Category: Skills

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From Around the Web: GenAI and Editing

The question of how ChatGPT and other generative AI tools will the affect the field of technical editing is a hot topic. Will we be replaced? Can we use it to help us do our jobs better?

Iva Cheung, a certified professional editor based in Metro Vancouver, B.C, has drawn a cartoon about how we as technical editing practitioners might need to react to the coming of large language models and GenAI, but she also writes some serious stuff about it that’s worth thinking about.

Take a look (and laugh!) here:

https://ivacheung.com/2023/07/conspiracy/

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Introduction to Technical Editing Course

Meg Vezzu

Are you looking to learn more about technical editing and the skills needed to succeed in this area? Perhaps you have recently started a job in technical editing or are considering a career in the field. Or maybe your job involves editing technical documents for colleagues or clients and you would like to expand your knowledge or brush up on your skills. If any of this sounds like you, you may be interested in signing up for the course “Introduction to Technical Editing.” The next session of this six-week course will begin on April 8, 2024.

In this course, we will dive into a variety of topics related to technical editing and cover important skills that technical editors need to effectively advocate for the audience and help technical writers to produce content that is clear, organized, and useful.

The course will begin with an overview of technical editing, including the different types and levels of technical editing and important skills needed for this type of work. We will also go over tips for managing editing projects and establishing positive working relationships with writers. Next, we will learn about the different tools technical editors use to do their job, such as tools for electronic text markup (e.g., Microsoft Word track changes and Adobe Acrobat markup) and the style manuals used by different industries (e.g., APA, Chicago). In addition to an overview of grammar and mechanics that will focus on common errors, we will discuss strategies for editing for clarity, conciseness, and style, including reducing redundancy and wordiness, using active vs. passive voice, and editing according to plain language guidelines. We will also cover topics related to editing for visual design, such as use of fonts, color, graphics, figures, and tables, in addition to issues related to accessibility. Finally, we will talk about some special considerations in technical editing, including technical editing in a global context, bias-free language, and ethical issues.

The course is presented in an asynchronous format, with lesson videos posted at the beginning of each week. There will also be at least one optional live session scheduled where students can ask questions in real time. Additionally, there will be discussion forums in Moodle where students can ask questions or share information.

Students will have the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the class through weekly assignments. Some of these will involve editing content provided by the instructor, and other assignments will allow students to find content for editing (e.g., websites). The course culminates with a final assignment where students perform a comprehensive edit of a proposal.

This course is ideal for those who are just getting started in technical editing as well as those who may have some job-related experience but are looking for more formal instruction to hone their skills.

To find out more and to sign up for the course, visit https://www.stc.org/course/tech-editing-april-2024/.

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Of Interest: You’re Wrong. My Documentation Is Brilliant!

On 30 January 2024 at 1200 PM ET (click here for your local time), join Jeff Klein for an interesting discussion about the complexities technical writers encounter when navigating negative feedback that is generic, vague, and utterly lacking in specificity. Uncover an effective approach to identify the underlying issues that feedback providers often struggle to articulate. Learn a practical methodology you can implement that will transform their non-actionable critique into a roadmap for enhancing the precision, clarity, and impact of your technical documentation.

For tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/youre-wrong-my-documentation-is-brilliant-tickets-788846088887.

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Coming Soon: The STC TESIG Editors’ Exchange 2023 Mini-Conference!

The goal of the STC Technical Editing SIG (TESIG) is to provide its members with high quality information about editing processes and best practices, as well as resources that demonstrate the value of editing and editors in an organization.

To meet this goal, we are happy to announce EdEx23, an online mini-conference dedicated to the field of technical editing and to technical editing practitioners.

EdEx23 will be held on 14 November 2023 from 8:45 AM to 12:00 PM ET (for your local time, go to https://tinyurl.com/cw228pyx). Come hear the following fascinating speakers:

  • Chelsea Fulton will be presenting a session called “Write It Right: Implementing a Global Style Guide“.
  • Fatima Hyder will be speaking about “Technical Editors – What Are They Good For?“.
  • Leah Guren will talk about “Don’t Touch That Doc ’til You’ve Had the Talk!”.

We especially encourage students and new technical editing practitioners to join us!

To see details about the presentations and to purchase tickets for EdEx23, go to https://tinyurl.com/35w7ae8p.

The price of the tickets is for the entire mini-conference, and attendees can join at any time. All sessions will be recorded, and the recordings and slides will be made available to attendees after the mini-conference.

EdEx23 attendees who are STC members can earn up to 2 CEUs for the full half-day program. For credit, submit a request for CEUs to certification@stc.org.

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Of Interest: Swimming Upstream to Train Today’s New TechComm Professionals

On 7 September 2023 at 1200 PM MT (click here for your local time), join Kari Chalker for an interesting discussion about how technical editing practitioners can help early-career TechComm professionals with on-the-job writing training and mentoring.

For tickets, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/swimming-upstream-to-train-todays-new-techcomm-professionals-tickets-644794095497?aff=oddtdtcreator.