Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation

Pattern Matching 
Once we have grouped the objects we see into meaningful units, we need 
to recognise them in order to understand what they are. There are a num-
ber of ways in which we can recognise shapes (or patterns) and which ulti-
mately determine whether we correctly interpret them. 
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Understanding Users 
Prototype Matching 
This method involves us storing a general, fundamental shape or pattern 
against which we compare objects to find a match. Essentially, this model is 
a very basic stylisation which is fundamentally the same regardless of any 
cosmetic or superficial differences we encounter from instance to instance. 
Template Matching 
In contrast to prototype matching which provides us with a general outline 
of objects, template matching involves us storing detailed patterns of each 
and every variation of an object we see. So rather than having a prototype 
for the letter “P” which states that a “P” consists of an upright line with a 
loop attached to the top right, template matching means we need a model 
or design for each “P” we encounter. 
Distinctive Features 
This method involves us distinguishing objects on the basis of their distinc-
tive feature patterns. For example, a car has four wheels while a bicycle has 
just two wheels. With this method, we recognise objects by analysing them 
and matching distinctive parts of an object as opposed to the entire object. 
Memory 
Having discussed the sensory system we will now continue our examina-
tion of the “infrastructure” which allows the human cognitive system to 
work. From a human-computer interaction (HCI) and learning point of 
view, we can say that the sensory system is the mechanism for receiving 
data to be processed while memory is the mechanism which facilitates cog-
nition and learning. Only by understanding memory can we proceed to 
look at how data is processed and understand how we learn and solve prob-
lems. 
Memory is fundamental to virtually every one of our actions from read-
ing, eating and walking to writing, learning and speaking. Without it we 
would not know what to do with the information we receive through our 
senses. At its most basic physiological level, memory is “a physical change 
in the neuronal structure of the brain” (Coe 1996:69). When information is 
added to our memory it creates new neuronal pathways and connections. 
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Memory
2. Short-term Memory (STM) 
3. Long-term Memory (LTM) 
These three types of memory work together, passing information between 
them to allow us to carry out cognitive processing.