Contact Information
====================
Name:       Boyd J. McKillican
Phone:      905-303-0947
Web:        www.systemwright.com
E-mail:     info@systemwright.com

Paper Information
=================
Title:
Bilingual Development of a Safety-critical System Specification

Abstract:
Accurate communication is crucial during the requirements development phase
of any system.  The most common tool we use to communicate is language.
Assembling a team that normally uses different languages, implying different
cultures, slows progress and introduces errors.  Nevertheless, global
projects have major benefits: access to new methods, tools, customs,
techniques, points of view, and dissemination of "corporate experience".

On the subject project, Proof of Safety and certification is only acceptable
in German, also the customer requires all meetings, presentations, and
documents in German.  Specific experience of English- (and non-German)
speaking engineers was required on the project.  The problem is how to
merge, manage, trace and review coherent requirements that are being
developed in two languages, for diverse audiences. DOORS has helped with
managing translations for interactive use by speakers of both languages.

Some bilingual engineers are working on the project, but have a strong
language preference when performing technical work.  Therefore, a translator
must be introduced to the project.  Translations going in and out of the
requirements database, and the scope of the translating task must be tightly
controlled and history made available. This paper presents procedures used
by Alcatel Transport Automation with DOORS for:
. planning - selection and implementation of dominant language
. defining the scope of relevant translation work
. mechanics of importing/exporting/checking translation text
. reviewing requirements analysis (post-translation) of DOORS objects
. filtering, views, and utility dxl's used