GIFAS Rationalized French: A Controlled Language for Aerospace Documentation in French

AECMA Simplified English has been in use in the aerospace industry for twelve years. However, its use by non-native English speaking writers presupposes either a good knowledge of the English language and the ability to use Simplified English directly, or production of a source text in the writer's native language and then translation into Simplified English. But translation from a standard source language into Simplified English is not self-evident. This paper describes the attempts of the French aerospace industries association, the GIFAS, to define a controlled French, "le français rationalisé," allowing easy translation of technical documentation into Simplified English, whilst improving readability for native French speakers.