Technical Editor
The technical writer designs, creates and updates technical documentation , such as operating instructions , installation and assembly instructions and training documents or online help . Increasingly, technical writers work in-house and write z. B. functional specifications and specifications or the development phase care about terminology or user interfaces.
The job title “technical editor” was agreed between the Society for Technical Communication and the Federal Employment Agency . The decision was probably significantly influenced by the internal use of language at Siemens . In addition, many other terms are to be found (e.g. “technical author”, “technical editor”, “specialist editor”, “documentation engineer”, “technical writer”, “technical editor”, “engineer for technical literature”).
In 2016 there were around 85,000 full-time technical writers in Germany. A large part of the documentation, however, is written by people who actually have other main tasks, so that the job description of the technical writer is unknown to many companies.
history
Origins
Although the job title “technical writer” has only existed for a very short time, the job is very old. In the past, the function of technical editor was mainly taken on by writers and artists.
In pre-Christian times, technical documentation was created in certain forms. Ancient Egyptian sources (approx. 1000 BC ) prove the existence of technical descriptions, i.e. the descriptions of the practice of a technique. At the royal tombs near Thebes , the workers employed there left documentation of their work, for example a picture of a stooped worker in front of a fireplace with the words "blow into the oven".
In the 2nd millennium BC Before construction began, the floor plans of simple rectangular houses were carved into the ground true to scale. For more complex structures such as temples, a proportionally reduced design was made. Such designs still exist and document early forms of technical documentation in architecture .
The "Fireworks Book" from 1420 is the first known technical book in German. It describes the production of firearms and powder mixtures, is available in various versions such as the Low German version by Hans Schulte in the 15th century, was included in other pyrotechnical works as early as 1480, was first printed in 1529 by Heinrich Steiner in Augsburg and in the later 1530s expanded by Jakob Pinchwanger.
Leonardo da Vinci is considered to be the inventor of the " exploded drawing ". What is new about it is that he not only depicts the external nature of the machine , but also explains how it works in a graphic way. Da Vinci's construction drawings represent precise technical explanations of his war equipment and flying machines. So it is possible for good craftsmen of the time to recreate Leonardo's machines. He was way ahead of his contemporaries.
The technical documentation of the 16th century conveys processes of action by reproducing different activities in a compressed manner within one picture, even if they are carried out one after the other.
In 1528 Albrecht Dürer introduced a new form of technical documentation with the three-panel projection . It shows the proportions of the human body from different perspectives.
In 1909, the writer Franz Kafka wrote an accident prevention measure for wood planing machines.
With the electrification of households in the 50s / 60s of the 20th century, there was a need to explain how these devices work. For the first time, instructions for use were also aimed at laypeople and not just technical experts. In these instructions for use, photographs were increasingly used to illustrate authentic events.
Current state
In some cases, instructions for use and other components of the technical documentation are viewed as part of the product from a legal perspective. The corresponding laws , standards and guidelines represent the framework conditions for the work of the technical writer.
At the same time, the products are increasingly tailored to individual needs: The user group is getting smaller, the specialization is increasing. As a result, the technical writer must also meet increasingly complex requirements.
job profile
Job description
The technical writer describes products in understandable language and makes them accessible to the user. He therefore acts as a "mediator" between the product manufacturer and the user. While the activity in the past was mainly limited to the documentation of technical products, the technical writer is now responsible for the entire information management. The operational planning of the provision of information is subject to him, he makes the required knowledge available to all target groups along the product life cycle and mediates between the departments and between manufacturers and customers.
Due to his professional and didactic skills, he is able to present the complex technical content in an understandable, subject-specific and target group-oriented manner, clearly and in a logical and factually correct manner. To do this, he must be able to look at technical conditions from various points of view, both from the developer's point of view and from the user's point of view. Ideally, he can correctively influence the development from the user's perspective. Due to the ever faster development of information and communication technology, the technical editor is not only responsible for creating print products but also for creating and publishing product information on various electronic media and formats (smartphones, tablets, apps, machine-integrated monitors, etc.).
