Technical Writing

Technical writing is a medium through which particular information is conveyed to a target audience for some pre-conceived purpose. Technical writing is a mode of communication, a kind of intermediate between the manufactures and the audience. It translates complex technical language into instructions that are delivered in simple language so that they may be helpful to the consumers and may enable them to perform their tasks properly. It is very important to understand the goals and the mind set of target audience so that they can convey their messages easily.

In the recent times Technical Writing has become very important in the fields of computer hardware and software, chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology. It is the method by which technical information on any topic is exchanged from one person to another. Hence, it is also known as technical communication. It is not necessary that this technical information be conveyed only to people related to the technical field. Therefore, technical writers should always keep in mind that their write-ups must be comprehensible to the people with non-technical backgrounds. Hence, technical writing must use explanatory yet simple language.

Now let’s take a short historical tour to discover the origin of technical writing. Technical writing originated during the Renaissance period, mainly in Ancient Greece. But it became popular during the First World War when there was a huge demand for technology in the field of warfare. It was during this time that technology based weapons were being built. It was during this time that many other electronics were also manufactured and many aircrafts were also being developed. It was not until 1953 that two companies were actually formed that took forward the practice of technical writing and improved on it. These companies were: the Society of Technical Writers, and the Association of Technical Writers and Editors. Finally, it was in 1957 that these two organizations decided to merge and thus, the Society of Technical Writers and Editors was formed. This organization is currently known as the Society for Technical Communication (STC).

The teams or departments that deal with technical writing are often referred to as Information Development, User Assistance, Technical Documentation, or Technical Publications. As for the technical writers, they are referred to as API Writers, information developers, documentation specialists, documentation engineers, or technical content developers. Advanced technical writers, who have gathered experience through experience shift to writing technical articles for specialized fields such as API writing, information architecture or documentation management.