“An idea is only as great as one’s ability to communicate it to others.”
These are the words, possibly borrowed from some legendary communicator, that came out of my technical writing professor’s mouth on the first day of a class geared to turn a bunch of liberal arts majors into valuable assets in a world of engineering, development, and rapid technological advancement. Tech writing, in the most basic sense, is an exercise in translation. This is something any technical writer needs to understand.
Let’s consider the life of an idea, or for our purposes, a product. It would be fair to assume that most products begin their lives within the minds of developers and engineers. The idea is conceived, and the product actualized, by individuals who have acclimated themselves to modes of understanding that are often highly specialized and full of technical jargon. To most people, this jargon is akin to a foreign language. For instance, if a developer working on new 3D printing technology were to begin talking about additive manufacturing, sequential layering or fused deposition modeling, most potential consumers would give them a funny look and move on, having gained no insight into the product being offered. This is where the writer comes in.
The technical writer, and by extension the marketing communicator, must take the technical jargon, the encoded language of the engineer, and translate it into terms that are easily comprehensible to a large consumer base. For the writer, the 3D printing process does not involve additive manufacturing, but rather it is a process in which layers of material are laid down in order to produce a three-dimensional, solid object from the template of a digital model. The consumer can picture this happening. The consumer, unless otherwise informed, cannot picture additive manufacturing.
Here are a few useful tips for aspiring technical writers-
Simplify. One of the most important things to keep in mind when attempting to communicate a new idea is that the reader is most likely not an expert on the subject. In light of this, one must avoid using language that is ambiguous or unclear. Simple, straightforward statements are definitely your best bet.
Use Examples. This is perhaps the best way to ground an abstract concept, to make it real in the mind of the reader. Say you have a new digital engagement platform that allows healthcare professionals to engage with patients through mobile media applications, thus redefining the patient experience in a manner that is cost effective, flexible, and easy to use. When describing this to a potential client, provide examples that illustrate day-to-day situations in which the practical use of your product will make their lives easier.
Repeat. The arena of technical writing is one of the few that does not condemn redundancy. Do not be afraid to repeat yourself. Create key terms that you repeat throughout your explanation, serving as a sort of guidepost for the reader. It is often the case that the mere act of rereading the explanation of a concept will result in a better consumer understanding.
These are just a couple of things to consider when beginning the delicate and often painstaking process of tech writing translation. The reality of technical writing is that every job will be different, subjectively orientated by the nature of the product, the image of the company, and the target audience of intended consumers. Good luck and god speed.
We understand that you are in the business to create awesome products and make them succeed. We have competent technical writers to support your awesome products. We’ll never spoil your show, if we feel that we are not capable enough to cater to your requirements, then we’ll say no rather than undertaking the work half-heartedly. Our technical writing process ensures that writers work in sync with the development teams and strive to complete their work in the same sprint. (N 1 if it’s not possible due to some reasons).
Very useful information. Thank You!