Expert technical writers will know exactly what we mean when we talk about single sourcing or single-source publishing (SSP): creating content from a single source that can then be published in various contexts and formats.
It can be used in different file formats (PDF, WebHelp, HTML Help, Word etc.), for different target markets (e.g. end users, service technicians, installation engineers) or for different regions. The benefit of SSP is that it simultaneously reduces your costs and increases the consistency and quality of your documentation.
Do you remember RoboHelp and Doc-To-Help? They were among the first wave of SSP programs that were introduced in the early 1990s. They’ve come a long way since then, and over the years they’ve been joined on the market by various SSP tools such as MadCap Flare, Author-it and Help & Manual.
One source, lots of publications
The main benefit of creating content in these SSP programs is the enormous money-saving potential it offers – SSP tools mean source files only have to be translated once and can then be published in various file formats and versions. So not only can one source be used to create both a PDF handbook and an online help guide, for example, but the same source can also form the basis of three different instruction manuals: one for the installation engineers, one for the service technicians, and one for the end users.
Almost all SSP programs allow you to create text components which are then used at multiple points in the documentation. That means when changes are needed, they only have to be made at one point – the software will apply them to all the other points where that component occurs. This has the benefit of reducing the amount of text that needs to be translated and increasing consistency across the text, which in turn produces clearer, easier-to-understand and higher-quality documentation.
Challenges of SSP tools
But as is so often the case, SSP tools have their downsides. One of them is variables, a feature which on the one hand makes texts easier to write and reuse, but on the other can cause problems in translation if used carelessly or excessively. Many programs allow writers to adapt the texts specifically for the respective publication, but even here they need to be careful – what works in the source text may lead to unexpected and annoying consequences when it’s translated.
More about single-source publishing
We at MEINRAD have been translating SSP projects for 25 years, so we have plenty of experience in handling these kinds of challenges.
Meinrad Reiterer gave a talk on this subject at the tekom spring conference in Vienna, and we thought it would be a great idea to share what he had to say – so we recorded the presentation for you to download! Lasting around 15 minutes, it will give you in-depth insights into single-source publishing and tell you more about text components, conditions and variables. In future posts we’ll explore SSP in more depth, focus on other aspects and build even further on what Meinrad talked about in his presentation.
