ADVANCE ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

An Introduction to Technical Writing

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
 Define technical communication.
 Distinguish technical writing from academic
writing.
 Explain the features of technical writing style.
 Introduce the concepts of audience, culture,
and ethics as they apply to technical writing.
What is Technical Writing?
• You are probably wondering what this "technical
writing thing" is.
• Someone may have even told you, "It's this course where
they make you write about rocket science and brain
surgery." Well, not really, as you will see in a moment.
• The field of technical communication is essential in a
wide range of fields and occupations.
• Technical writing is designed for users in technical fields
such as engineering, chemistry, computer information
software and systems, medical professions, aeronautics,
robotics, automotive, etc.
Technical writing is designed to:

• inform by anticipating and answering

audience questions;
• instruct the audience to perform a task
or follow a procedure, and
• persuade the audience via
explanations, analysis, and solutions.
CHARACTERISTICS OF TECHNICAL WRITING
NICAL WRITING

• Technical communication is an audience-

centered means of communication that
provides the reader with clear, accurate,
and
ethically represented information.
• According to the Society for
Technical Communication, technical
writing includes the following
characteristics:
1.“Communicating about technical or
specialized topics, such as computer
applications, medical procedures, or
environmental regulations.”
2. “Communicating by using technology, such
as web pages, help files, or social media sites.”
3. “Providing instructions about how to do
something, regardless of how technical the task
is or even if the technology is used to create or
distribute that communication.”
The Meaning of "Technical"

• Technical communication—or technical writing, as

the course is often called—is not writing about a
specific technical topic such
• as computers, but about any technical topic. The
term "technical" refers to knowledge that is not
widespread, that is more the
• territory of experts and specialists. Whatever your
major is, you are developing an expertise—you are
becoming a specialist in a
• particular technical area. And whenever you try to
write or say anything about your field, you are
engaged in technical communication.
 Academic Writing Versus Technical Writing
• Technical communication is distinct from the
academic forms of writing you may be more
familiar with.
• The academic writer’s purpose may be to write an
essay, a story, a research paper, etc. Such
assignments are often designed so that students can
“write to learn” and show mastery of information
covered in class.
• Additionally, in academic writing context, student-
writers join a conversation that is occurring on a
particular topic.
• Technical communication, however, is
intended for another purpose. These
documents convey information to audiences
who may or may not have prior knowledge
of the material discussed.
• Technical communicators must, therefore,
determine the needs of their audience and
design documents that convey information in
an accessible and appropriate manner.
• Depending on the context of communication,
it might also be necessary to convey
information in a concise and efficient manner. .
 Workplace Writing

However, the focus for technical writing courses

is not necessarily a career as a technical writer
but an introduction to the kinds of writing skills
you need in practically any technically-oriented
professional job. No matter what sort of
professional work you do, you're likely to do lots
of writing—and much of it technical in nature.
The more you know about some basic technical-
writing skills, which are covered in this guide
and in technical-writing courses, the better job
of writing you're likely to do.
 STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE TECHNICAL
WRITING TASKS
• Study of books, articles, reports, websites related to the
product.
• Product specifications: what the product is supposed to do,
how it is designed.
• Interviews with subject matter experts: the product
specialists, developers, engineers.
• Product meetings during the development cycle.
• Live demonstrations of the product.
• Familiarization with similar, competing products.
• Experimenting with working models of the product.
• Most importantly, subject matter experts' review of
technical writers' work for technical accuracy and
 Considerations of Technical Documents
1.The Importance of Audience
Another key part of the definition of technical communication
is the receiver of the information—the audience.
Technical communication is the delivery of technical
information to readers (or listeners or viewers) in a manner
that is adapted to their needs, level of understanding, and
background.
In fact, this audience element is so important that it is one of
the cornerstones of this course: you are challenged to write
about highly technical subjects but in a way that a beginner—
a non-specialist—could understand.
This ability to "translate" technical information to non-
specialists is a key skill to any technical communicator.
2.Cultural Communication
Technical writers need to be aware of the differences
between the behavior and the norms, beliefs and values
of specific culture.
According to Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall, In
Understanding Cultural Differences, each culture
operates according to its own rules (1990, pp. 3-4). Hall
and Hall add that problems occur when members of one
culture apply the rules to another culture (1990, pp. 3-4).
To communicate effectively with other cultures, the
technical writer needs to not only be aware of rules
governing behaviors that can be observed but also of the
not-so-obvious rules that govern the norms, beliefs, and
values of the people of a culture.
AWARENESS
Institutional Cultural/Behavior
• Government.
• Education.
• Economy
• Language
• Laws
Unawareness
People Culture/Cultural Norms,Values,Beliefs.
• Concepts of
• Time, space and humor
• Intelligence
• Status
• Competence/ cooperation.
• Theory of past and future
3.Ethics

Technical writers have a responsibility to their

readers and to their employers to follow ethics when
writing reports.
Technical writers must use words that demonstrate
valid appeals to reason, avoiding emotional words
and phrases that appeal to basic emotion
In addition, technical writers must use valid
references to support ideas and strategies.
Also, technical writers must use accurate numbers to
report data, avoiding charts and tables that skew
data. Using any type of fallacies in technical writing
is unethical and could result in dire consequences.
 Overview of the Technical Writing Style

Technical writing takes complicated ideas and

organizes and explains those ideas in easy-to-
understand language.
The reader of technical documents does not
read to engage in a discussion or be entertained.
The audience of technical documents wants
information.
In short, technical writing provides information
and seeks to solve problems and help the reader
learn.
Technical writing does not use emotionally
charged language, redundant adjectives,
colloquialisms, or words or phrases that are
open to interpretation.
As the Society of Technical Writing explains,
technical communicators employ a user centered
approach to provide "the right information, in
the right way, at the right time to make
someone’s life easier and more
productive.
Features of Technical Writing
Technical documents value the reader’s time by
using the following features:
1. Accessible – Think about the users of your
document.
2.Collaborative - technical documents must consider
multiple perspectives; therefore, they are frequently
composed by a
team of writers.
3. Concise –To write concisely does not mean to use
fewer words. Instead, it means to use all the words
you need but only the words you need.
4. Efficient page design: Use headings, numbered or
bulleted lists, tables, easy-to-read fonts, white space,
and other elements
to help the reader navigate through the material.
5. Logical organization: use chronological order and
emphasize important information
6. Meaningful content: include all of the information
needed but none of the information that is not needed.
7. Supplemental material: Abstracts, footnotes,
glossary, appendix, definitions, etc.
8. Visual elements: Use charts, graphs, or images to
clarify written concepts or relationships.
Ways effective design enhances a
document
 Good design helps readers understand your
information.
 Good page design helps readers locate information
quickly.
 Good design helps readers notice highly important
content.
 Good design encourages readers to feel good about
the communication itself.
 Good design encourages readers to feel good about
the communication’s subject matter.
 GENERAL TIPS ABOUT TECHNICAL WRITING
• Remember that technical writing is not just about
computers or engineering. The term should be
considered more broadly than that.
• Audience is crucial. Before creating any technical
document, be certain you understand your audience's
identity and needs.
• Format your technical documents differently than you
might format an academic writing assignment.
• Consider cultural and ethical concerns and
complications as you develop your documents.
References
Hall, E.T. & Hall, M.R. (1990). Understanding Cultural Differences. Intercultural Press.
Society for Technical Communication. (2021). Defining Technical Communication.
https://www.stc.org/aboutstc/defini...communication/