Simplified English for aircraft workcards

For technical communications in international civil aviation maintenance, most manufacturers have adopted a restricted language: Simplified English (SE). This uses a standard vocabulary and syntax rules with the aim of improving understanding, particularly for people with restricted abilities in English. This paper describes the first test of the efficacy of Simplified English for comprehension of documentation used at the worksite by Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs). Sixteen workcards, representing two levels of difficulty (Easy and Difficult), two levels of language (SE and Non-SE) and two levels of document layout (standard and revised) were tested on 175 practicing AMTs in a between subject design using a comprehension test. Comprehension was significantly improved with Simplified English, particularly for the Difficult workcards and for non-native English speakers. No effects of layout were found.