The work of the technical writer includes the scheduling of the documents to be created (appointments, personnel, placing orders with other bodies or companies, costs and work equipment), analyzing (purpose, product and target group analysis, checking legal conditions, safety-relevant aspects), collecting and selecting of information, evaluation and systematization of the available material. Selection of the suitable medium ( online , print , CD-ROM, etc.), conception (final definition of the overall concept, the individual parts, the implementation steps), creation of the final manuscript (writing the texts, creating the associated graphics , images , illustrations and photos ; translations in other languages), internal practice test, correction run, final correction, preparation, initiation and monitoring of production (such as typesetting , printing ), updating, changing, revising, archiving and managing the documentation created. The competencies required for this are described in detail in the competence framework of the professional association for technical communication, tekom eV.
So that user documentation can fulfill its function as a means of communication, it must meet very high quality requirements with regard to content and design. It must therefore be created with professionalism. Achieving and realizing this is the task of the technical writer - he has to select the appropriate instruments for user communication with regard to the product and target group and integrate them into a coherent overall concept.
Work equipment
Technical writers usually work at office workstations. Simple, small documentation can be created with standard Office programs . For more complex tasks and efficient work, however, DTP programs are better suited, as they offer more options for creating, designing, automating and linking documents.
Structured data (such as XML ) and content management systems are often used to enable or enforce structured recording, modularized construction and reusability of elements. In addition, “authoring memory” systems are increasingly being used to support the editor in creating a consistent formulation. The individual elements must be formulated in a largely context-neutral manner. Switching to such systems therefore requires a change in thinking and working methods, thorough preparation and often a complete revision of existing documents.
Technical editors also use CAD programs , software development tools or graphics programs to prepare and process the data supplied.
In the course of increasing internationalization , most documents have to be translated into different languages . To do this, the technical writer needs knowledge of translation-oriented writing . The editor's computer must support the display and editing of different languages and writing systems. If the technical writer also carries out translation management, then he often uses translation memory systems.
An editor's workstation can require powerful hardware if large amounts of data (e.g. images) have to be processed. Multiple screens can make the job easier. The technical writer often also has to master scanners and digital cameras . In addition, it can make sense to use several computers for software documentation so that the software to be written can be tested without affecting the workstation computer.
Work area
Technical documentation is becoming increasingly important in the increasingly technologically advanced world. This opens up a very broad field of activity for the technical editor, in the consumer goods industry as well as in medicine , mechanical engineering , electrical engineering and software development .
Technical editors also work in departments for “corporate communication” or “marketing”, where they are popular team members due to their skills in determining information requirements and preparing information for the target group.
Other activities with partly similar requirements are:
- public relation
- Technical translator technology
- Technical lecturer
- Science journalist
requirements
Access to the work of the technical writer is not regulated. Qualifications can be obtained through a corresponding university degree, further training and retraining. Many technical writers are autodidactic lateral entrants - on the one hand Germanists and other humanities scholars , on the other hand graduates of technical and information science courses.
In addition to basic technical and specialist knowledge, the technical writer must above all have pedagogical, linguistic and didactic qualifications. He must be curious and flexible, enjoy writing and designing, and be able to deal with a wide variety of target groups and colleagues.
In addition to having a good command of the mother tongue , knowledge of other languages is advantageous and, depending on the internationalization of the employer, may be indispensable.
Standards and regulations
In many specialist areas, the technical writer must take into account legal provisions and (industrial) standards . The areas in which incorrect instructions can lead to personal injury are particularly heavily regulated. The “classic” example is mechanical engineering .
ISO / IEC 82079-1: 2012
This horizontal international standard defines the basic requirements that the creators of user information should observe. They are used in all types of physical products (devices, machines, systems, vehicles, aircraft, ships, etc.), software products (user software, control software) and services (website content, customer information, patient information, etc.). The standard was adopted as the European standard EN 82079 and was published in Germany as DIN EN 82079-1: 2012.
