Re: Techwriting history

[letoured -at- together -dot- net]

In <200208270858 -dot- 17JFVK2qd3Nl3oW0 -at- strange -dot- mail -dot- mindspring -dot- net>, on 08/27/02 
   at 01:58 PM, "Martin Page" <mpage -at- csl -dot- co -dot- uk> said:


>Here's a chilling example of techwriting from the 1940s -  excerpts from the
>official Kamikaze manual:


>Some techwriting tie ins:

>-Ammunition for advocating the importance of documentation: "Even Kamikaze
>pilots needed manuals!"

>-The "Do I have to know the material debate"?: This is an effective manual
>created by somebody who neither carried out the complete procedure, nor had
>access to SMEs with experience of it (for obvious reasons).

Its an issue of perspective.  Anyone who has been in the military, and
experienced the moment when death is near or possible or expected, would
understand the language.  Anyone who has written manuals where know-how was
the basis of the job, would understand the language. 

Its actually quite well written. It would more interesting to know how much of
the impact is lost in the translation. 



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letoured -at- together -dot- net
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