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.
Subject:RE: The 'user' in User Manual From:<Marsha -dot- Kamish -at- shell -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Tue, 6 Feb 2007 07:17:33 -0600
Most of the best tech writers that I've known have been English majors. They have been people with a real love of the English language. Because they also love to talk about English, it is helpful that we all speak the same language (grammar) when discussing the communication benefits of one phrase or word over another (or style or whatever). On the other hand, I've known many engineers turned technical writers who couldn't write themselves out of a paper bag. They were moved into documentation because they weren't very good at being engineers and, well, everyone can write, right? Funny how we can generalize and yet come up with totally different opinions.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+marsha -dot- kamish=shell -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+marsha -dot- kamish=shell -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]On
Behalf Of Gene Kim-Eng
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 4:41 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: The 'user' in User Manual
This might just turn this thread into a bona fide flame war...
Most of the best writers I have ever managed could not have
enumerated the terminology of "proper grammar" or the
academic concepts behind it if their lives depended on it.
Their professional training was not in grammar or English,
but in fields such as engineering, physics or biology, or
from hands-on training and experience in working with
products in the field. Their writing abilities were primarily
the result of having had the proper *use* of grammar and
good composition rules drummed into them on flash cards
during their formative years in the pre-whole-language era
of American schooling, and while they wrote well, most of
them had not diagrammed a sentence since before the onset
of puberty..
By contrast, some of the most annoying, pedantic, officious,
obstructive little PITA's I have ever known were editors with
formal academic training in "proper grammar" who took an
inordinate amount of pleasure in using all manner of English
texts and style guides as clubs to beat people over their heads
with, possibly as punishment for having had the audacity to be
making more money with words than they were.
Gene Kim-Eng
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jason Lee-Bakke" <jlbdca -at- gmail -dot- com>
> I think some of the disgareement here is not understanding the concepts vs.
> not being able to product the technical names for the concepts.
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
Now shipping: Help & Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help & Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as marsha -dot- kamish -at- shell -dot- com -dot-
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
Now shipping: Help & Manual 4 with RoboHelp(r) import! New editor,
full Unicode support. Create help files, web-based help and PDF in up
to 106 languages with Help & Manual: http://www.helpandmanual.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot-
