warning · Section 1: Words
Rule 1.10: Do not use regional, slang, or jargon words as technical nouns
Do not use technical nouns that are only understood by people in a specific region, or that are slang or narrow jargon understood by only a small group — always use well-known, widely understood terms.
What a checker looks for
Usually a deviation, and context can excuse it.
- Flag technical nouns that are regionalisms, slang, or narrow in-group jargon.
- Consider whether a reader from a different region or outside the specialist group would immediately understand the term; if not, flag it.
How to fix it
Replace the regional/slang/jargon term with the equivalent widely-understood technical noun or a plain-language description of the same thing.
Constraints on the fix
- Preserve the precise technical meaning of the original term.
Examples
Not STE: During logging operations, attach a choker to the heavy machinery to hold the logs in their position.
STE: During logging operations, attach a cable to the heavy machinery to hold the logs in their position.
Not STE: After the firmware update, do not brick the router.
STE: After the firmware update, do not set the router to OFF.
Related rules
Where this fits in AI governance
A rule a checker can test is a rule a model can be held to. The same discipline, on the governance side of this site.
- Hallucination
An approved word used in an unapproved sense is the controlled-language version of a plausible wrong answer. - Misinformation and confabulation
The register entry for text that reads correctly and is not. - Output validation guardrails
A controlled language is a checkable output constraint. This is the control that treats model output as something to be checked rather than trusted.
Source
ASD-STE100 Issue 9, Section 1 - Words, page 1-1-12.
This page is commentary and does not reproduce the standard. About this rule pack.