TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Silly tests and foul language From:Matthew Stern <MAStern -at- PLATSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 17 Sep 1996 09:24:00 -0700
LurkMode()=off
I've been following the string about one poster's use of the f-word. I
agree with everyone else that such language is inappropriate for a
public online forum. However, I disagree with one poster's comment:
>...If you let their language get in the way of your listening, you reduce
>your ability to communicate.
>We are writers, and all words are ours.
As technical communicators, we are responsible for expressing ourselves
so that our message can be understood clearly by the reader. If anything
might prevent the reader from understanding the information or distract
him or her from reading it, we need to remove it, no matter how nice or
hip it sounds. If the reader finds that our language gets in the way,
it's our fault -- not the reader's.
Clearly, profane language distracts the reader and interferes with the
reader's understanding. If the poster had written the same message
without that four-letter word, we would have just agreed with the
message and gone on.
So, now that the point has been made, let's go on to other technical
writing issues...
Thanks,
Matthew Stern
Sr. Technical Writer
Platinum Software Corporation
mastern -at- platsoft -dot- com
Searchable archives located at http://www.documentation.com/
ALL questions or problems concerning the list
should go to the listowner, Eric Ray at ejray -at- ionet -dot- net -dot-
