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From AfourWiki
Afour Intelligent Solutions provides a Technical Communication service for clients in the Software development industry. Technical Communication is a fast growing profession and with many technologies being developed almost daily, and consequently the demand for people who can communicate effectively is growing.
Taking a closer look at Technical Writing at Afour
Technical Communicators / Writers enable the successful implementation of products, technologies and services in a variety of industries at many levels. If you were to diversify technical writing you would probably arrive at five main categories:
- Technical writing which shows non-technical readers how to use something, in our case -- Software.
- Creating computer-based training or learning using Browser-based materials either locally or via a Learner Management System. The Technical Writer may also be known as an Instructional Designer.
- Creating Wiki-based learning materials, such as the one you are reading now.
- Writing user manuals or Software simulations.
- Writing marketing materials and corporate communications for and within technical fields, such as White Papers.
A technical writer’s function is a lot like a translator, taking technical information — whether on paper or in the subject matter expert’s brain — and transforming it into terms that are meaningful to the intended audience. As a translator — not from one language to another — but from ‘techno-speak’ into plain old English.
For example, the functional specification of a software program, which would contain many technical terms, is of little help to the end user — who does not really care how or why it works, but just wants to know how to use it properly. The end-user experience is far more successful when the written materials are of a high-quality, expressing the technical instruction or information in plain simple language. Poor or sometimes non-existent user documentation will alienate and frustrate customers.
