simplified-technical-englishlisted

# Simplified Technical English (ASD-STE100) ## What this is and why it matters ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE) is a controlled language for technical documentation. It exists because technical readers are often non-native English speakers, are under time pressure, or are acting on safety-critical steps. Ambiguous or complex writing causes misreading, and misreading a procedure has real cost. STE reduces that risk by limiting vocabulary and grammar to a small, consistent set. You write plainly, one idea at a time, so the reader does not have to decode the sentence before doing the work. STE is owned and trademarked by ASD (Brussels). The full standard (Issue 9, January 2025) has 53 writing rules and a dictionary of about 900 approved words. The dictionary is proprietary and is not reproduced here. This skill applies the public writing rules and general word-choice principles. When a project must formally certify against STE, use the official standard from https://www.asd-ste100.org/ as the authority. ## When to apply it Apply STE to the technical content you produce, including: - READMEs and getting-started guides - Specifications and requirements - Architecture decision records (ADRs) and design docs - Runbooks, operational playbooks, and troubleshooting guides - API documentation, configuration guides, and setup instructions - Release notes and changelogs - Inline code comments and docstrings Do not force STE on marketing copy, blog posts, casual messag