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Subject:Tech Writing in Europe From:PIP Mailbox <prc -at- PIP -dot- DKNET -dot- DK> Date:Wed, 21 Feb 1996 21:21:01 +0000
>From: Kathy Fisher <KDFisher -at- AOL -dot- COM>
>Subject: Tech Writing in Europe
>Is there anyone out there who lives and works in Europe, or who can
>tell me about the tech writing business there? I may be relocating
>toVienna for a year or two and am researching how I can find work
>there. Also, would greatly appreciate hearing about internet sites I
>can contact that may provide information. Many thanks in advance.
>Kathy Fisher
>KDFisher -at- aol -dot- com
The major difference between tech writing business in Europe and the
US is, that most places in Europe you have to be at least bi-lingual,
preferably multilingual. Outside Britain, most tech writers needs to
understand and write the local language + English, and most companies
(but certainly not all) prefers GB English. In many cases a company
have natives writing in their very local "dialect" of English (in
Germany "Genglish", in Denmark "Denglish", etc,), and then they have
a "mother-tongue-English" person translating it into real English. The
reason is, that almost no matter how good you are in a foreign
language, you make the most funny mistakes!
We have national associations like the STC, but to my knowledge, none
of them have www-pages. I don't know ab ut any the Austrian association.
I am running an - at least monthly updated - homepage:
- http://www.pip.dknet.dk/~pip323
where I intend to accumulate knowledge to homepages, BBSs, newslists, etc.,
of interest to people in the tech writing business, especially those of interest
to my "pet": quality measurements and certification on instruction
manuals.
x HELP: If anyone knows about such net-sites - US, European or other -
x please write me here (or to my e-mail address, see below).
Lots of greetings from lovely Denmark (covered by snow!)
Peter Ring
PRC - specialist in quality measurements on manuals
prc -at- pip -dot- dknet -dot- dk http://www.pip.dknet.dk/~pip323
