Use Consistent Terminology

Have you ever read a manual and wondered whether the “hopper release lever” was the same thing as the “dump control”?  Or whether the “spacer” called for in Step 2 of the assembly instructions was the same thing as the “shim” required in Step 8?  If so, you have experienced the importance of consistent terminology.  When you’re writing a manual it’s easy to inadvertently use more than one term to refer to parts or procedures—after all you know what you mean.  You have the same picture in your mind as you write the sections, even if the words you have used are different.   But your reader doesn’t know they’re the same.  Worse, the reader will assume that different words mean different things.

The problem is compounded if the manual must be translated.  We all know how translations of ordinary terms can go astray (“hydraulic ram” becoming “water goat,” for example).  Think how much worse it can be when the terms are specific to the product rather than well-known general terms.

What’s the solution? Use the same term every time for the same part and procedure.  For parts, use the term on the part list—and if it’s too cumbersome, go talk to the engineers about changing it.  Just because the engineer called it a “polymerized high-resistance interface” doesn’t mean it couldn’t be called an “insulator.”  For procedures, you will have to go through your draft (or have someone else do so) and look for inconsistencies.  Whenever you find one, eliminate it.  Your readers will thank you—and your technical support calls will go down.