Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation

Stages in Problem-Solving 
In the information-processing approach, a problem is placed in a problem 
space. We know that the problem space consists of the various states of the 
problem, namely the initial and goal states as well as the states in between. 
But how is it that we arrive at the goal state? To understand this, we need 
to examine the various stages in problem-solving. 
1. Identifying and Understanding the Problem 
2. Devising and Selecting a Strategy 
3. Carrying out the strategy 
4. Checking whether the strategy actually worked. 
Much of the difficulty encountered in problem-solving stems from a failure 
to fully comprehend the problem and to recognise its features. If we do not 
fully understand a problem, we cannot hope to solve it (Ellis & Hunt 
1993:266). Consequently, the way we perceive or “frame” the problem ul-
timately plays a decisive role in our success (Coe 1996:48). There are four 
principal types of knowledge which affect the way we interpret a problem. 
Factual knowledge
Consists of rules, categories and representations of 
the problem 
Semantic knowledge Conceptual understanding of the problem 
Schematic knowledge Provides an infrastructural understanding of the 
problem; the various related issues and factors and 
how they relate to each other 
Strategic knowledge An understanding of how to build strategies for 
solving problems within the overall problem area 
Table 3: Types of knowledge affecting the understanding of problems 
Once we have identified and understood the problem, the next stage is to 
formulate and select a strategy for solving the problem. In this stage, we 
attempt
to find a possible solution to a problem. Indeed, we may even
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Understanding Users 
mulate several possible solutions to a problem (Ellis & Hunt 1993:267). 
Again, we have several strategies for devising solutions.