Translation - art & business » Proofreading / Editing / Reviewing »
Pages in topic:   < [1 2]
Technical manuals - The use of "you"
Thread poster: Michael Harris
straygoat
straygoat
English
'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
 
Pages in topic:   < [1 2]


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

Moderator(s) of this 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"







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 »
TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »