TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
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.
Re: What do you assume as basic audience vocabulary?
Subject:Re: What do you assume as basic audience vocabulary? From:Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- progeny -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 18 Jan 2001 10:11:53 -0800
Kim McGarghan wrote:
> We just published our interim technical manual, where we used the term
> "initialize disk" rather than "format disk", especially since one of our
> functions is labeled "Initialize Disk."
>
> A few users have complained that we *should* have called this "format disk"
> instead.
George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" was published
over fifty years ago, but his basic rules hold true. One of the most
important is: never use a long word where a short one will do.
In other words, unless "initialize" carries some important meaning
than "format" doesn't, don't use it. I can't see that it does, but I
doubt I know the whole context.
For that matter, if it were up to me, I would have wracked my brain
for a single syllable word for "format" when the concept and
practice were first introduced, on the grounds that a routine task
should have a simple name. But did they ask me? Nooo...
--
Bruce Byfield, Progeny Linux Systems
Contributing Editor, Maximum Linux
604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- progeny -dot- com
"Dauntless the slug-horn to my lips I set
And blew. 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came.'"
-Robert Browning
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Develop HTML-Based Help with Macromedia Dreamweaver 4 ($100 STC Discount)
**WEST COAST LOCATIONS** San Jose (Mar 1-2), San Francisco (Apr 16-17) http://www.weisner.com/training/dreamweaver_help.htm or 800-646-9989.
Sponsored by DigiPub Solutions Corp, producers of PDF 2001
Conference East, June 4-5, Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. http://www.pdfconference.com or toll-free 877/278-2131.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
