Wanda Green
January 28, 2009
ENG 3773
Technical Writing
Professor Gold
Assignment #1
What is Technical Writing?
Wikipedia’s definition:
A form of technical communication is a style of formal writing, used in the fields as diverse as computer hardware and software, chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics, finance, consumer electronics and biotechnology. Technical writers explain complex ideas to technical and non-technical audiences. This could mean telling a programmer how to use a software library, or telling a consumer how to operate a television remote control.
Technical writers often labor under titles that include phrases like ‘Information Development’ ‘Technical Documentation’, or ‘Technical Publications’. For example, in some organizations, tech writers may be called information developers, documentation specialist, document engineer, API writers or technical content developers.
Technical writers gather information from existing documentation, and from subject matter experts. A subject matter expert (SME) is any expert on the topic that the writer is working on. Technical writers usually are not SMEs themselves unless they are writing about creating good technical documentation. Workers in many different fields, have a role in producing and distributing technical communications. A good technical writer needs strong language skills, and must understand the highly evolved conventions of modern technical communication.
Ask.com’s definition:
Technical writing is the presentation of information that helps the reader resolves a particular problem. Technical communicators write, design, and/or edit proposals, manuals, and web pages. The first rule of technical writing is ‘know your audience.’
PC Magazine’s definition:
Technical writers are the people responsible for writing hardware and software documentation, online help, technical definitions and technical product descriptions on website. Quite often, the technical writer is given the task of documenting an application at the last minute, allowing very little time for a thorough understanding of all the options, let alone time for others to read and edit the material before it is published.
My definition of Technical Writing:
I view technical writing as a form of communication. Communication that comes into play when users’ manuals, training manuals and business proposals are needed. Proper documentation tends to be one of the most important tools in that technical writers arsenal.
Websites related to the field of Technical Writing:
1) Tech Scribe
http://www.techscribe.co.uk/techw/glossary.htm
2) Improving Your Technical Writing Skills
http://www.dcs.gmul.ac.uk/~norman/papers/good_writing
3) Guidelines for Technical Writing
http://www.ent.ohiou.edu/~valy/techwrite.html
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