International Technical Communication and Todays Technologies

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International Technical Communication and Todays
Technologies

• Presented By Teresa Mulvihill

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For your companys new product feature, youve
been tasked with producing the documentation,
which must be

• In four different languages
• Two English versions (AUS and US)
• Español
• ????
• Distributed to four different audiences
• Customers
• Sales Force
• Installation Engineers
• Users
• Accessible in four different media
• Print and PDF
• Internet
• Mobile Phones
• PDAs

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How can you use todays technologies to

• Shorten the production time
• Decrease the number of files
• Deliver the right information, to the right
  people, in the right medium?

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Take your publications global!

• Write documents for easy translation to both
  other languages and other media.
• Consider cultural effects on subject matter
• Use neutral language
• When using graphics be cautious of cultural and
  media interpretation
• Color interpretations
• Symbol interpretations

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Going Global

• Which documents need to be global?
• What needs to be considered before going global?
• Which technologies can assist global publications?

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Which documents need to be global?

• Web Pages
• Intranets and Extranets
• Marketing and Sales Material
• Employee Handbooks
• Technical Manuals

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What needs to be considered before going global?

• Languages
• Units of Measurement
• Humor, Color, and Symbol Interpretations
• Presentation Media

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Languages

• Different Languages
• Translation
• Layout
• Within a Language
• Spelling and Grammar
• Meanings

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Translation

• Machine Translation
• Emails
• Short Documents
• Human Translation
• Manuals
• Marketing Information
• Combined Machine and Human Translations

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Layout

• Paper Sizes
• 8.5 x 11
• A4
• Word Spacing
• Reading Directions

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Spelling and GrammarAUS and US Differences

• Globalise, Localise
• Analyse
• Instalment
• Diagrammed
• Litre, Metre
• Favour
• Disc
• Foci
• Sometimes the period goes after the quote.

• Globalize, Localize
• Analyze
• Installment
• Diagramed
• Liter, Meter, Center
• Favor
• Disk
• Focuses
• The period always goes inside the quote.

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Meanings

• English AUS and US differences
• Check vs. Cheque
• Hood of a car
• Windscreen vs. Windshield
• Zee vs. Zed
• Petrol vs. Gas
• Chemist vs. Pharmacy (Drug Store)

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Humor, Color, and Symbol Interpretation

• Eastern European cultures find US tendencies to
  joke during business meetings disrespectful.
• While yellow in Western cultures is used for
  warnings, in Eastern cultures it signifies grace
  and nobility.
• Although road symbols are becoming global, avoid
  the use of body parts for symbols (i.e. palm of
  hand for stop).

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Presentation Media

• Paper
• Bound print
• Single sheet
• Internet
• PDF
• HTML
• Wireless
• PDAs
• Mobile phones

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Which technologies can assist global publications?

• Single Sourcing
• Adobe FrameMaker
• WebWorks Publisher
• RoboHelp, WinHelp, SmartDoc
• Dynamic Content
• Personalization (User Profiles)
• XML (XSL, CCS)
• Dynamic Content Engines

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What is Single Source?

• The method of creating two or more documents from
  one source.
• Create PDFs, HTML sites, Wireless sites
• Alter content for reader
• Pre-sale vs. Post-sale literature
• Installation vs. User information
• Combine common information for a suite of products

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Why Single Source?

• Cost
• Less written documentation
• Easily translated
• Consistency
• The information doesnt change, just the
  presentation
• Update only one source

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Why not Single Source?

• Printed and online information are not written
  the same.
• Graphics look different in different media.

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You can overcome these obstacles by

• Writing in segments
• A few paragraphs per Section (size does matter)
• Identify information
• Using unique headings
• Introduction of
• Marking conditional text
• Information that does not fit all mediums
• Introductory text
• Cross-references and links

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Single Source Terminology

• Must be medium-neutral
• Do not use terms that
• Refer to the structure of a printed document
• See Chapter or In Appendix
• Assume an order in which sections are read
• In the preceding or As above,
• Refer to numbering, such as Figure 2, instead
  give all figures descriptive titles
• Assume software or hardware is visible, instead
  make explicit references, Click to OK button.

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Using FrameMaker and WebWorks

• Use FrameMakers Conditional Text Feature
• Set up conditions (i.e. PDF, HTML, etc)
• Mark all conditional text
• Select which conditions of text (i.e. In, Not In,
  and As Is)

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Using FrameMaker and WebWorks

• Organize Book files
• Select files necessary for each audience
  individually
• Create separate book file for each audience
• Manage files and settings with Web Works

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Using FrameMaker and WebWorks

• Use Links with FrameMakers cross-reference
  feature
• Essential Link
• Optional Links
• Glossary definitions
• Index cross-references
• Related Topics
• Basic Introduction
• Details
• How-to and Examples

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Using Help Applications

• Use RoboHelp, WinHelp, or Smartdoc to create the
  Users Help files.
• Create Context IDs
• Each context-sensitive screen has one ID
• Enables context-sensitive help
• Create Help Search Facilities
• Contents, similar to FrameMaker TOC file
• Index, similar to FrameMaker IX file
• Search, full text search for word or phrase

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What is Dynamic Content?

