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I disagree. A manager must understand the requirements and communicate
them clearly to the staff...which certainly should involve "clear and
concise" composition.
A help author must also have the ability to write clearly and
concisely, while single sourcing has little to do with the content
beyond how it is managed. Too often, single-sourced material should be
"manicured" to give a consistent result--and again, clear and concise
should be the watchword.
A translator must produce output in the desired language that is clear
and concise--which often requires restating the original content
rather than any sort of word-for-word translation.
As for a web designer, I don't think that is a "technical writer" at all.
As for the skills you list, Windows expertise may--or, increasingly in
the time of the growing use of non-Windows systems--may not be a
significant asset at all. That seems much more peripheral than clear
and concise writing.
Any requirements document that does not specify a "clear and concise"
result seems deficient, unless it is merely understood.
Unless, perhaps, you happen to labor in a government entity that
values obfuscation.
David
On 8/1/05, John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
>
> > However, there is (or should be) some 'skills' that we all have in
> > common. We should ALL be able to write clearly and concisely etc
>
> I don't think that is a core competency. Does a TW manager need to do
> that? Does a help author, one involved with single sourcing where
> they receive thew content have to do that? How about a web designer,
> a translator?
>
> The core is to produce/participate in a deliverable that meets the
> job's requirements.
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