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Re: Post on Technical Writing vs. Technical Communication
Subject:Re: Post on Technical Writing vs. Technical Communication From:Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com> To:Robert Heizman <rheizman -at- vjt -dot- com> Date:Wed, 4 Apr 2012 10:37:12 -0700
I've known lots of engineers who said they COULD write a manual, but have
met very few who claimed to be able to write a GOOD manual (and they
could), and none at all who said they actually WANTED to write a manual.
And most engineers and managers I've worked with who had to write their
own manuals know exactly what it takes to do what we do and do it well,
which is why they don't want to have to do it themselves.
The attitude I look for when I talk to managers and engineers during job
interviews is "we're FINALLY able to hire a/some tech writer/s," delivered
in a tone similar to what you'd expect from a lion having a thorn removed
from its paw. And I've never had much trouble finding a company where the
engineers and first-level manager felt that way.
Corporate-level management is another story, but they don't have any more
respect for engineers than they do for writers.
Gene Kim-Eng
On Wed, Apr 4, 2012 at 10:12 AM, Robert Heizman <rheizman -at- vjt -dot- com> wrote:
> 2. Most engineers think they can write. They cannot.
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