Technical Translation: Usability Strategies for Translating Technical Documentation
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byrne jody technical translation usability strategies for tr
Lensear Score =
No. of monosyllabic words + (3 x no. of sentences) Total Words x 100 Fog Index = (Average Sentence Length + Percentage of Hard Words) x 0.4 93 Like the Fog Index, Fry s Readability Graph expresses readability in , Technical Communication Usability Another approach to determining the effectiveness of a user guide is to es- tablish how effective it is in achieving its purpose and how easy it is to use. In contrast to readability assessment methods which examine linguistic and technical features from the point of view of the text, usability introduces a new element into the equation, i.e. users. Usability assessment evaluates lin- guistic and technical features such as those described in previous sections and assesses the sum total of all of their contributions from the point of view of the user. Instead of considering only the readability of text or whether the style is appropriate, usability is concerned with the ease with which users (readers) can access and assimilate information and then use it to complete their intended tasks, i.e. use the software. A simple way of testing the usability of a user guide is to gather a group of people who reflect the actual audience for the user guide and have this group use the software on the basis of the user guide. The purpose here is to see where the readers succeed and where they go wrong, where they have difficulties and where they need more help. Usability testing of this type (as defined in technical writing literature) tests the user guide for logic gaps and inadequate clarity. It determines whether readers can actually use the user guide effectively and efficiently and whether users actually learn from it. Usability is a central element of what is known as Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). This area is concerned with examining the interactions between humans and computer systems (e.g. software). The description of us ability provided in the preceding paragraphs is admittedly rather simplified and rudimentary. In order to fully understand usability, it is necessary to understand the primary component of these interactions, i.e. humans. In the following chapter we will examine usability from the point of view of users and discover the mechanisms that must be understood and accommo- dated to ensure usability. Download 2.88 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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