-Skilled and knowledgeable Technical Writers of Today-
by: Dayren Santamaria January 8, 2022
Technical writing became a serious profession in 1980. Since the 1950s scientists, inventors, and computer engineers have been needing the help from writers that could translate the professional jargon into comprehensible literature. A literature that could be understandable for people from other fields, non-professionals, customers, or clients that had to learn the details of a product. If you ever read a ‘how to manual,’ instructions to assembly and install equipment, products, or toys, then you have experienced the work of a technical writer. In the early days of technical writing, the information that was explained to a specific audience was not as complex. It was not required for the author to be skilled in a diversity of fields, but nowadays it is different.
Technical writers need to be skilled in mobile applications, programming languages, content design, software applications, cloud storages, and educational technology (E-Learning) in general. E-Learning combines the knowledge of computer software, educational theory, and educational practice to simplify learning for the audience. “Today technical writing has evolved from the traditional printed format to a more socially-oriented presence. The innovations in technology and product consumption have changed the way users consume content or product information; now the content is required to be in-time, on-need, published on a variety of hand-held devices, providing information on the go” (Sushma, 2020).
The advances in technology have improved and influenced every industry as it has influenced our lives. Thanks to the Internet, clients and users have a sophisticated understanding of technology, and therefore the way the documents are written have evolved to satisfy the needs and desires of the audience. The content could be delivered in different formats so that a broader audience can have access to it. A manual must be accompanying the product, but a video on the website could also deliver the information in a way that could be more helpful to certain customers. Being able to see the video and follow the instructions on how to build, operate, and/or maintain a product even before the product gets to the customer’s hands (in some situations), is an advantageous strategy.
Pressured by the advances in technology, the required skills for this profession have become wider than 30 years ago. “Today, technical writing has taken a more socially oriented slant, especially considering contemporary emphasis on real-time communication. The ability to provide responses in the form of comments and other means of discourse has also added a more feedback-driven, collaborative perspective to the field. The ability to create and showcase writing portfolios and other work via business web hosting services has also revolutionized how technical writers can present and promote their work, whether it is meant to aid users or to give a potential employer an idea of their experience with relevant documentation” (Johnson, 2014).
Before technical writing had its own parameters, but with the revolution of technology, those parameters have increased. The knowledge of the writers has had to become more skillful because it must cover a vast diversity of fields and subjects. Other overlapped skills are software product adoption, customer success, video tutorials, and graphics. Through software product adoption, customers can purchase, implement, or discover the latest applications. Customer success is the procedure of guaranteeing or evidencing the satisfaction of the user or customer with the product, while maintaining a long-term relationship. This close relationship will reveal the latest products to the customers which will motivate them to renew, update, or buy more products.
Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is productive and useful to technical writers because it creates maps to organize the contents. These contents are automatically formatted to different platforms, and the content can be reused on different projects. The writer can edit and update the content which makes DITA scalable. XML and HTML are the bases of this convenient architecture. Documents are sent through various digital platforms while printed versions are becoming less convenient and sustainable (Hill, 2020).
In essence, technical writers have transitioned from translating jargon into understandable language to skillful technical writers. In my opinion, their job goes unnoticed at times, and as a society we should acknowledge it more often. I have spent many years of my life reading manuals, or instructions to assemble equipment or products in general. All that time without knowing that a technical writer had skillfully found the appropriate words for me to understand the steps to successfully assembly or understand the product or device. User Manuals, Technical Books and Guides, Medical and Scientific Papers, and Technical Reports and Reviews are some of the types of technical writing. This profession is crucial for every layer of our society, even for the military since they need help understanding the process of their arms and products. I hope that with the changes in technical writing, also comes a social change and understanding of the value of this profession.
References
Hill, C. (2020, March 25). “Top 10 Reasons DITA conversion will improve your business.”dataconversionlaboratory.com Retrieved on January 6, 2022, from https://www.dataconversionlaboratory.com/post/top-10-reasons-dita-conversion-will-improve-your-business
Johnson, T. (2014, November 7). “The Evolution of Technical Writing.” idratherbewriting.com Retrieved on January 6, 2022, from https://idratherbewriting.com/2014/11/07/the-evolution-of-technical-writing/
Katz, L., Katz, W. by L., & Katz, L. (2021, July 15). Freelance technical writing: What it takes to be a tech writer. ClearVoice Blog. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://www.clearvoice.com/blog/niche-freelancers-tech-writers/
Sashma, R. (2020, July 27). “Digitalization – The Changing face of Technical Writing.” Medium.com Retrieved on January 6, 2022, from https://medium.com/@sushmar309/digitization-the-changing-face-of-technical-writing-6b2f2f0664b9
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