Traduzione - Arte e professione » Proofreading / Editing / Reviewing »
Pagine:   < [1 2]
Technical manuals - The use of "you"
Iniziatore argomento: Michael Harris
straygoat
straygoat
Inglese
'you' is fine Jan 12, 2012

Hi Michael,

I'm a technical author and I can assure you that using 'you' is fine and I believe it is included in the Microsoft guide on documentation standards. Keeping the copy impersonal is decidedly 'old school' and can cause problems, particularly in countries where people are likely to sue at the drop of a hat (i.e. America).

The use of 'you' makes it absolutely explicit who is performing the action described, and that's the best argument for including it. It elim... See more
Hi Michael,

I'm a technical author and I can assure you that using 'you' is fine and I believe it is included in the Microsoft guide on documentation standards. Keeping the copy impersonal is decidedly 'old school' and can cause problems, particularly in countries where people are likely to sue at the drop of a hat (i.e. America).

The use of 'you' makes it absolutely explicit who is performing the action described, and that's the best argument for including it. It eliminates ambiguity.

I work for a major international company and the use of 'you' is required as part of their quality policy. The documentation is used in countries all over the world and it is for a highly technical engineering product. There is no benefit to not using 'you' other than it makes a company appear more corporate.

Some people just think documentation has to be very formal and be almost academic in style...that's just bad practice in my view. The easier the documentation is to read and understand, the more effective it is. Simple as that.

I hope that helps! ▲ Collapse
 
Pagine:   < [1 2]


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderatore(i) di questo Forum
Marco Ramón[Call to this topic]
Fernanda Rocha[Call to this topic]
Andriy Bublikov[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Technical manuals - The use of "you"







Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »