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On February 18th, I posted an email to TECHWR-L soliciting "metaphors" for
technical communicators. Some of you requested that I share my collection. Here
it is. I've annotated it in case you're interested in learning more about how our
identity as technical communicators is created and "marketed" to those with whom
we work. Our identity, through metaphors, has an influence on the kinds of
opportunities that present themselves throughout our careers. The "broader" the
metaphor, the more opportunity.
You are welcome to comment--privately or publicly--on this summary. It's an
interesting topic, and one that affects all of us in the profession. I guess another
way of looking at the topic is to ask: How do I want to be perceived as a technical
communicator by others? And, don't we deal with this problem every day of our
professional lives?
Metaphors of identity for technical communicators
Some Legacies
bridge and translator -- these are legacies from the STC; they have been criticized
extensively in academic journals about technical communication for making
technical communicators too passive.
conduit--I don't have an original citation for this, but have seen the metaphor
referenced a lot in papers about technical communication
Current Metaphors
A lot of these came from professors/scholars of technical communication who
explore our identity so that they can develop better programs and courses in
technical communication. They care a lot about how we're perceived by others and
try to create programs and courses that prepare future generations of technical
communicators to take more active, interesting roles in industry.
symbolic analyst -- This metaphor comes from _The Work of Nations_ by Robert
Reich (Vintage Books, 1992). Johndan Johnson-Eiola, a professor of technical
communication at Clarkson University explores this metaphor.
techno-rhetorician -- This metaphor comes from Robert Johnson's award-winning
book, _User-Centered Technology: a rhetorical theory for computers and other
mundane artifacts_ (State University of New York Press, 1998). Robert Johnson is
the chair of the humanities department at Michigan Technological University and
the chair of my PhD research efforts. The book is excellent. I highly recommend it.
citizen -- This metaphor comes from writings in classical rhetoric (Plato, Aristotle,
Socrates, and so on). Dale Sullivan, a professor of technical communication at
Michigan Technological University and soon-to-be chair of the Rhetoric Department
at the University of Minnesota, develops the idea of technical communicators as
citizens. See in particular "Political-Ethical Implications of Defining Technical
Communication as Practice" (Journal of Advanced Composition, 10 (1990): 375-
386).
document scientist - Professor Stephen Bernhardt, now at the University of
Delaware, contributed this metaphor via a recent email exchange. If we think of
ourselves as scientists, and we do technical communication as scientists, how might
others perceive us then? Interesting question.... Some of you use "engineer" in
your job titles. Similar issues to those raised when we use "scientist".
author - This metaphor is explored in "The Technical Communicator as Author:
Meaning, Power, Authority" (Journal of Business and Technical Communication,
volume 7, no. 1, January 1993, pp. 12-36) by Jennifer D. Slack, David Miller, and
Jeffrey Doak. Professor Slack is in the Humanities Department at Michigan
Technological University. The paper explores our metaphorical legacies (bridge,
translator, and conduit--although the latter is called a transmission view in the
paper) and builds a case for technical communicators becoming authors. Quoting
from Michel Foucault, the function of author is "to characterize the existence,
circulation, and operation of certain discourses in society". Powerful argument, well
worth thinking about.
midwife--This metaphor comes from Socrates, and it has been explored by
Professors Mary Lay and Billie Wahlstrom at the University of Minnesota. ("The
Rhetoric of Midwifery: Conflicts and Conversations in the Minnesota Home Birth
Community in the 1990s". Quarterly Journal of Speech 82, November 1996: 383-
401.) I think that there are more recent writings by Mary Lay on midwifery. A
curious metaphor, indeed, but by analogy, there are some strong correlations from
midwifery to the practice of technical communication and our role.
Some other metaphors that folks contributed via email on 18 February 2002:
- information wrangler
- user advocate
- intention representators
- mediator
- change manager
- information engineer
Hope you found this summary interesting. Thanks again to everyone who
responded to my query. Again, if you have comments on this topic, just email me
or email TECHWR-L.
------------------
Cheers, Nancy
--
Nancy Hoft ~ and ~ Nancy Hoft Consulting
PhD Student, Rhetoric and Technical Communication
Michigan Technological University
SMAIL: 7215 Brookhaven Terrace, Englewood, FL 34224-8694
VMAIL: +1 941/826.6932
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EMAIL: nhoft -at- world-ready -dot- com, or nlhoft -at- mtu -dot- edu, or nhoft -at- worldnet -dot- att -dot- net
WEB: http://www.world-ready.com
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