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Re: Post on Technical Writing vs. Technical Communication
Subject:Re: Post on Technical Writing vs. Technical Communication From:Phil <philstokes03 -at- googlemail -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Fri, 6 Apr 2012 19:42:04 +0700
Seems to me the semantics of the two terms are clear.
If you primarily write stuff that is technical, you're no doubt best described as a 'technical writer'. On the hand, if you communicate with audiences using a variety of different media, 'technical communicator' would seem more accurate (or less misleading, whichever emphasis you prefer).
I feel the term 'technical writing' is a hangover from the days when the text-based medium was more-or-less the only way to communicate technical information (albeit with the occasional diagram or photo thrown in).
The term 'technical communication' reflects changes in both technology and philosophy — we not only have the means to communicate via different media but also have for some time recognised that other media can be equally effective at getting across technical information to our audience.
I suspect that the reason most professional bodies in our industry are called societies for 'technical communication' rather than societies for 'technical writing' is to reflect the fact that there is now much wider scope for how we deliver technical information to various industries, and that there is a wider skill-set used and required by practitioners aside from being only or primarily 'wordsmiths'.
Best
Phil
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