EU directives "machines"
With the entry into force of the EU Machinery Directive on January 1, 1993, the operating instructions and instructions for use of products are viewed as a particularly important instrument of instruction responsibility within product liability . This means that since the introduction of the European internal market there have been legally binding regulations for the minimum requirements for tasks, content and statements of user information. One of the core requirements of the guideline is the creation of "technical documentation" which serves to prove compliance with the technical requirements. It is an indispensable prerequisite for submitting declarations of conformity and affixing the CE mark .
EU directives such as the Machinery Directive are binding on national governments. They have to incorporate the content of the guidelines into their national legislation . In Germany this happened u. a. via the Product Safety Act (ProdSG).
VDI guideline
The VDI guideline , like the industrial standards, are recommendations by their nature. However, industrial standards can be raised by the legislator to become binding legal norms, in that the legislator uses them as a measure of the state of the art and explicitly z. B. in implementing regulations.
The VDI 4500 guideline consists of several sheets that deal with different aspects from the spectrum of technical documentation. Since the publication of ISO / IEC 82079-1: 2012, however, it has increasingly lost its importance.
VDI 4500 Sheet 1: Technical Documentation - User Documentation. The guideline provides support for the type, content and design of the external technical documentation that is necessary due to legal norms, technical rules or public requirements. Among other things, legal requirements for product liability, environmental liability and device safety and the associated documentation obligations, international guidelines, such as on CE marking, and associated documentation obligations, standards for product safety, product documentation and customer requirements must be observed. This guideline is aimed at managers and executives as well as self-employed and employed persons who are responsible for the creation of external technical documentation for a product. On the basis of legal requirements, VDI 4500 Part 1 describes ways and means for this target group to create external technical documentation that corresponds to the legal requirements and the state of the art and can legally exist in the event of an arbitration or damage review.
VDI 4500 Sheet 2: Technical Documentation - Internal Technical Product Documentation. The guideline is intended to provide all those responsible in development, construction, sales and technical documentation with assistance for the type, content and execution of internal company technical documentation that is necessary due to legal norms, technical rules or public requirements. The basis for the elaboration of this guideline is the company's internal development process of the technical documentation as part of the information management parallel to the life cycle of a product. On the basis of legal requirements, VDI 4500 Part 2 describes ways and means for the economic creation of internal technical documentation that corresponds to the state of the art and can legally exist in the event of a review in the event of an arbitration or damage.
VDI 4500 Sheet 3: Technical Documentation - Recommendations for the creation and distribution of electronic spare parts information. The guideline provides support for the creation and distribution of electronic spare parts information. It is aimed at management and executives as well as clerks who are responsible for the spare parts documentation of a product or who create spare parts documentation. The primary aim of the guideline is to create the basis for the exchange of electronic spare parts catalogs. This basis is not industry-specific and can basically be used in all areas of technology. The VDI guideline offers standardization recommendations and thus solutions for the use of consistent, uniform data structures and uniform data formats when creating spare parts catalogs that can be used by a large target group, especially for small and medium-sized companies.
tekom guidelines
The tekom guidelines are processed on a voluntary basis and coordinated within and outside of tekom. They serve as a guideline working document and decision-making aid. The aim of the tekom guideline is to create standards for technical documentation and to assess the quality with the help of checklists.
Training paths
In the USA there have been courses in technical writing since the Second World War . However, it was usually less about writing operating instructions than about company or project-internal documents.
In Germany, the first German course for technical writing started in 1990 at the University of Hanover . Various private institutes, technical colleges and universities offer training and further education to become a technical writer.
In addition, in-service training courses are offered, e.g. B. to the contact study technical documentation at the University of Karlsruhe - technology and economy. In addition, after the appropriate qualification phase, technical writers can take a certification test at the trade association for technical communication, tekom eV
In Switzerland, technology communication can be studied since 2006 as a specialization of the bachelor's degree in applied languages at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur.
