Re: Certification--a new concept. Discuss

Subject: Re: Certification--a new concept. Discuss
From: David Neeley <dbneeley -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 14:40:45 -0500


John,

I disagree. A manager must understand the requirements and communicate
them clearly to the staff...which certainly should involve "clear and
concise" composition.

A help author must also have the ability to write clearly and
concisely, while single sourcing has little to do with the content
beyond how it is managed. Too often, single-sourced material should be
"manicured" to give a consistent result--and again, clear and concise
should be the watchword.

A translator must produce output in the desired language that is clear
and concise--which often requires restating the original content
rather than any sort of word-for-word translation.

As for a web designer, I don't think that is a "technical writer" at all.

As for the skills you list, Windows expertise may--or, increasingly in
the time of the growing use of non-Windows systems--may not be a
significant asset at all. That seems much more peripheral than clear
and concise writing.

Any requirements document that does not specify a "clear and concise"
result seems deficient, unless it is merely understood.

Unless, perhaps, you happen to labor in a government entity that
values obfuscation.

David

On 8/1/05, John Posada <jposada01 -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
>
> > However, there is (or should be) some 'skills' that we all have in
> > common. We should ALL be able to write clearly and concisely etc
>
> I don't think that is a core competency. Does a TW manager need to do
> that? Does a help author, one involved with single sourcing where
> they receive thew content have to do that? How about a web designer,
> a translator?
>
> The core is to produce/participate in a deliverable that meets the
> job's requirements.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Now Shipping -- WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word! Easily create online
Help. And online anything else. Redesigned interface with a new
project-based workflow. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l


---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.



Follow-Ups:

References:
Re: Certification--a new concept. Discuss: From: John Posada

Previous by Author: Re: English to Japanese Machine Translation
Next by Author: Re: techwr-l digest: August 01, 2005 - cert comment and over-sized doc
Previous by Thread: Re: Certification--a new concept. Discuss
Next by Thread: Re: Certification--a new concept. Discuss


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads