RE: Lingua Franca Today

Subject: RE: Lingua Franca Today
From: kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 07:31:23 -0700

Kinda seems like you're only interested in our replies if we agree with
you. You offer this topic for debate, but seem intent on defending your
initial choice of words.

You've stated that your target audience includes "executives in an IT
dept," and upon review, your phrase confused a reviewer who is - lo and
behold - "an executive in the IT dept." Congratulations - you've succeeded
in confusing a reader located smack in the middle of your targeted
demographic, and yet you defend your choice of words, saying "you get paid
to write that way."

Even if you are expected to write in a somewhat florid manner, it seems to
me that potentially obfuscating technical information with 2-dollar words
is a risky thing to do.

For what it's worth, "Business English" is probably a good answer for your
specific question, and "common language" would probably be a good
subsitute for your literate-but-potentially-confusing phrase. But that's
just the way _I_ get paid to write.



- Keith Cronin

_____________________________________


Tech writing: Keeping English majors off Welfare for over 50 years.


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