ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English


Simplified Technical English (STE) is a 900-word controlled vocabulary and a set of grammar, style and syntax rules. The ASD-STE100 Standard was developed by Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) for aerospace companies. This documentation standard helps writers create complex maintenance instructions that are standardized, clear, concise, simple and easy-to-understand by aerospace maintainers in 149 countries.
The use of STE is mandated for global Air Safety at Airbus, Textron Aviation, Safran, Boeing, Pilatus, BAE Systems, NATO, Honeywell, RTX, Northrop Grumman and most aerospace companies.

Custom Technical Dictionary for STE

 SMART Aerospace and Defense Team

Text Mining Our experts have many years of experience in the Aerospace and Defense Industry in the USA, Europe, UK, Canada and Australia. We understand NATO and U.S. Military Specifications, including .xml, .dita, .sgml and IETMs.
The SMART team has assisted many aerospace and defense companies to comply with STE mandates, which include S1000D, S3000L, ATA2200, MIL-Spec and other digital publishing standards. See our Six Sigma, Traffic Light and Quality Control tools.

SMART Sherlock for ITAR Compliance

Text Mining Our SMART team knows and understands US laws for ITAR compliance. Our SMART Team offers an audit tool called Sherlock which uses Artificial Intelligence rules to scan documentation and automatically redact. Use the Contact Form to request costs and information about Sherlock.

Custom Technical Dictionaries for STE

Text Mining The SMART linguists use the SMART Text Miner to create customized, technical dictionaries. A custom technical dictionary is added to the STE controlled vocabulary for an aerospace product or service. An average technical dictionary has 5,000 to 8,000 terms. The SMART team can build a custom technical dictionary in 30 days.

STE makes Machine Translation possible

The use of English is legally required in aviation documentation.
Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence make Machine Translation feasible and accurate. A study by IBM showed that a STE text removes ambiguity and generates machine translations at the 90th percentile. For advanced topics, example, engine inspections, a human editor edits the final translations. To solve a growing global shortage of aviation technicans, the translated versions offer a convenient method to increase the global MRO workforce. The English versions are always the legal control copies.

Digital Transformation - Digital Twins

Text Mining Today, Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETM) can be distributed by satellite communications (StarLink) to maintainers globally. We are technology partners with Adobe (FrameMaker, Captivate), Microsoft (Word, TEAMS), Xerox CareAR, Panasonic (Toughbook), PTC (Arbortext), ServiceNow, Nvidia (NIMs) and other companies that offer digital and AI platforms.

Starter Kit


The SMART team offers a Simplified Technical English Starter Kit that can be expanded. The STE Starter Kit is a full license with ASD-STE dictionary and SMART aviation dictionary.
Use the Contact form to request costs or to ask questions.

Related Topics


Trends for Simplification

Software and AI Services

Transportation - Rail Systems

Military and Defense

Airlines and Aerospace



Benefits of STE

  • Makes technical information easy-to-read and understand.
  • Reaches a wider audience with less words.
  • Helps with Limited English Proficiency readability.
  • Replaces complex ideas with simple language.
  • Uses a 900-word core vocabulary for faster training.
  • Identifies key words to avoid product liability.
  • Promotes short sentences for easier comprehension.
  • Allows for long-form and short-form abbreviations.
  • Makes the editing of machine translation easy.
  • Uses a controlled vocabulary for easier comprehension.
  • Forces the use of active voice.
  • Promotes the use of bulleted lists.
  • Makes the conversion of the text to .dita and .xml easier.
  • Prevents nice-to-know, keeps the need-to-know.
  • Removes confusing jargon and engineering-ese.
  • Increases clarity and consistency in technical manuals.
  • Decreases linguistic complexity for easier readability.
  • Standardizes engineering nomenclature and part names.
  • Simplifies the text through 208 key verbs (actions).
  • Uses basic grammatical structures to increase readability.
  • Allows a consistent style across company documents.
  • Allows for variant, but equal British and American spelling.
  • Simplifies English verb conjugation for English learners.
  • Includes simple grammar, syntax and style rules.
  • Uses the principle of ONE WORD-ONE MEANING.
  • Decreases rework, waste and extra Truck Rolls
  • Enforces clear, legally defensible warning labels.
  • Removes all idiomatic English expressions.
  • Promotes a simple, clear language for critical instructions.
  • Allows the use of trademarks, brands and proper nouns.
  • Removes all gender-related terms for neutral language.
  • Makes the teaching of Basic English very easy.
  • Improves the clarity and accuracy of voice-to-speech output.
  • Improves readability on small displays, mobiles and tablets.
  • Avoids the need for some language interpreters.
  • Promotes STE for Technical English in 149 countries.
  • Discourages the writing of foggy English.
  • Encourages clear, concise, easy-to-read English.