Technical writing for finance: one for the Friday files

[Beth Agnew]

If 1 and 4 are not technical writing, what are they? Who does those things,
if not a technical writer trained to make the complex understandable?
--Beth

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+beth.agnew=senecac.on.ca at lists.techwr-l.com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+beth.agnew=senecac.on.ca at lists.techwr-l.com] On
Behalf Of Bonnie Granat
Sent: Sunday, May 27, 2007 11:02 PM
To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
Subject: RE: Technical writing for finance: one for the Friday files


There are several definitions of technical writing floating around:

1 - Writing that explains complex technology to a non-technical audience.
Example: Science articles in the popular press. But is this technical
writing if the "tech" is taken out so that the average person can understand
it?

2 - Writing that teaches people how to use complex equipment, processes, or
software. Example: User manuals and so forth. This seems to be technical
writing.

3 - Writing that deals with subject matter that is technical in nature and
that is aimed at a technical audience. Example: Books or articles about
science, medicine, technology, grammar, archaeology, music theory, history
of painting, anthropology, and on and on, covering any subject of study that
exists. This seems to be technical writing.

4 - Writing that deals with subject matter that is technical in nature and
that is aimed at a non-technical audience. But is this technical writing?
Same objection as in the first definition.


----------------------

I would suggest that 1 and 4 are not technical writing, but 2 and 3 are. I
don't know if this furthers the discussion or not, because I have not seen
Ned state clearly what the disagreement is.


Bonnie Granat
http://www.GranatEdit.com