Jobs
Technical Author
A technical writer is a professional communicator whose task is to convey complex information in simple terms to an audience of the general public or a very select group of readers. Technical writers research and create information through a variety of delivery media (electronic, printed, audio-visual, and even touch).[1] Example types of information include online help, manuals, white papers, design specifications, project plans, and software test plans. With the rise of e-learning, technical writers are increasingly hired to develop online training material.
According to the Society for Technical Communication (STC):[2]
Technical writing is sometimes defined as simplifying the complex. Inherent in such a concise and deceptively simple definition is a whole range of skills and characteristics that address nearly every field of human endeavor at some level. A significant subset of the broader field of technical communication, technical writing involves communicating complex information to those who need it to accomplish some task or goal.
In other words, technical writers take advanced technical concepts and communicate them as clearly, accurately, and comprehensively as possible to their intended audience, ensuring that the work is accessible to its users.
Kurt Vonnegut described technical writers as:[3]
...trained to reveal almost nothing about themselves in their writing. This makes them freaks in the world of writers, since almost all of the other ink-stained wretches in that world reveal a lot about themselves to the reader.
Engineers, scientists, and other professionals may also be involved in technical writing (developmental editing, proofreading, etc.), but are more likely to employ professional technical writers to develop, edit and format material, and follow established review procedures as a means delivering information to their audiences.
Swindon (/ˈswɪndən/ (listen)) is the largest town in Wiltshire, South West England, lying between Bristol, 35 miles (56 kilometres) to the west, and Reading, the same distance to the east. The town is 71 miles (114 km) west of London. The population of the Swindon built-up area was 185,600 in 2011.[1]
The Town Development Act 1952 led to a major increase in its population.[2]
Swindon railway station is on the line from London Paddington to Bristol. Swindon Borough Council is a unitary authority, independent of Wiltshire Council since 1997. Residents of Swindon are known as Swindonians. The town is home to the offices of English Heritage, the Historic England Archive (formerly the National Monuments Record Centre) and the headquarters of the National Trust (all three are on parts of the site of the former Great Western Railway's Swindon Works), and the head office of the Nationwide Building Society.
