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"Redefined" is perhaps too strong. Rather, another skill set can be added to
our resumes, as in "Skilled in bringing non-English writers to a high level
of proficiency in English expression" or some such. I once taught a regular
writing course at the local university that happened to have all non-native
people in it. They all made great progress and all passed the final exam,
which was graded by other teachers than myself. This skill set is the one
that can be added to our resumes.
Ola Humphries * Technical Writer * SunGard * Energy Solutions * 1221 Lamar,
Suite 950, Houston, TX, 77010 *
Tel Office 713-210-8291 * Home 713-864-1553 * Fax 713-210-8004 *
www.sungard.com/energy
-----Original Message-----
From: James Barrow [mailto:vrfour -at- verizon -dot- net]
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 2:55 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Non-English tech writer
>Ola Humphries said:
>
>By the wave of the future I meant that more new hires will lack high
>proficiency in the language itself and will need coaching in that area.
>Certainly it's not the hiring of incompetents. It used to be that many
>young writers had great writing skills but were weak in the technical end
>or lacked analytical abilities and interests.
Having worked with teams that contained a high percentage of people who
spoke English as a second language, communication was tricky, but they got
the job done. Of course, these were GUI experts and developers. Hiring
people that don't speak English well, and require coaching, so that they can
be tech writers is an entirely different story. And having seen the work of
people that I consider to be expert tech writers, I couldn't imagine the
amount of time it would take to coach new hires.
>Outsourcing is here to stay, at least at my company. Native speakers and
>writers will be called upon to fulfill the role of editor/teacher for many
>of these people, as a part of on-the-job training.
I think outsourcing is being redefined, but that's just my personal opinion.
Teachers are in high demand at the present though.
>Our job is being redefined. In fact, this has given me a new idea for how
>to sell myself in my next career.
Do you mean that the job of a tech writer is being redefined?
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WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
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