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Subject:Call for Proposals: GLOBAL ISSUES, LOCAL CONCERNS From:Nancy Hoft <nhoft -at- WORLD-READY -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 19 Feb 1998 09:23:52 -0500
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********** C A L L F O R P R O P O S A L S **********
SPECIAL ISSUE: GLOBAL ISSUES, LOCAL CONCERNS
_Technical communication_, the journal of the Society for Technical
Communication, is pleased to announce a special issue on Global
Issues, Local Concerns to be published in May 1999. Guest editor is
Nancy L. Hoft.
DESCRIPTION
Today, when we create information products for the world, we can't
help but ask questions like these:
Do my information products make sense and are they helpful--even
after they're translated--to users around the world? How different are
writing styles worldwide? Do writing styles make a difference in
reading comprehension?
What do I lose and gain when I restrict my writing to a controlled
language like AECMA Technical English or Caterpillar Technical
English?
How can I use global communication technologies, like the Web, to
manage the development of global information products?
If I want to export my information products to Europe, what
languages do I translate into? What if my audience members work in
Europe but can't read any of the major European languages? What if my
audience can't read?
What tools can help me manage multiple versions in multiple
languages of online and printed information products? What about
multimedia?
Do I need to "translate" American English into British, Australian,
and New Zealand English? Are there similar problems with Spanish and
French?
What should I do if my company is pressuring me to compromise the
quality of a translation?
What do I need to know about users in other countries when I
create information products that explain how to use my company's
technology?
Are there any international standards that can simplify all of this
complexity for me? Applied examples?
In answering these questions, we need to consider not only how the
answers address our business objectives, but also how they affect the
world. For global business, all choices have complex and sometimes
contradictory consequences we must consider.
We seek contributions that address such questions in ways that also
explore the consequences of the choices we make--consequences that
echo beyond business objectives and deadlines and that affect people,
processes, policies, and practices worldwide. Submissions should help
practicing technical communicators understand, recognize, and respond
to global issues and local concerns. Both practitioners and academics
from all over the world and from all disciplines and industries are
invited to participate.
TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS TO CONSIDER
Results of research, usability studies, and fieldwork; original
contributions to international technical communication theory; case
studies; tutorials; in-depth interviews; frequently asked questions
(FAQs); literature or tools reviews; annotated bibliographies; tips
and tricks; and syllabi and detailed course notes.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES
All proposals and manuscripts will be peer-reviewed.
500-Word Proposal 01 June 1998
Draft Paper 15 August 1998
Final Paper 15 November 1998
Publication Date 14 April 1999
Submit your 500-word proposal
by post to:
Nancy Hoft
Michigan Technological University
P.O. Box 155
Houghton, MI 49931-0155 USA
by email to: nhoft -at- world-ready -dot- com
***** Proposals must be received no later than 01 JUNE 1998. *****
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions about your proposal idea for this special
issue on Global Issues, Local Concerns, or if you wish to be
considered as a *reviewer* for proposals and manuscripts submitted to
this special issue, please contact Nancy L. Hoft at
nhoft -at- world-ready -dot- com or +1 906.482.5658 (-5, UTC).
ABOUT STC, _TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION_, AND ITS AUDIENCE
The Society for Technical Communication (http://www.stc-va.org) is an
individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the arts and
sciences of technical communication--it is the largest organization of
its type in the world. Its 20,000 members include technical writers,
editors, graphic designers, videographers, multimedia artists, and
others whose work involves making technical information available to
those who need it. The mission of the Society for Technical
Communication (STC) is to improve the quality and effectiveness of
technical communication for audiences worldwide. STC's highly
acclaimed quarterly journal, _Technical communication_, publishes
thought-provoking articles on subjects of interest to all technical
communicators.
The primary audience of _Technical communication_ is informed
practitioners; manuscripts reporting the results of research or
proposing theories about topics concerning technical communication
should include descriptions of or suggestions for practical
application of the research or theory.
You can also contact the guest editor, Nancy Hoft, or the journal's
editor:
George F. Hayhoe
194 Aberdeen Drive
Aiken, SC 29803-7100 USA
george -at- ghayhoe -dot- com
Voice: +1 803.642.2156
Fax: +1 803.642.9325
N A N C Y H O F T
Ph.D. Student, Rhetoric and Technical Communication
Michigan Technological University
PHONE: +1 906/482.5658 FAX: +1 906/482.0019
SMAIL: P.O. Box 155, Houghton, MI 49931-0155 USA
EMAIL: mailto:nlhoft -at- mtu -dot- edu -or- mailto:nhoft -at- world-ready -dot- com
WEB: http://www.world-ready.com
