Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation

Overviews and Summaries 
As readers progress through a user guide or even when they dip into a user 
guide to read a chapter, it is important to tell them what they will find in a 
particular chapter or large section. This helps them to decide whether the 
particular section is what they are looking for. Overviews can also help 
readers absorb, understand, learn, and remember information more easily 
(Foss 
et al.
1981). 
Price (1984:72) and D’Agenais and Carruthers (1985:90) state that every 
chapter and large section should have an overview. Consistent with the 
why they should read a particular chapter or section, what they will be able 
to do afterwards and what they will be able to achieve with this knowledge. 
In general, a typical overview will explain what readers have learned so 
far (providing they have been reading the user guide in sequence) and how 
this particular chapter builds on previous chapters. The overview tells the 
reader what will and will not be covered in the chapter and provides a 
broad idea of the subjects which will crop up. An overview can also suggest 
strategies as to how different users should use the chapter or document, for 
example, whether to skip certain sections or whether to read another chap-
ter first. It may also provide references to other sources of information. 
Reassuring the Reader 
Another way of organising information into manageable sections is to pro-
vide regular “breaks” for readers where they are given time to rest, absorb 
what they have just learned or even just to have a clear point in the text at 
which they can close the book and still feel they have achieved something 
worthwhile. Some sources such as Price (1984:91) suggest that such breaks 
may come in the form of a congratulatory remark such as “
Well done, 
you’ve just learned how to XXX. Why not take a few moments to try out 
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motivational function described on page 64, overviews explain to readers 

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Technical Communication 
your new skills?
” or even a suggestion that they make a cup of coffee and 
relax for a moment. It is unlikely, however, that this would have the de-
sired effect as readers would probably object to such a patronising and con-
descending tone. A more useful approach might simply be to recap on what 
the chapter has just covered or provide an exercise to test this new knowl-
edge. 
More difficult information requires a different type of break which is 
provided before the readers are actually confronted by the information. For 
example, if a potentially worrying message is about to appear or the chapter 
is about to deal with complicated information, the reader should be reas-
sured and told not to worry. There is no harm in admitting to readers that 
that a particular error message may be worrying or that certain information 
is complicated; pretending that everything is fine and easy will serve only to 
make readers feel inadequate and stupid. But such admissions need to be 
coupled with clear instructions and reassurances that the reader will be able 
to manage it.