(I) the concept of commodity description
Commercial
Specifications are a kind of documentary materials that introduce the performance, characteristics, uses, use and maintenance methods of commodities (including services) to consumers such as users in plain, simple and easy-to-understand language. The product manual is sometimes called the instruction manual. The purpose of his writing is to teach people to know and use.
(2) Its main functions are as follows:
1. Explain and guide.
2. Publicity and promotion.
3. the function of information exchange.
4. Mandatory instruction.
2 characteristics and classification editing
(1) characteristics of product descriptions
1. objectivity.
2. practicality.
3. organization.
4. popularity.
(II) Classification of commodity descriptions
1. Based on the content, descriptions can be divided into explanatory descriptions and introductory descriptions.
2. Based on the length of the space, the specifications can be divided into complete specifications and concise specifications.
3. Based on the form of expression, instructions can be divided into text instructions, chart instructions and audio-visual instructions.
3 structural editing
The structure of a product description generally consists of three parts: title, text and signature.
product description
(1) titles
There are three common titles in product descriptions:
1. Directly use the language as the title. For example, the commodity manual, product manual, user manual, user guide, etc.
2. use the trade name as the title. For example, Sanjiu Weitai and Ziguang Scanner.
3. add the language of the commodity name as the title. For example, the product manual of Gaizhonggai oral liquid, the instruction manual of BBK DVD and so on. (II) Text
The text is the core part of the product description. Different products need to be explained in different ways. Some explain the usage of the product, some explain the function of the product, some explain its structure, and some explain its components, which vary widely and have different emphases. For example, food instructions focus on explaining its ingredients, usage and shelf life; The drug description focuses on its composition, basic utility and dosage; The description of electrical appliances focuses on its use and maintenance methods.
The general situation includes the following aspects:
1. The general situation of the product (such as name, origin, specifications, development history, manufacturing methods, etc.).
2. performance, specification and use of the product.
3. Installation and usage.
4. Maintenance and repair methods.
5. Accessories, spare parts and other contents that need to be explained.
the above contents can be selected according to the actual demand, and the sequence of changes can be changed. There are many ways to write the text, such as expository style, article style, dialogue style, tabular style, story style, explanation style, etc., and the more common ones are overview style, short article style, clause style and combination of pictures and texts.
1. Summary. Generally, there are only one or two paragraphs, which briefly introduce the goods.
2. short style. This paper briefly introduces the nature, performance, characteristics, uses and methods of use of goods, which are mostly used for introductory content description, and this method is often used for commonly used goods.
3. clause style. This is the way to write a detailed description of the goods. It is divided into several parts, and introduces the specifications, structure, main performance and index parameters, maintenance methods and maintenance warranty methods of the relevant goods to consumers one by one. This method is often used in the commonly used instructions of household appliances.
4. integrated graphics and text. That is, introducing goods with pictures and texts. There are detailed text descriptions, photos and illustrations, supplemented by circuit diagrams, structural drawings, molecular formulas (medicine) and so on. Instructions for this commodity are often printed as brochures as accessories.
(III) Signature
Signature should indicate the name, address, postcode, E-MAIL address, telephone number, fax number, hanging hook, batch number, production date and quality grade of the product. Different product manuals have different items to be signed, and should be signed according to actual needs.
patent specification
the patent specification has broad and narrow interpretations. In a broad sense, patent specification refers to all kinds of specifications published by patent offices or international patent organizations. Including the application specification that has not been patentable, such as German public specification, Japanese public charter bulletin, China invention patent application public specification, etc. And patent specifications that have undergone patentability examination, such as American patent specifications, invention specifications of the former Soviet Union, patent specifications issued by China, etc.
in a narrow sense, a patent specification refers to a patent specification that has been patented and granted a patent right.
4 common forms of editing
1.
Manual instruction. This kind of manual provides users with written materials ranging from a few pages to dozens of pages, and some of them are accompanied by photos and illustrations, which can provide detailed and comprehensive information related to commodities. Instructions for many household appliances (such as the instructions for TV sets, washing machines, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc.) are usually a manual.
ii.
insert instructions. Some products come with a piece of paper in the box or bag, on which information about the product is printed. This piece of paper is an insert instruction. Drug instructions are often attached to the medicine box in this form, providing information about the ingredients, pharmacological effects, indications, dosage and other precautions of the drug.
iii.
label instructions. Such instructions refer to labels made of paper or other materials attached to the product packaging or directly attached to the product. The most common is the label on the garment, which indicates the name of the garment, fabric composition, size, color and washing instructions.
iv.
Instructions printed on the package. Text descriptions of some products are directly printed on their outer packaging (packaging boxes, packaging cans, packaging bottles, etc.). For example, text descriptions of many foods and beverages belong to this category, including product name, trademark, ingredients, net weight, storage and shelf life.
5 role editor
When people buy goods, they find that many goods are accompanied by instructions for use, and those without instructions often indicate on the packaging: for example, some drugs are "taken three times a day, two tablets at a time, before meals"; Another example is that some electrical appliances indicate that 22 volts must be applied, and even some instructions seem to be "nonsense", such as "This product is for external use and cannot be taken internally" and so on. Commodity brochures all record the purpose, conditions of use, methods of use, service life, matters needing attention in use and storage, as well as the name, brand and model of the commodity, so that consumers can "follow the map" and choose their own suitable commodities, and then use, keep and store the commodities correctly according to the instructions after purchase, such as "This product should be stored in a ventilated and cool place", so consumers will not put it in a closed place.