Higher education
The following universities and colleges in German-speaking countries offer a degree or training to become a technical writer:
| city | University / college | graduation | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aachen | RWTH Aachen | Bachelor / Master | since 1999 Master of Science (9 semesters ) “Technical Editing”, since 2008 Bachelor of Science (6 semesters) “Technology Communication”, since 2010 consecutive Master of Science (4 semesters) “Technology Communication”: communication science in combination with a technical subject ( Mechanical engineering , materials technology , computer science or electrical engineering ) |
| Bask | Aalen University | Bachelor | 1998 to 2006 diploma , since 2006 Bachelor of Engineering (7 semesters) "Technical Editing" |
| Chemnitz | Chemnitz University of Technology | Bachelor | former Magister (9 semesters), since 2014 as a bachelor's degree in "Computer Science and Communication Sciences" |
| Flensburg | University of Applied Sciences Flensburg (University of Applied Sciences) | Bachelor / Master | Bachelor's degree in "International Specialized Communication" with a focus on technical writers or technical translators (7 semesters including 1 semester abroad), Master's degree in "International Specialized Communication" (3 semesters) |
| Furtwangen | Furtwangen University | Bachelor | Bachelor course "Documentation and Communication" in 7 semesters (Bachelor of Science) in the Faculty of Product Engineering |
| to water | Technical University of Central Hesse | master | Master's degree in "Technical Editing and Multimedia Documentation" (Master of Arts in Technical Communication) (4 semesters) |
| Hanover | University of Hanover | Bachelor / Master | 1991 to 2005 diploma course (8 semesters), 2005–2010 Bachelor of Arts (6 semesters), since 2010 Bachelor of Engineering (7 semesters); from 2005 to 2009 part-time Master of Arts (4 semesters) "technical editing" |
| Karlsruhe | University of Karlsruhe - Technology and Economics | Bachelor / Master | Bachelor's and Master's degree in "Communication and Media Management" with a focus on technical editing. Bachelor of Arts (7 semesters), Master of Science (3 semesters). |
| Krems | University for Continuing Education Krems | master | Part-time Master of Science "Technical Communication" in cooperation with tecteam, Dortmund (4 semesters, partly online courses and self-study as well as face-to-face training) |
| Cologne | Technical University of Cologne | master | Master of Arts "Terminology and Language Technology" with modules for technical editing (4 semesters and 2-month internship) |
| Merseburg | University of Merseburg | Bachelor / Master | since 1992 course "Communication and Technical Documentation", initially "Diplom-Technikredakteur (FH)" (8 semesters), now technical editing and e-learning systems (B.Eng.) 6 semesters and Master of Arts (4 semesters) " Information design and media management " |
| Munich | University of Applied Sciences Munich | Bachelor | Bachelor of Engineering "Technical Editing and Communication" (7 semesters) |
| Munich | University of Applied Languages Munich | Bachelor | Bachelor of Arts "Media and Technology Communication" (7 semesters) |
| Rostock | Rostock University | master | Part-time Master of Arts "Technical Communication" (5 semesters, blended learning with mainly self-study, online phases, 2–4 weekend seminars per semester, mostly optional) |
| Soest | South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences | Bachelor | since 2011 course "Technical Editing and Media Management", Bachelor of Engineering (7 semesters). Face-to-face study and e-learning events, cooperation with tecteam, Dortmund |
| catfish | FH Wels | Bachelor | since 2009 product design and technical communication (PDK), Bachelor of Science in Engineering, 6 semesters |
| Winterthur | Zurich University of Applied Sciences | Bachelor | since 2006 Bachelor of Arts (6 semesters) "Applied Languages: Advanced Technology Communication" |
Traineeship
The trade association for technical communication tekom offers a two-year traineeship . The practical training takes place in the technical editing department in a company. It is supplemented by online courses, self-study and face-to-face training. The test required for certification is carried out by the association.
working conditions
The profession of technical writer can be carried out as an employee , self-employed or freelancer . Employees mostly work in industrial companies (e.g. mechanical engineering, electrical engineering), in IT companies or with service providers for technical documentation. Recognition as a freelancer requires appropriate previous training (e.g. Dipl.-Ing.), But repeatedly leads to problems.
