RE: Chattiness in manuals

Subject: RE: Chattiness in manuals
From: SaraTörök <sara -dot- torok -at- se -dot- nucletron -dot- com>
To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 09:21:10 +0200

Hi Dan

Depends on what you classify as manuals, but in school books (even at
university level) and technical litterature, the chatty style is much more
common from US writers than it is in Europe, and we tend to get quite
disturbed by it.

Paid by the word - probably not full-time technical writers so often, but,
again, for authors of hand books, tutorials, technical litterature, this
is much more common in US publications. Is this not true anymore?

Regards,
Sara
______________________
Sara Török
Technical Writer
Nucletron Scandinavia AB

Tel. +46 18 56 50 27
______________________




"Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein -at- riverainmedical -dot- com>
Sent by: techwr-l-bounces+sara -dot- torok=se -dot- nucletron -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
2006-10-17 15:30

To
<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
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Subject
RE: Chattiness in manuals






Hi Sara,

As you say, "maybe it's cultural," but I can't figure out your post (even
with the winking icon). Do you *actually* think that most American tech
writers write chatty manuals, and that most of them get paid by the word?

On both matters, even a cursory reading of TECHWR-L would prove you wrong.

Best Regards,

Dan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sara Török
> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 9:00 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Re: Chattiness in manuals
>
> Hi Sarah,
>
> I would presume the writer is American, because:
>
> 1. They are very fond of holding 'lectures' or
> telling stories as if they had a live audience
> or as if the text was supposed to be read out
> loud.
> 2. All writers in US of any kind still get
> paid by the word (or so the malicious rumor
> says... ;.)
>
> Seriously, this style could be fine in a
> tutorial, but in a reference manual, online
> help, or the like - NEVER. I'm looking for an
> answer to my question, a solution to my
> problem, facts, facts, facts. Don't waste my
> time with chitchat, jokes and anecdotes. I'm
> not up for it right now. I'm trying to do my
> job.
>
> Maybe it's cultural...
>
> Regards
> Sara
>

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Follow-Ups:

References:
RE: Chattiness in manuals: From: Dan Goldstein

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