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Well, it is valuable to learn writing in any career, because many jobs, especially at the supervisory level, require an awful lot of paperwork. Additionally, Engineers have to work with technical writers to explain their stuff sometimes, and understanding how to translate the technical jargon for the layperson is a valuable skill. Especially in those companies where they don't hire trained technical writers for a job, but instead assign the writing TO an engineer. Those publications tend to be abyssmal unless the engineer has had some experience with writing.

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Q: Why do engineers need to learn about technical writing?
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Why do you need to study technical writing?

You need to study technical writing because..... 1. For business 2. For researches 3. For Biology and Experiments 4. Financial stuffs..


What are the major characteristics of technical writing?

Technical writing clearly, concisely and accurately conveys the precise information its users need, in a convenient format that can be accessed whenever needed.


What is scientific and technical writing?

Scientific writing is technical writing by a scientist, with an audience of peers -- other scientists. Scientific writing involves writing lab reports, posters, biology honors, thesis, scientific journals, research proposals, etc. To become a science writer, you would need a degree/experience in the same field. On the other hand, technical writing by a technical writer is for novice to intermediate audience about a product/service or concept. Technical writers write user guides (for how to use a software, microwave, machinery), FAQs/Help section that you see on websites, API documents, white papers, requirement specification documents etc. To become a technical writer it is enough if you have a degree in English with an ability to grasp new concepts, research, illustrate and write things in simple words.


What is the importance of technical writing in your chosen field?

Technical writing gives you insights on how to carry out your job activities. It can specifiy on what needs to be done when certain situations arise. This type of writing gives structure and clarity whatever job you need to carry out. It is a guide for professionals who have questions about an issue that is not easily answerable. It is difficult to answer this question since you did not specify what your chosen field is. I cannot think of any relevant analogies to apply to this situation. Just think of a situation that you might be in and you need to find a very specific solution to a problem, techinical writing would give some suggestions or procedures to follow on how to resolve the problem. The more complex the problem is the more likely technical writing can give you a foundation or at least a reference point to start with. In the end it is up to the individual on how to use technical writing to their benefit and to the benefit of others.


What is Difference between technical writing and academic writing?

Subject: Academic vs. technical writingFrom: Chaim Chatan Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 16:29:29 +0200Since there is a discussion of the differences between academic writing andtechnical writing, let me give you the perspective of someone who has doneboth. There are very important differences between academic and technicalwriting. One must also realize that there are also different types ofacademic writing and different types of technical writing.First of all, the purposes and audiences are different between academic andtechnical writing. The purposes of academic writing can be: 1) to presentthe results of one's knowledge, 2) to present the results gained from one'spersonal research, and 3) to present one's point of view. Of course, bothtechnical and academic writing is laden with jargon, but the jargon is usedfor different purposes. As far as technical writing is concerned, thepurposes of technical writing can be: 1) to teach someone how to use aspecific product or service; and 2) to describe the procedures that areemployed by companies for carrying out various tasks.The audiences are completely different. The academic is writing to fellowscholars, and often, depending on the journal or publication, to thegeneral public. The technical writer is writing to the user of the productor the service, or to government inspectors who need to see how the companycarries out certain tasks. Users, of course, differ from product toproduct. In addition, technical writing differs from area to area. Forexample, writing documentation for software is different from writingdocumentation for hardware.When I took a technical writing course as part of my professionalretraining, I had to unlearn a lot of what I had been doing as an academicwriter. We are dealing with different styles of writing altogether. Also,there is good and bad academic and technical writing, and a good academicwriter may not become a good technical writer and vice versa. I have seendownright awful academic writing, where the author wrote extremely unclearand obscure prose, and I have seen extremely garbled technical writing,where it was difficult to follow the instructions.The important variable here is teachability. If an academic writer whowants to become a technical writer is not teachable, especially coming fromthe academic and liberal arts world, he/she will not be a good technicalwriter. Good academic writing is not enough--teachability is the mostimportant factor. One of the most important tasks of interviewers ofcandidates for technical writing jobs, especially candidates who have nothad professional experience, is not just simply to look at the writingsamples of the candidates, but to assess how teachable they are. If thecandidate has both academic and technical writing samples, the interviewershould be able to assess whether the candidate has grasped the differencesbetween the two types of writing. This is one way to measure teachability.A bit of advice for academics who want to go into technical writing is toperuse all the various types of manuals and documentation written bytechnical writers to get a sense of what is involved in technical writing.

