Defining Technical/Professional Writing

I remember talking to Dr. Patterson, the chair of the English Department, not too terribly long ago. We talked about the new writing program that had replaced Technical/Professional Writing, specifically the change of the name from Technical/Professional Writing to Professional Writing. I told her that part of what drew me to the major was the name “technical and professional writing”, because that conveyed a sense of important, tedious document analysis. She was very surprised, musing that part of the reason for the name change was that it scared students away! In “What’s Practical About Technical Writing?” Dobrin states that technical writing “accommodates technology to the user”, a writing of the scientific nature, objective, data driven. Although this does encompass part of technical writing, I do not believe that conveys the entire story.

Carolyn Miller, however, states that technical writing encompasses the world of technical rhetoric, stating, “Practical rhetoric therefore seems to concern the instrumental aspect of discourse—its potential for getting things done—and at the same time to invite a how to, or handbook, method of instruction.” I rather like this concept. Technical writing is an art and a science, in my opinion. The language of effective communication is a special one, and one that requires some length of skill-building to achieve. At the same time that there is a formulaic aspect, there is a creative aspect as well. There are ways of developing a specific writing style for engineers, scientists, artists, lawyers, and all sorts of professions, but there is a way of modifying the style to make it all your own. 

The value of technical writing cannot be overstated. When I arrived at college, I knew I wanted to major in English. However, I was unsure about the value of my degree. I was encouraged to write often as it was something I truly loved and felt I excelled at. That being said, I did not know the demand for writers or those who understood grammar and syntax. When I arrived at college, I realized that many people do not known how to write, especially not in a standard format. With my internship at Depco LLC, I was able to act as a software reviewer and editor. I analyzed a program for changes from its previous version, and made changes to the software manual as needed. Part of the challenge of the situation was trying to sort through often vague rules. I really enjoyed the individuals I worked with, but it was somewhat difficult to understand what they wanted. The manual of style they gave me to work with was a few sheets of paper stapled together. It was interesting trying to maneuver the manual for the first time and attempting to understand what was wanted from me.

However, once I met with them the second time, and was able to ask questions, it was much easier. I was able to effectively perform my job. In that way, I think it showed how important communication is in any job. Not only did I need my technical writing skills to copyedit the manual, I also needed it in order to articulate my questions via email. Since I often was given work to do by myself, I needed to be able to ask questions on a regular basis, which I did when situations arose.

Another thing I have realized about my technical writing degree is how well it works with my graphic communications major. When I first began the double major in the programs, people questioned me often, due partially to them being degrees in separate colleges and also in their apparent disconnect. I had simply chosen two things I enjoyed, but now I see how wonderfully effective they are together. Graphic Communications is another form of effective communication, much like technical writing. Whereas technical writing is words on a page, graphic communications is visual storytelling. These two skills combined build excellent communication skills. It was especially valuable to this internship, because CorelDraw X8, the program I was evaluating to update the manuscript, is much like Adobe Illustrator. Having a background and training in both Adobe Illustrator and copyediting gave me the ability to perform my job at a level that someone not trained in those areas could not have performed.

Sources:

Dobrin, David "What's Practical About Technical Writing?"

Miller, Carolyn R. “What's Practical About Technical Writing?"