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Subject:Re: Culture, or What it means to be a Te From:George Mena <George -dot- Mena -at- ESSTECH -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 8 May 1998 09:23:02 -0700
Michael Morris, you just got my attention with this post.
Perhaps you'd be good enough to share details of the curriculum. =D
Greetings from California. =D
George Mena
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Morris, Michael [SMTP:MORRIS -at- COTR -dot- BC -dot- CA]
> Sent: Friday, May 08, 1998 7:11 AM
> To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject: Re: Culture, or What it means to be a Te
>
> Thank you Katherin. I'm just completing the curriculum for a postgrad
> cours=
> e =
> in Preparing User Documentation, and you've summed it all up for me.
>
> regards
>
> Michael Morris
> Canadian Institute for New Media, Research and Development
> Cranbrook BC
> morris -at- cotr -dot- bc -dot- ca
>http://mediavision.cotr.bc.ca
> ----------
>
> Usually when I explain to people what I do as a tech writer I say that
> I'm a "translator," taking complex, convoluted engineering stuff and
> turning it into understandable English. That, to me, is the challenge
> and thrill of being a technical writer: "How can I take this
> engineering
> functional spec and translate it into something clear, concise,
> task-oriented and interesting?" When I put it like that, it makes
> sense
> to the person I'm talking to and they think it's really cool.
>
> I agree that it really makes no difference WHAT you're documenting; we
> are translators. We stand in the unique position of being able to
> interpret between engineers/programmers and lay people. We have the
> ability to communicate on both levels-complex, highly technical,
> detailed information on one hand, and plain English on the other. What
> we do really does make or break the product, whatever it may be,
> because
> without good documentation, the user can't effectively use the
> product,
> or can't use it at all. The powers that be may not understand this,
> but
> we should.
>
>
> Kathy Stanzler
> Technical Writer
> Brooktrout Technology Inc.
> Southborough, MA
> (508) 229-7777 ext. 182
> kking -at- brooktrout -dot- com
>
> &^~~~
> Send commands to listserv -at- listserv -dot- okstate -dot- edu (e.g., SIGNOFF
> TECHWR-L)
>
