Glossary · 3 · Tasks and minimalism
Simplified Technical English
Also known as: STE, ASD-STE100, AECMA Simplified English
Simplified Technical English (STE), specified in ASD-STE100, is a controlled language for technical documentation in English, owned by ASD (the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe) and maintained by its Simplified Technical English Maintenance Group; it combines writing rules with a dictionary of approved words, each with one meaning, and originated as AECMA Simplified English for aircraft maintenance documentation.
- Writing rules
- Standards
- Translation
In one sentence
Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100) is a controlled language of writing rules and approved words, created for aircraft maintenance documentation.
Example
Where a draft says “The pressure should be relieved prior to the removal of the filter”, an STE text says “Release the pressure. Then remove the filter.”: approved words, the imperative and one instruction per sentence.
How it applies
- History: According to the ASD STEMG, STE was developed from the late 1970s and early 1980s by the European Association of Aerospace Industries (AECMA, now ASD), with support from the Aerospace Industries Association of America, at the request of European airlines, to make aircraft maintenance documentation easier to understand for readers with a basic command of English. The AECMA Simplified English Guide was first released in 1986. The maintenance group was formed in 1983 and has been called the STEMG since ASD was created in 2004. The current issue is Issue 9, dated January 15, 2025; the STEMG describes STE as an international specification since 2005 and as an international standard since 2025.
- Content: STE consists of writing rules (for words, sentences, procedures and descriptive writing) and a dictionary of approved words with their meanings, following the principle “one word – one meaning”. Companies add their technical names and technical verbs within the rules.
- Use: STE is required by the ATA specifications for commercial aviation (iSpec 2200, formerly ATA100, and ATA104) and by the S1000D specification, and it is used in defence and, increasingly, in other industries such as machinery. It is a controlled language: it reduces ambiguity and supports translation but does not guarantee comprehension or replace testing with users.
- Rights: Simplified Technical English and ASD-STE100 are a copyright and a trademark of ASD, Brussels (European Union Trade Mark No. 017966390). The specification can be requested free of charge from the STEMG.
External references
- ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English, official site of the ASD STEMG: https://www.asd-ste100.org/
- ASD STEMG, “About STE” (history, scope, use): https://www.asd-ste100.org/about.html