• Information that is assembled only when it is
  requested.
• E-commerce
• Computer venders
• Clothing retailers
• Car dealers

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Features of Dynamic Content

• Personalization
• Profiling
• Audience and Information Analysis
• Information Models
• Metadata

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Personalization

• User Profiles
• Users are assigned logons
• Profile identify roles and document needs
• Users only see information relevant to them
• User Selection
• Users select from a complete list or form
• Combination of Profiles and Selection
• The system learns the users patterns
• The system adds other relevant information

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Profiling

• Supports personalization by describing a users
• Needs
• Requirements
• Interests
• Provides specific content to specific users
• Created by conducting thorough audience and
  information analysis

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Audience and Information Analysis

• Audience Analysis
• How many different types of readers
• Language
• Level of expertise
• What information is needed
• Which output type do they prefer
• Help files
• PDF
• HTML

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Audience and Information Analysis

• Information Analysis
• How many different types of information
• Help files
• Marketing
• Installation and maintenance guides
• How much overlap
• Which information is unique to audience group
• Level of granularity

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Information Models

• Information Product Models
• Overview
• Pricing
• Installation Guide
• Users Guide/Help Files
• Glossary
• Index
• Information Element Models
• Within product models
• Introduction
• Procedure
• Examples

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Meta Data

• Tag context elements with information about the
  elements
• Output
• PDF
• HTML
• Mobile Phone
• PDA
• Audience
• Customer
• Sales Force
• Installation Engineer
• User

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Designing Dynamic Content

• Separate content from format
• Text flows different in different media
• Graphics need to be displayed differently
• Build Proof of Concept
• Use FrameMaker and WebWorks
• Help formulate your models and metadata

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Delivering Dynamic Content

• Personalization
• XML
• Dynamic Content Engines
• Content Management Systems
• Portals

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XML

• Structured Content
• DTD or XML Schema
• Built-in Metadata
• Semantic Tags
• Database orientation
• Application oriented
• Support for multiple outputs
• PDF
• HTML
• Help
• Mobile Phone
• PDA

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Dynamic Content Engines

• Dynamic Content Engines read and interpret the
  customer profiling, access the database, assemble
  the document, and publish the document in the
  required media
• Vignette
• Interwoven

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Content Management Systems

• Content Management Systems enable storing,
  tagging, and retrieving of content for
  publishing.
• Update controls ensure consistency
• Tracking links related topics

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Portals

• Portals allow automatic categorization of
  information to a user.
• Combined with Personalization, portals display
  only the relevant information.
• Yahoo!
• Intranets
• Extranet

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Summary

• Step 1 Write Documentation Considering
• Translation
• Culture
• Segments
• Step 2 Identify Audience Needs
• Who needs what (Customer, Sales Force)
• Step 3 Organize Single Source
• FrameMaker, WebWorks, RoboHelp, WinHelp,
• Step 4 Set up Dynamic Content
• Personalization
• XML, Dynamic Content Engines, Portals

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Bibliography

• Bauer, Elisabeth. Machine Translation 2001 has
  Already Arrived (April 2000) www.tc-forum.org/top
  ictr/tr19mach.htm
• Blicq, Ron. Do Technical Writers Need an
  International Standard for English-Language
  Spelling? (April 1999)www.tc-forum.org/topiccl/c
  l21dote.htm
• Blicq, Ron. Results of Study Into Establishing
  Guidelines for English Language International
  Technical Documentation (March 2000)
  www.tc-forum.org/topicus/ru23resu.htm
• Boegler, Peter. PDF in Practice Simple Creation
  of Electronic Publications, Catalogues, and
  Archives (March 1999)www.tc-forum.org/topicto/to
  13pdf.htm
• Butland, Philip. Introduction Single Source
  Part 1 Intercom (February 2001) 23-27
• Butland, Philip. Introduction Single Source
  Part 2 Intercom (April 2001) 26-29

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Bibliography Continued

• Cartwright, Dave. Customize Your Content With
  User Profiling. www.webdevelopersjournal.com/arti
  cles/user_profiling.html
• Dann, Peter. Using XLS in Internet Explorer 5
  Intercom (May 2001) 25-33
• Just, Stafan. Cross-cultural Transformation of
  Technical Documentation for the Chinese Market
  (April 2000) www.tc-forum.org/topictr/tr18cros.htm
  
• Karjalainon, Minna-Liisa and Nordlund, Juha. The
  Influence of Language and Culture on Written
  Communication (April 1997)www.tc-forum.org/topic
  cl/cl12thei.htm
• Knauf, Ansgar. Development, Use, and
  Profitability of Translation Memory Systems
  (January 2000) www.tc-forum.org/topictr/tr16deve.h
  tm
• Reuther, Ursula and Isseroff, Ami. Technical
  Writers Gain Control (March 1999)
  www.tc-forum.org/topiccl/cl16tech.htm
• Rockley, Ann. Dynamic Content Management
  Intercom (February 2001) 28-32

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Bibliography Continued

• Stücker, Harald. Internationalising
  Documentation (March 1999) www.tc-forum.org/topic
  tr/tr14inte.htm
• Sturz, Wolfgang. Knowledge Management
  Challenge for Technical Editors (April 2000)
  www.tc-forum.org/topickno/km01know.htm
• Tittel, Ed. XML for Dummies 2nd Edition, IDG
  Books Worldwide, Inc. 2000
• Adobe FrameMaker 6.0 User Guide Adobe Systems
  Incorporated 2000
• Personalization and Content Management
  www.metatorial.com/whitepapers/personalization.asp