The Role of English in Technical Writing
Technical Writing is an upcoming field in India which is still at a nascent stage of development. There is a lot of untapped potential in this field and it affords exciting job opportunites in the near future. Though there are no formal courses in educational institutions in India, there are a few reputed training establishments in cities like Hyderbad, Bangalore and Pune which offer courses in Technical Writing. Incidentally, demand for technical writers is also high in these cities. So what is Technical Writing? According to Wikipedia, “Technical communication is the process of conveying technical information through writing, speech, and other mediums to a specific audience. Information is usable if the intended audience can perform an action or make a decision based on it (Johnson-Sheehan 7). Technical communicators often work collaboratively to create products (deliverables) for various media, including paper, video, and the Internet. Deliverables include online help guides, user manuals, technical manuals, specifications, process and procedure manuals, reference cards, training, business papers and reports.”
So, technical writers are people who write about technical things and simplify the technical jargon in language that a layman can understand. The knowledge of English language plays a crucial role in technical writing. A technical writer must possess excellent knowledge of English and at the same time must not use that knowledge to overwhelm the end-user. The technical writer’s job is to decipher complex technical terms and processes and present it to the user in simple, uncomplicated English. In other words, a technical writer has to demystify things. Secondly a technical writer should have an interest in science and technology. Usually a writer has to help a user to understand a product and how to use it. For that, one should know the product and understand its technology well although one need not be an not an expert in that. A technical writer develops an expertise in a particular technical area for which one is working for, and whatever he/ she writes or says about the field (or its products/ services), is termed as technical communication.
Why is English the preferred language for Technical Communication all over the world? English is the most commonly used language in global communication even between people who do not speak English as their mother-tongue. Also, because English is the most dominant economic language, the most common source language for technical writing is English. From the cost aspect too, it makes sense to use English in technical communication since out-sourcing to Asian countries like India, Malaysia and Philippines who have a huge number of English literate graduates makes it cost-effective.
.
That brings us to the next question. What kind of qualification in English is required to become a Technical Writer? Most technical writers are people with either Engineering degrees or English degrees. But it is not essential that you should have either of those qualifications. You can be a graduate from any stream of learning. However it is essential to have a good understanding of English grammar and usage and an aptitude for understanding technical subjects. Admittedly, it is easier to get a break into technical writing if you are an engineer with good English language skills, but if you have a genuine inclination towards technical writing, it doesn’t really matter what stream you belong to.
Now, let us see what aspects of English are important to a technical writer. An important fact to keep in mind for a technical writer is the target audience. Since the U.S.A is the major economic superpower and most consumers are American, there is a heavy bias towards American English in writing technical communications. English has its roots in England and there are many variants of English spoken all over the world in different countries where English has been adapted to reflect the unique local cultural nuances. Basically American English has some variations from what we refer to as English English or the Queen’s English. It’s important for technical writers to become well-versed in American English. A search in the internet will throw up some sites which highlight these differences. For eg: Better Writing, List of Words having different meanings, etc. The differences are simple yet significant for the technical writer because in India, due to our colonial past, the English we use is largely British English and extra effort is needed to familiarise oneself with the American grammar, usage, spelling and pronunciation.
So, what are the types of Technical Writing? Technical Writing can be classified into four broad categories based on the type of documentation produced. These are:
Marketing Documents: Technical Writers write marketing documents like brochures, case studies, press releases, product handbooks, white papers and data sheet. Documents like SLAs (Service Level Agreements-The SLA describes exactly what a provider (company or department) will do for a customer (another company, another department, or an individual) and Proposals (They describe what work will be done, generally in response to a RFP-Request for Proposal)
Reporting Documents: Technical papers, Annual reports, magazine articles etc.
Instructional Documents: Instructional documents are designed generally for laymen who need information on how to use a product or service. The documents include user manual, installation manual, glossary, training material, online tutorials, and quick start guides.
Process Documents: Process documents explain the steps in a particular process which has to be performed regularly, like running a payroll programme every month, or Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) which outline general working processes in a company. These are helpful in maintaining continuity when employees leave a company or there is a system breakdown. This has also gained prominence in the current BPO scenario where Process manuals help new recruits quickly pick up knowledge about the transactions they need to do.
General Documents: Documents like letters, resume etc
In view of the wide variety of technical documents which a Technical Writer needs to create, he/ she must tailor the structure, the content, as well as language accordingly.
For example, while Online help guides would contain short brief sentences briefly listing the sequence of actions to be performed, Process and Procedure manuals would be more detailed giving the background of the process, dependencies, steps for verification, checklist items, etc. The Technical Writer must hence be flexible in his/ her use of the English language to structure his/ her prose accordingly. The Writer should not overpower the audience with heavy words and long phrases. On the other hand, the document must still contain sufficient detail and clarity so as to leave no space for any ambiguity. The Writer thus walks a tightrope between detail and readability. Such skill hence necessitates a fairly good command over the English Language, including, but not limited to, a large vocabulary, excellent command over grammar, verbal usage, and nuances between different cultures in English usage. Additionallly, since the main input for the Writer comes from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who may be from different geographical locations (each with their own accents), he/ she must be able to easily and quickly understand their verbal description of the product/ service during Knowledge Transfer sessions, product briefings, etc. The ability to ask the right questions in a clear and precise manner is thus a skill which the Technical Writer needs to imbibe as well.
To conclude, Reading, Writing and Comprehension of the spoken word in English are all vital qualities for success of the modern-day Technical Writer.
