Re: Technical Writing - What's the catch?

Subject: Re: Technical Writing - What's the catch?
From: Lou Quillio <quillio -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 10:34:04 -0500


On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 07:57:28 -0500, nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il
<nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il> wrote:

> > Pal, your writing sucks.

> I take this to mean "Pal, according to the
> standards used around here, your writing
> sucks." Maybe if you or I applied for a
> job where Rahul works ...

Baffle 'em with bathos? Bollywood meets Babelfish? Come on.

"As a Technical Writer who stands at the epicenter of changing trends
and technology, I have been subject to several bouts of disarray in
the recent times. The cause of my trepidation is not the sudden
upsurge in the magnitude of Technical Writers ..."
As a colossus standing astride technology and language, I feel the
upsurging magnitude of your disarray, and oh how it trepidates me. Or
maybe it's hives.

"... that there is a steep incongruity between 'what is expected' and 'what
actually occurs' when a Technical Writer is hired."
Yeah, except hereafter a different point is argued: that expectations are
low to begin with.

"In some of the most reputed organizations ..."
Reputed to be what?

"... (especially those catering to the manufacturing domain) ..."
They make lunch for the King of Chrysler?

"... documentation practices still are very naive."
Wrong object. Naive to what?

"This does not actually surprise me ..."
Does it not?

"... documentation does not actually generate any revenue for such
organizations and thus finds the lowest priority."
'Documentation is treated like a cost, not an asset.'

"It would not be very uncommon to find ..."
So, uhh, it *is* common, then?

"... the lack of absolutely no conventional standards ..."
The 'lack' of 'none'? And standards *are* conventions.
One or the other, please, not both.

"Well, then why do such organizations hire Technical Writers at the
first place ..."
Charity.

"... the burgeoning number of employee cards?"
Yes. Corps love costs, the burgeoning-er the better.

"The most common scenario where I cannot help being afflicted
with introversion ..."
Blank. Stare.

"Technical Writers are not provided the chance to reinvent the
wheel. Believe me, most organizations dread radical changes,
even if it the tangible benefits surmounts the age-old lame practices."
Soooo they don't care about quality? No news. BTW, that German
Shepherd over there is surmounting your Pekingese.

"... or writing those huge chunks of paragraphs that looked alien to
the end user."
[Whistling quietly to myself.]

"First things first, the lackadaisical approach has to be shown the
door - the magnanimity of this profession is that it houses one and
all, but we can't expect a nonchalant behavior to slowly creep in."
'There's too much mediocre work. If you're not part of the solution,
you're part of the problem.'

"... every time I write, I experience a strange exaltation that is
indefinable."
I get that too. From pr0n.

"Regale me with your prejudices and preferences."
Never the regaled nor a regaler be.

These are not translation artifacts or ESL blunders. There's a big
word for this style: onanism. Surely it's absurd to see conspiracies
when the reason you're not being taken seriously is right there on
your sleeve.

Or maybe it's bait.

Rahul, Sanjay and Randeep are bored, chillin' with some beers. Rahul
spins toward his monitor, flicking it on.

"Dude, this'll be rich. Hand me that paperback."

"Here. What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna copy some of the stuff in this novel to a Tech Writers'
newsgroup posting. I'll mix-in some other stuff about how nobody
respects tech writers. You watch. In six hours they'll all be wailing in
unison, and nobody will call bullshit. Works every time."

Look, I'm having a little fun here, and I apologize to Rahul -- if he's legit.

Yet he asked for it, so he got it.

LQ

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Technical Writing - What's the catch?: From: nosnivel -at- netvision -dot- net -dot- il

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