Professional associations
- The Society for Technical Communication - tekom eV is the German professional association for technical communication
- The European Association for Technical Communication - tekom Europe eV is the European and at the same time the world's largest professional association for technical communication and documentation. Both the German trade association and the Italian COM & TEC are members of tekom Europe. Tekom Europe is basically divided into regional associations. At the moment there are the national associations tekom Belgium, tekom Bulgaria, tekom Danmark, tekom France, tekom Israel, tekom Magyarország (Hungary), tekom Austria, tekom Polska, tekom Romania and tekom Türkiye. Further regional associations are being established.
- The Swiss Society for Technical Communication (TECOM Switzerland for short) is the Swiss association that works with the German tekom.
- In some other European countries there are smaller professional associations, for example in Great Britain ( ISTC ), France , Sweden , Finland and Portugal ( APCOMTEC ).
- Other organizations that deal with technical communication exist in Australia, China (CAS), India (TWIN), Japan (JTCA), Korea (KTCA), New Zealand and the USA (STC).
literature
- Sissi Closs : Single Source Publishing - Modular Content for EPUB & Co. developer-press, Frankfurt 2012, ISBN 978-3-86802-078-6 .
- Marlana Coe: Human Factors - for Technical Communicators. Wiley, New York 1996.
- Petra Drewer, Wolfgang Ziegler: Technical Documentation. An introduction to translation-ready text creation and content management. Vogel, Würzburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-8343-3101-4 .
- Susanne Göpferich: Intercultural Technical Writing. Gunter Narr, Tübingen 1998 (updates on the author's website )
- Jörg Hennig, Marita Tjarks-Sobhani (Ed.): Training and further education for technical communication. (= tekom publications on technical communication. 10). Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 2006.
- Jörg Hennig, Marita Tjarks-Sobhani (Ed.): Dictionary for technical communication and documentation. Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 1998.
- Walter Hoffmann, Brigitte G. Hölscher: Successful description, practice of the technical editor. 2., completely revised. and exp. Edition. VDE-Verlag 1994, ISBN 3-8007-1987-8 .
- Walter Hoffmann, Brigitte G. Hölscher, Ulrich Thiele: Handbook for technical authors and editors. Product information and documentation in the multimedia age. Publicis Corporate Publishing, 2002, ISBN 3-89578-187-8 .
- Dietrich Juhl: Technical Documentation. Practical guides and examples. 3rd, completely revised Edition. Springer, Heidelberg 2015.
- Thomas Klindt: ProdSG - Product Safety Act. CH Beck, Munich 2001.
- Hans P. Krings (ed.): Scientific foundations of technical communication. Gunter Narr, Tübingen 1996.
- Jürgen Muthig (Ed.): Standardization methods for technical documentation. (= tekom - university publications. Volume 16). 2nd, unchanged edition. tcworld, Stuttgart 2014, ISBN 978-3-944449-35-7 .
- Karen Schriver: Dynamics in Document Design. Wiley, New York 1997.
- Stefan Voß, Kai Gutenschwager: Information Management. Springer, Berlin 2001.
- Christine Wallin-Felkner: Lexicon for technical communication. Doculine Verlag, Reutlingen 1998.
- Kerstin Alexander: Compendium of visual information and communication. Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 2007, ISBN 978-3-540-48930-6
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ See tekom
- ↑ Volker Schmidtchen : Schulte (Sylte), Hans. In: Author's Lexicon . Volume VIII, Col. 874 f.
- ↑ Volker Schmidtchen: 'armor and fireworks book'. In: Author's Lexicon . Volume VIII, Col. 427-429.
- ↑ Volker Schmidtchen: Pinchwanger, Jakob. In: Author's Lexicon . Volume VII, Col. 696 f.
- ↑ Competence framework
- ^ Decision of the Federal Fiscal Court of April 25, 2002, Az. IV R 4/01
- ↑ tekom ( Memento from November 20, 2011 in the Internet Archive )