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For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> If someone hires me to write a technical document, how do I know which
> standard I need to comply with if any?
>
There are dozens of standards, and in any given situation there may be
several mutually-exclusive standards which could be applied. Not only
that, there are multiple interpretations of each standard. If an
organization wants you to follow a particular standard, they will typically
provide the information you need to comply with the standard to their
satisfaction. They will also typically engage a regulatory compliance
specialist (in-house or contracted) who can tell you which aspects of the
standard are important and which can be ignored. For example, some
international documentation and safety standards require translation into
multiple languages, but many companies defer the translation because the
cost would make the whole project unprofitable.
Still, it's good to try to keep up with the most popular standards, or
those which are seeing increased enforcement. You can offer a great
competitive advantage to an employer by helping them gain access to new
markets--or keep access to existing markets--through better compliance. Job
descriptions are a great way to see which standards are in demand.
Paul
--
Paul Goble
Omaha, Nebraska
pgcommunication -at- gmail -dot- com
www.pgcommunication.com
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