Translate Simplified Technical English into Chinese while preserving technical intent, approved terms and instruction structure. Plan the source files and review scope.
View the file review example ↓View references (1) ↓STE describes the English source, not the Chinese target
ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English combines English writing rules with a controlled dictionary. It also provides for technical nouns and technical verbs. Identify the issue specified for your source and any company terminology supplied with it; a short translation guide cannot replace that specification.
For a Chinese assignment, identify the document sections written to STE and the Chinese reader’s task. Keep the English authoring requirement separate from the Chinese terminology, procedural structure and review requirements agreed for the translation. A Chinese return is not automatically an ASD-STE100-conformant document.
From reading to a project
Prepare controlled English for a Chinese document review
Terminology and revision sheet · made-up example
- Source reference
- STE_SAMPLE_001 · approved source revision A
- Term to control
- One source term / one approved Chinese rendering / context reference
- Chinese delivery choice
- Simplified or Traditional Chinese; agree the reader and review owner
- Open review item
- Confirm the source issue and any target-side writing requirements
- Chinese language/version field
- 源文：英语A版 · 目标：简体中文
Review status: questions to confirm
Identify the source rules
Provide the controlled source, specified STE issue and approved technical names. Mark any content written outside that scope.
Agree the Chinese reference set
Choose the Chinese script and intended reader. Bring prior approved wording, illustrations and the matching manual revision.
Assign the review decision
Identify who confirms terminology and procedure meaning. Agree checks and deliverables before work starts.
Related published experience
Singapore Airlines — Shanghai officeEnglish → Chinese
English-to-Chinese aviation-document translation recorded through the Shanghai office.
The 2019 Singapore Airlines Shanghai-office record supports English-to-Chinese aviation documents. It does not identify the files as STE, AMM or an approved maintenance procedure.
For English-to-Chinese maintenance content, include the source revision, specified STE issue if applicable, required Chinese script, approved terminology, file format, intended use and review responsibilities.
Carry the instruction and its references into Chinese
Give the translator the complete task and its linked warnings, figures and references. A sentence taken out of that task can lose the condition that tells the reader when it applies. Flag an unresolved source reference instead of replacing it with a plausible instruction.
Use approved Chinese terminology in the relevant technical context. If the same English word refers to different components or actions, ask the technical owner which Chinese term applies. Do not force one Chinese word across unrelated contexts merely because the English source uses a controlled dictionary.
Preserve task identifiers, step sequence and the connection between a warning and the action it governs. Agree the Chinese layout and line-break requirements with the document owner; visual reflow and a changed instruction sequence are different review issues.
| Source item | Chinese review |
|---|---|
| Specified STE issue and company terms | Record the source requirement; agree Chinese terms in their technical context. |
| Task and step identifiers | Keep the sequence and cross-references traceable to the controlled source. |
| Warning and stated condition | Keep its connection to the relevant action; do not add a new instruction. |
| Changed figure or reference | Review linked Chinese passages even when a repeated sentence looks unchanged. |
Make the source review and Chinese review visible
If the English source needs an STE authoring check, identify that as a separate requested task. A bilingual comparison of the Chinese return checks meaning and agreed references; it does not by itself certify the English source against every STE rule.
For an update, supply the previous approved Chinese version, its matching English revision and the new source. Mark changes to terms, conditions, task references and figures. An unchanged sentence still needs attention if its surrounding condition or linked reference has changed.
Prepare a file-based quotation
Include the controlled source revision, terminology and permitted reference material, intended Chinese readers, required return format and requested review coverage. Identify who answers source questions and who accepts the Chinese wording.
Use the review example to discuss the file checks, then compare the related aviation project. The published project establishes aviation-document translation experience; it does not establish an STE conformity assessment or approval for operational use.
Questions
Does translating STE into Chinese make the Chinese document STE-certified?
Should every occurrence of an English word have one Chinese translation?
Does STE guarantee a lower translation price?
Sources
- ASD-STE100 — About STEOfficial description of controlled English and its intended use; translation is not automatic target-language STE certification.