report writing and wording

[tompouce]

Hey all,

I'm not 100% sure I'm writing in the right forum but I've found a very interesting thread which included references on writing clean and clear reports and using proper wording.
I'm not english and though my english is fine for everyday life, I find my technical reports being unclear. Hugely long sentences and not the best wording are part of the problem.

Does anyone know any websites or books on how to improve my technical english or any method I could use?

I bet years of practice are a big part of it, but it's always a good idea to start in the right direction...

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[MintJulep]

The wording of your post is generally good. Perhaps you are trying too hard when writing reports.

Check out forum1010 on this site.

 

[Sparweb]

Keep your explanations brief. Give each fact its own sentence. Make sure your facts lead to the conclusion you state. There are lots of rules to follow, though, so here's what I found:

http://techreports.larc.nasa.gov/ltrs/PDF/NASA-64-sp7010.pdf

A more modern piece of advice that couldn't have been forseen when the above document was written: Use a spelling checker. Then read the document again AFTER the spell checker to (a) catch the words that were replaced with the wrong word, and (b) check the grammar without distractions.
Grammer checkers are not usually very helpful, but shorter sentences do make them more reliable.


"Simplicate, and add more lightness" - Bill Stout
Steven Fahey, CET

 

[tompouce]

as always, quick and precise answers, thanks guys

I've downloaded that document, didn't think of looking on LARC,
thanks again for the inputs

 

[HSThompson]

Try this,

"Handbook of Technical Writing", Third Ed., Charles T. Brusaw/Gerald J. Alred/ Walter E. Olin, St. Matins Press, New York, NY, ISBN: 0-312-35810-5.

I swear by it.

HSThompson

 

[yates]

It may help you, as I believe you're in France, to know that Airbus (or rather Aerospatiale as it was then called) developed along with AECMA in the nineties, something called 'Simplified English'. This was originally developed for a better comprehension by non-English speakers of aircraft maintenance manuals written in English. It has since been adopted, (although not officially nor mandatorily) in report writing, and will shortly be used for English translations of European standards originally written in another language. As an English speaker in France, I have had to discipline myself to using simplified English. The principle is that sentences must have a simple structure, as mentioned in posts above, plus restricted vocabulary. For example, the word 'start' is used in preference to 'begin', 'commence','initiate' or 'originate'.
For more details of Simplified English, contact AECMA at

http://www.aecma.org.

Document reference number is PSC-85-16598.