Technical Writing is an upcoming field in India which is still at a nascent stage of development. There is a lot of untapped potential in this field and it affords exciting job opportunites in the near future. Though there are no formal courses in educational institutions in India, there are a few reputed training establishments in cities like Hyderbad, Bangalore and Pune which offer courses in Technical Writing. Incidentally, demand for technical writers is also high in these cities. So what is Technical Writing? According to Wikipedia, “Technical communication is the process of conveying technical information through writing, speech, and other mediums to a specific audience. Information is usable if the intended audience can perform an action or make a decision based on it (Johnson-Sheehan 7). Technical communicators often work collaboratively to create products (deliverables) for various media, including paper, video, and the Internet. Deliverables include online help guides, user manuals, technical manuals, specifications, process and procedure manuals, reference cards, training, business papers and reports.”
So, technical writers are people who write about technical things and simplify the technical jargon in language that a layman can understand. The knowledge of English language plays a crucial role in technical writing. A technical writer must possess excellent knowledge of English and at the same time must not use that knowledge to overwhelm the end-user. The technical writer’s job is to decipher complex technical terms and processes and present it to the user in simple, uncomplicated English. In other words, a technical writer has to demystify things. Secondly a technical writer should have an interest in science and technology. Usually a writer has to help a user to understand a product and how to use it. For that, one should know the product and understand its technology well although one need not be an not an expert in that. A technical writer develops an expertise in a particular technical area for which one is working for, and whatever he/ she writes or says about the field (or its products/ services), is termed as technical communication.
Why is English the preferred language for Technical Communication all over the world? English is the most commonly used language in global communication even between people who do not speak English as their mother-tongue. Also, because English is the most dominant economic language, the most common source language for technical writing is English. From the cost aspect too, it makes sense to use English in technical communication since out-sourcing to Asian countries like India, Malaysia and Philippines who have a huge number of English literate graduates makes it cost-effective.
.
That brings us to the next question. What kind of qualification in English is required to become a Technical Writer? Most technical writers are people with either Engineering degrees or English degrees. But it is not essential that you should have either of those qualifications. You can be a graduate from any stream of learning. However it is essential to have a good understanding of English grammar and usage and an aptitude for understanding technical subjects. Admittedly, it is easier to get a break into technical writing if you are an engineer with good English language skills, but if you have a genuine inclination towards technical writing, it doesn’t really matter what stream you belong to.
Now, let us see what aspects of English are important to a technical writer. An important fact to keep in mind for a technical writer is the target audience. Since the U.S.A is the major economic superpower and most consumers are American, there is a heavy bias towards American English in writing technical communications. English has its roots in England and there are many variants of English spoken all over the world in different countries where English has been adapted to reflect the unique local cultural nuances. Basically American English has some variations from what we refer to as English English or the Queen’s English. It’s important for technical writers to become well-versed in American English. A search in the internet will throw up some sites which highlight these differences. For eg: Better Writing, List of Words having different meanings, etc. The differences are simple yet significant for the technical writer because in India, due to our colonial past, the English we use is largely British English and extra effort is needed to familiarise oneself with the American grammar, usage, spelling and pronunciation.
So, what are the types of Technical Writing? Technical Writing can be classified into four broad categories based on the type of documentation produced. These are:
Marketing Documents: Technical Writers write marketing documents like brochures, case studies, press releases, product handbooks, white papers and data sheet. Documents like SLAs (Service Level Agreements-The SLA describes exactly what a provider (company or department) will do for a customer (another company, another department, or an individual) and Proposals (They describe what work will be done, generally in response to a RFP-Request for Proposal)
Reporting Documents: Technical papers, Annual reports, magazine articles etc.
Instructional Documents: Instructional documents are designed generally for laymen who need information on how to use a product or service. The documents include user manual, installation manual, glossary, training material, online tutorials, and quick start guides.
Process Documents: Process documents explain the steps in a particular process which has to be performed regularly, like running a payroll programme every month, or Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) which outline general working processes in a company. These are helpful in maintaining continuity when employees leave a company or there is a system breakdown. This has also gained prominence in the current BPO scenario where Process manuals help new recruits quickly pick up knowledge about the transactions they need to do.
General Documents: Documents like letters, resume etc
In view of the wide variety of technical documents which a Technical Writer needs to create, he/ she must tailor the structure, the content, as well as language accordingly.
For example, while Online help guides would contain short brief sentences briefly listing the sequence of actions to be performed, Process and Procedure manuals would be more detailed giving the background of the process, dependencies, steps for verification, checklist items, etc. The Technical Writer must hence be flexible in his/ her use of the English language to structure his/ her prose accordingly. The Writer should not overpower the audience with heavy words and long phrases. On the other hand, the document must still contain sufficient detail and clarity so as to leave no space for any ambiguity. The Writer thus walks a tightrope between detail and readability. Such skill hence necessitates a fairly good command over the English Language, including, but not limited to, a large vocabulary, excellent command over grammar, verbal usage, and nuances between different cultures in English usage. Additionallly, since the main input for the Writer comes from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who may be from different geographical locations (each with their own accents), he/ she must be able to easily and quickly understand their verbal description of the product/ service during Knowledge Transfer sessions, product briefings, etc. The ability to ask the right questions in a clear and precise manner is thus a skill which the Technical Writer needs to imbibe as well.
To conclude, Reading, Writing and Comprehension of the spoken word in English are all vital qualities for success of the modern-day Technical Writer.
Comments