What is technical writing?
Technical writing is any written form of writing or drafting technical communication used in technical and occupational fields, such as computer hardware and software, engineering, chemistry, aeronautics, robotics, finance, medical, consumer electronics, biotechnology, and forestry. It encompasses the largest sub-field in technical communication.
Brief History of technical writing?
While technical writing has only been recognized as a profession since World War II, its roots can be traced to classical antiquity. Critics cite the works of writers like Aristotle as the earliest forms of technical writing. Geoffrey Chaucer's work, Treatise on the Astrolabe, is an early example of a technical document and is considered to be the first technical document published in English.
Techniques?
Good technical writing is concise, focused, easy to understand, free of errors, and is audience-based. Technical writers focus on making their documents as clear as possible, avoiding overly technical phrases and stylistic choices like passive voice and nominalizations. Because technical documents are used in real-world situations, it should always be explicitly clear what the subject matter of a technical document is and what should be done with the presented information. It would be disastrous if, for example, a technical writer's instructions on how to use a high-powered X-ray machine were difficult to decipher.
Technical Documents?
Technical writing covers many genres and writing styles depending on the information and audience. Technical documents are not solely produced by technical writers. Almost anyone who works in a professional setting produces technical documents of some variety. Some examples of technical writing include:
- Instructions and procedures
- Proposals
- Emails, letters, and memoranda
- Press releases
- Specifications
- Descriptions
- Résumés and job applications
- Technical reports
- Case Studies
- Whitepapers
- Websites
- Datasheets
- API
In reality, just about any type of document that offers directions or works to convey instructions or directions to a reader can be classified as technical writing.
In future posts on this blog, I will offer a little more information on each subject area of technical writing and the different types of things that are involved in technical writing.
For more information, you can check out these links below for a more in-depth introduction to Technical Writing.
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