Translation and technical comunication

Translation and technical comunication

1. What is technical communication?

   • Seeks to help an audience understand a subject or carry out a procedure
   • Technical documents are generally produced by technical professionals and technical communicators

2. Technical communication adressess specific readers

   • Helps users to perform tasks, usually task oriented that is aimed to a particular group. Documentation is tailored for the audience.

3. Technical communication as a tool

   • Helps readers do something, it also aims to convey the right information to the right people and in the right format

4. Technical communication is often produced collaboratively

   • Technical documents are frequently a product of several people working together or a team of technical writers, each writing specific sections of the text. These type of documents pass through several cycles of review.

5. Technical communication uses design to improve usability

   • Beyond cosmetic factors, technical documents frequently use graphics to reinforce and support textual information or to convey large amonts of information quickly and clearly

6. Technical communication uses a variety of technologies

   • A range of tools to create and disseminate their document

7. Understanding audiences

   • Expert user
     • Quick overview and then detailed info
   • Technician
     • Identify and perform procedures, locates components
   • Transfer user
     • Problem solving to fill in gaps in existing knowledge
   • Rote user
     • Clear stp by step instructions to perform a spoecific task
   • Novice
     • General overview and introduction to subject, solve problems in tme, more detailed info
   • General reader
     • General interest, curiosity, boredom

8. Finding out who the audience is

   • General education level: understand general level of literacy
   • Experience and expertise of the audience: determines how much detail should be presented
   • How wide oand diverse is the audience? it is important in order to label smections or to structure information so they are separated for the different audiences
   • What is native language? this helps to limit range of vocabulary in texts and use specific terms
   • What is native culture? Determines practical issues such as date and time conventions, currencies and even references to law, institutions and government departments

9. Knowing what you are talking about

   • Read everything and anything!
     • Regardless if you are interested or or whether you understand what you are reading you will gain familiarity with writing styles, terminology, etc
   • Do your research
     • Research a topic quickly to find the most important info and asimilate it
   • Taking a night course
     • Enter part time night clases to gain knowledge
   • Talk to experts
     • Seek help with experts because they can answer quickly than looking it upin the internet