Readability/Usability/Quality 1-01 (March 2001) by Chris Curwen The Original Article:RU23: Results of a Study Into Establishing Guidelines

Having been teaching Technical Writers and Authors for more than twenty years, I was particularly interested to read the results of Ron Blicq’s research into the creation of standards for English-language documentation. I congratulate him on his work. However, I do not believe that it would be in anyone’s interest for INTECOM to establish guidelines, or try to set standards, based on that research. It seems to me that far too much emphasis is placed on one very small, but important, part of the writer’s job . spelling - a subject that cannot be dealt with in isolation. The choice of whether to use American English, or British English, spelling must not be made on personal preferences, but on the usage of the words. Unfortunately, most organizations rely on personal preferences for setting standards for spelling, without considering the usage of the words.

 

The need to Standardize on American or British English

Although there are nearly as many versions of the English language as there are different languages, the reality is that there are only two recognized international versions - American and British. All the others fall into a category we refer to as colloquialisms.

For example, here in South Africa, somebody might write this:

"The accident was caused by failure of the robot control system".

Although there is nothing peculiar about the spelling, neither to an American or a British reader, or to anyone else, there is a problem with the word usage. What did the writer actually mean? To most people in the world, a "robot" is an automated machine. And so most people would think that the writer was referring to a failure of the control system of that machine.

However, in South Africa, many people use the word "robot" to refer to traffic lights - a colloquialism. But, how many people would know that? So, if we allow people to use colloquial terminology, we are faced with a massive problem. And the first piece of advice I give to writers is to avoid colloquialisms and standardize on either American or British English.

I am often asked which one of these I recommend. And, even though my personal preference is for British English, I have stated on many occasions that both are acceptable. However, in Africa, and in Southern Africa in particular, it makes more sense to standardize on British English as we have had much closer relationships with Britain than we have ever had with America.

 

How do I choose which version of English to use?

As Ron says in his article, the most common reply to this question is simply:

"If the product is being sold in America, use American English; if it is being sold in Britain, use British English.

But that advice is worse than useless. As the world has become smaller, so the markets for our products have grown wider. And it is unlikely that any one product will be sold in only one place. If that is the situation you are in, it makes sense to choose the version of the language you are most comfortable working in, so long as it is one of the two internationally recognized versions, and as long as you use your chosen version consistently. The last thing you need is for some other person or organization to dictate that choice to you.

 

Consistency in spelling and word usage is essential

Having made the decision to standardize on either British or American English, it is essential to standardize on word usage, as well as spelling. If the writers choose to standardize on American spelling, they must also standardize on American word usage. If they choose British spelling, they must also standardize on British word usage. What is important is consistency.

To demonstrate this, let us examine a sentence taken from a technical report produced by an engineer in a car manufacturing company. The sentence reads:

"A modification is required to the hood release mechanism."

At first glance, this sentence might seem perfectly clear. But, if you examine it carefully, you will see that it could create confusion. The word "hood" has two different meanings. And the actual meaning depends on whether the writer is using American English or British English. This is shown clearly in the following two diagrams.

Although the spelling of the word "Hood" is the same in both American and British English, the usage is completely different. And the only way that a reader would know what was actually meant by the word would be by the spelling and usage of the words in the remainder of the report.

So, if the writer had used words like "optimize, recognize, color, gray, and tire", in the remainder of the report, the reader would assume not only American spelling, but also American usage of words, and would attach the American meaning to the word. But, if the writer had used words like "optimise, recognise, colour, grey, and tyre", in the remainder of the report, the reader would assume British English spelling and word usage, and would attach the British meaning to the word.

This example should be sufficient to highlight the importance of writers being consistent in both word usage and spelling - not just spelling. It should also highlight the importance of using illustrations, as well as providing indexes and definitions, in technical documents to overcome geographical and cultural differences in language usage.  

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