality of user guides is far from complete and that there are still countless 
inadequate user guides in circulation. A study conducted by the German 
computer magazine 
ComputerBild 
in 1999 examined 60 user guides from a 
range of well-known companies and found that 35 could be regarded as 
“faulty” and could result in complaints or claims for compensation (Com-
puterBild 1999:16). Using the 
DOCcert
test procedures and criteria, the 
investigators found that only 4 of the user guides passed the stringent re-
quirements. 
The obvious need to overhaul the way in which user guides are pro-
duced has serious implications for vast numbers of technical communicators 
across the world. Up until now, we have referred to technical communica-
tors as being responsible for the production of user guides. While tradition-
ally
technical communication 
would be taken to mean technical writers 
alone, the industry and nature of the work have developed to a point where 
technical communication includes the work of technical writers, illustrators, 
technical translators, editors and web designers (Van Laan & Julian 2001:5). 
Indeed, many professional technical communication associations explicitly 
include these roles under the umbrella term of 
technical communication
.
Given the fact that according to
Council of the European Union
Resolu
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Technical Communication 
C411 
“customers are entitled to manuals produced in their own language”
(Council of the European Union 1998:3), it is clear that “translation work
[is] an integral part of the process of creating technical documentation”
(Budin 2000). 
Technical writing and technical translation are inextricably linked with 
regard to user guides. As such, any discussion of user guide quality must 
take this relationship into account, not least because translation is explicitly 
identified in the aforementioned European Directive as a potential cause of 
problems in user guides (Council of the European Union 1998: 1). 
However, the problems of poor documentation are sometimes best tack-
led at ground level by the people who actually write and translate them. 
This is the reason for this book: to help understand the problem and issues 
which affect it as well as how translators can contribute to the production 
of high quality technical documentation.