So, is the instruction manual just to guide consumers to use the goods correctly? In fact, in addition to this, the instructions also have its legal significance.
first of all, as the basis for determining the quality assurance obligation of producers and operators, the law stipulates that producers have the obligation to ensure the inherent quality of products, including express guarantee obligation and implied guarantee obligation. In fact, the instruction manual of goods is one of the express guarantee obligations of producers and operators, and it is a promise of merchants to consumers. In addition to implementing the national mandatory standards (implied warranty), the producers and operators of commodities should also stipulate to consumers the quality and performance of the commodities according to the commodity specifications, which means that they must ensure that the shiny commodities are consistent with the agreed contents, otherwise, consumers have the right to demand price reduction, return and compensation for losses. For example, woolen sweaters are marked with 1% cashmere content, which is commonly known as "pure wool", or the instructions for cordless phones are marked with "Keep talking within 2 kilometers under the condition of normal use without obstacles", etc. Although woolen sweaters with 5% cashmere content are also cordless phones that can talk within 5 meters, as long as the merchants make this explicit statement, they should also bear the agreed quality obligations (2 kilometers of calls must be protected). In fact, if it is a woolen sweater blended with flies and a cordless telephone that can't talk normally when it is only over 5 meters, consumers can ask for price reduction and return.
Secondly, if consumers don't use it according to the instruction manual, they may use it improperly, so the losses caused by it are generally borne by consumers. For example, on July 5, 1993, Feng Mou, a worker in a carton factory, used a gas water heater to take a bath. Because the water heater was not installed according to the instruction manual, the ventilation was poor and oxygen was deficient, which caused him to be "gas poisoned". For this reason, Feng Mou spent more than 3, yuan on rescue and medical expenses. It is indeed an accident caused by the user's failure to install it according to the instruction manual. Therefore, although the consumer has the fact of damage, the manufacturer is not liable for compensation because of "improper use".
Therefore, when purchasing and using goods, consumers should pay attention to the instruction manual of the goods, so as to reduce abnormal use, prolong the life of the goods, claim for compensation against the express guarantee of the merchants in time, and avoid the losses caused by "improper use", especially some special products such as flammable and highly toxic. Don't be afraid of complicated operation procedures, and install and operate in strict accordance with the instruction manual of the goods to avoid such trouble of "bathing".
6 requires editing
1. The introduced object must be clearly stated.
2. The explanation and introduction must be realistic.
3. The words should be concise and the figures should be accurate.
4. it is better to appear in the form of articles.
5. supplemented by diagrams.
7 notes editing
1. Good instructions should play a role in guiding consumption, but some instructions fail to do this, such as the introduction and use methods are too simple or irrelevant; Some write the efficacy in a very general way, without being specific and clear.
2. explain the goods, should put the important. The key content tells consumers. However, some commodity introductions are only general, failing to pay more attention to key and key issues.
3. Inappropriate words often affect the expression effect because of semantic ambiguity.
4. The product description requires concise writing, but many instructions are afraid that users will not understand, take pains to talk about it, and repeat sentences.
5. if the date of manufacture or shelf life of food is not indicated, customers will not buy it because they suspect that it is overdue, which will affect the sales of goods.
8 writing method editor
① Overview
The beginning of a commodity manual often briefly expounds its nature and characteristics by overview, and some even use overview in the whole text.
overview means grasping the main features or situations of things, giving a brief account and a brief summary.
2 statements
statements are made in an orderly manner according to the order in which things need to be explained. But the purpose of narration is not to show the process, but to explain the method. The writing of the statement must be based on the consumer side, from the convenience of customers and the safety of use, and consider some possible problems in the use process as much as possible, and make a detailed introduction. The extent to which the process statement needs to be achieved depends on the nature of the goods and the specific situation of consumers' use. If the methods to be explained are complicated, the goods are expensive, dangerous, or easily damaged, and consumers need to know their operation or use process, the author should make a detailed statement, and even add explanatory pictures and photos to make them clear at a glance. This method of enhancing consumers' sense of trust and security is actually enhancing the competitiveness of products.
③ explanation
as the main method of commodity description, explanation is determined by the characteristics of commodity description. Commodity description is the medium to introduce commodities to readers, so it must be explained, focusing on the nature, characteristics, functions and methods of things.
Because of the different functions and usages of various products, the writing methods are naturally quite different, but no matter which method is used, its purpose is for readers to understand. Therefore, the writing language of commodity instructions must strive to be popular and accurate; The structure must be organized and orderly.
In principle, there are two main arrangements of instruction structure:
a. Arrange the structure according to the sequence of people's understanding of things;
B. arrange the structure according to the internal relations of the characteristics of things.
9 characteristics of English translation editing
vocabulary characteristics
The vocabulary of the instruction is relatively fixed and professional, and usually has fixed structural elements, such as name, model, function, characteristics, use and precautions. In addition, "dialect", "jargon" or "slang" peculiar to a certain technical field will be frequently used.
Syntactic features
The instruction language is concise and easy to understand, and sentences are often condensed into nouns (or phrases). Passive sentence, imperative sentence, ellipsis sentence, participle (preposition)+noun, (modal verb) +be+prepositional phrase, be
+ adjective+prepositional phrase are often used.
for example, gargle with product 2-5 minutes after brushing in the morning and
evening. (Rinse for 2 to 5 minutes after brushing your teeth in the morning and evening. ); It's reliable in usage. (safe and reliable operation); Contraindications: None
Known. (contraindication: undiscovered)
Translation principles
When translating, the function of the explanation should be highlighted and the definition should be accurate; Try to be concise and easy to understand; The language style is consistent with the original; Ensure the technical characteristics of the original text.
for example, content display: TFT LCD and Chinese/English OSD make disc contents
Clearer. (Content display: color fluorescent display and TV screen display in Chinese and English, the disc information is clear at a glance.