Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation

Human Output 
Taking a simplified view of the human cognitive system, we can say that 
information is received by the sensory organs and sent to the cognitive sys-
tem for processing. Once the information has been processed, a response is 
produced. The brain sends the necessary impulses to the appropriate part(s) 
of the body in order to effect this response. 
Our bodies can respond physically using our hands, fingers, thumbs, feet 
and voice. As with many functions and activities related to humans, the ef-
fectiveness and speed with which we respond physically varies from person 
to person as a result of factors such as age, fitness, health or alertness. The 
speed with which we react to a stimulus also depends on which sense re-
ceives the stimulus: we can react to an auditory stimulus in approximately 
150ms; to a visual stimulus in 200ms and to pain in 700ms (Dix 1998:26). 
Reaction times are not the only factors affecting human output. The actual 
output rate varies depending on the part of the body used to respond to a 
stimulus. For instance, if we use one finger on each hand in an alternating 
manner, we can achieve somewhere in the region of 1000 key presses per 
minute. If we use just one finger, this figure is around 400 key presses per 
minute. Vocal output allows us to achieve an output of between 180-400 
words per minute (Downton 1991:26). 
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Perception
Perception 
In the preceding paragraphs we examined the sense of sight. This is the 
most important sense in terms of how we use user guides. Now we will 
look at what we do with the information we gather from our surroundings. 
Perception is more that just seeing or hearing. Perception is a complex 
and active process which allows us to interpret information. By interpreting 
the raw information provided by our sensory organs we prepare it for fur-
ther processing in the cognitive system. If it were not for perception, we 
would simply be receivers of sensory information but we would not be able 
to use this information for anything. Think of a motion detector – it can 
detect an intruder but unless it is connected to an alarm system it cannot 
activate a siren or alert anyone. Of course, if an alarm system had the cog-
nitive processing
abilities of humans it would also be able to distinguish
between intruders and friends. Conversely, without the sensor, the alarm 
system is deaf and blind – it simply cannot do anything because it receives no 
information.