Technical Writing - e-BUC

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12PART I. Introduction to technical writingwriting an email to a friend is not the same as writing in a job-related context. Although atthis point we are just scratching the surface, you should be aware of what readers will expectyour documents to look like. You should then be competent enough and deploy writing skillsthat allow you to adapt your documents to every writing situation. Being multiliterate in thesense defined above is not usually an easy task because you need to have a good commandof:• content knowledge: technical and scientific knowledge that is transferred to you atuniversity,• context knowledge: you should be sensitized about the importance of the scientificcommunity or academic context in which your documents will be read,• English language knowledge: level of proficiency in terms of syntax, grammar,vocabulary, etc. in general-purpose English and in technical English,• genre knowledge: knowledge of the different written genres used in the technicalprofessions, and• writing process knowledge: knowledge of the most efficient writing skills andtechniques for a writing task.See how the above categories of knowledge can help you identify some of your knowledgegaps and self-assess your current level of writing competence at this very initial stage. Morespecifically, try to find out with which categories you would encounter difficulties whenwriting the documents below: Request for detailed figures of faulty endproducts Evaluation of a machine breakdown Laboratory report Departmental monthly report Report on a meeting or visit Newspaper article MSc final project or thesis <strong>Technical</strong> manual Brochure Journal (research) article Email to a business contact Letters of rejection, complaint, etc.Finally, there are different techniques that can help you improve your writing skills asengineers. For example, it has been demonstrated that reading plays a crucial role in learninga foreign language and, most importantly, that good readers make good writers. Reading isvery beneficial, but only if you read voluntarily, extensively and for pleasure. As you canimagine, however, reading is not enough. Apart from reading, you should also write andwrite because while you are learning to write you are also writing to learn the language andto be an efficient communicator. The more you read and the more you write, the betterwriters you will become. Last but not least, it can also be very helpful for you to acquiresome autonomy to allow you to actively participate in your learning process, for example bymonitoring your learning and choosing the tasks that best suit your needs and preferences.© The Authors, 2007. © Edicions UPC, 2007
CHAPTER 1What is technical writing?1.1 Why is it important to study technical and professional communication?1.2 Characteristics of good technical writing1.3 Functions of technical discourseReflecting on…Do you think communication skills are of minor importance in scientific andtechnical studies?Do you think a technical student can write as well as a humanities student?What characteristics do you think distinguish a technical text from a non-technicalone?How can your knowledge of general purpose English help you towards writingtechnical documents?© The Authors, 2007. © Edicions UPC, 2007
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Technical Writing - e-BUC

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