Related questions

Why do you need technical writers?

To offload some of the mountain of documentation writing work from the engineers.


What is the difference between Technical and Nontechnical writing?

In Technical Writing, we eliminate technical jargons and write in such a way that it is understandable by laymen. We need to make sure the meaning of the original technical word doesnt change. Non-technical Writing doesnt include or relate to technical stuff. This covers a vast range like - essay writing, blogging etc


Why do you need to study technical writing?

You need to study technical writing because..... 1. For business 2. For researches 3. For Biology and Experiments 4. Financial stuffs..


Do you need to be an excellent writer to be an engineer?

While writing skills are not the primary skills of an engineer, excellent communication skills both written and spoken are essential. Engineers frequently need not only read but also write technical documents such as specifications or draft input to a documentation team. Those documents must be concise, precise and unambiguous, attributes which can only be accomplished with good writing skills.However, engineers seldom use literary genres that are common in fiction. For example, stream-of-consciousness or melodrama are out of place in technical writing. Likewise, many literary techniques, such as: alliteration, foreshadowing, hyperbole, or, parody are never used.In summary, engineers must have good writing skills, but do not need the range of skills that a journalist or fiction writer must have.


How technical are tax preparation classes?

Its very technical in a way that you need to study some terms or that to be able to learn some of it. You need to attend some school trainings to learn the tax preparation.


Should you be ashamed of the fact that you are better at math than at writing papers?

You need not be ashamed, but why do you simply accept that you are not as good at writing papers? Can you not learn to do better at that as well?You need not be ashamed, but why do you simply accept that you are not as good at writing papers? Can you not learn to do better at that as well?You need not be ashamed, but why do you simply accept that you are not as good at writing papers? Can you not learn to do better at that as well?You need not be ashamed, but why do you simply accept that you are not as good at writing papers? Can you not learn to do better at that as well?


What are the major characteristics of technical writing?

Technical writing clearly, concisely and accurately conveys the precise information its users need, in a convenient format that can be accessed whenever needed.


Important of the 3 forms of technical writing?

Technical writing is technical communication aimed to get work done, to change people by changing the way they do things, in a nutshell the purpose of technical writing is to "empower readers by preparing them for and moving them toward effective action". In order to help readers you must---Find What They Need--Understand What They Need---Use What They Understand Appropriately Technical writing is a very broad field: - Annual Reports -Books -Magazines -Newsletters -Informational Materials -Training Materials -Etc..


Do you need to be good at writing papers in order to work for computer technical support?

NO


Compare and contrast technical writing from non technical writing?

Following are the parameters you need to be kept in mind while comparing technical and non-technical writing.Subject TreatmentIn technical writing, feelings and thoughts of writer must NOT be included. Scope of DocumentIn technical writing, writer must be aware of the scope of the document he is writing. Needs Of ReaderWriter must understand the needs of reader he is writing document for. For example, Writer must tell the reader, this is our product, you need this product because....... and it will be very much beneficial to you because of ........ etc. Organize DocumentTechnical document must be well organized. It MUST have a proper opening, body and conclusion. Identification of AudienceI would say, it is the most important part of writing a technical document. You must identify the audience you are talking to. ConciseA technical document must be concise and comprehensive. Above are the parameters you must keep in mind while writing a technical or business document. And it is easy to deduce that these are the attributes of technical writing, NON-TECHNICAL writing may not have anyone of above mentioned attributes.


What are the things we need to learn?

The basics which are reading, writing and arithmetic


Why engineer need to learn communication effectively?

Engineers should be creative, inquisitive, analytical, and detail oriented. They should be able to work as part of a team and to communicate well, both orally and in writing. Communication abilities are becoming increasingly important as engineers frequently interact with specialists in a wide range of fields outside engineering.